Teachers across the country have no qualms explaining the facts of physics or chemistry. And, according to the National Science Teachers Association, climate change should not be any different.

Pyle: “The controversies surrounding climate change are not scientific arguments. They are social arguments, economic, political arguments …”

Eric Pyle of James Madison University in Virginia says we can debate what to do about climate change, but the underlying science is clear.

Pyle: “When you talk to scientists – and climate scientists in particular – they’re not arguing about whether it’s happening or not.”

Pyle chaired an NSTA panel that recently developed a statement in support of teaching climate science in K-12 classrooms.

Pyle: “It adds a lot of clarity to teachers about the role of climate change and what should be taught.”

The statement includes resources teachers can use to develop lessons and curricula on the topic.

Pyle: “NSTA didn’t just put the statement out to say, ‘Okay, now this is what we believe in,’ but it’s also to say, ‘We have the resources that can provide the professional learning to build teacher content knowledge, and to help build their confidence to address these socially controversial topics in the classroom.’”

Reporting credit: Ariel Hansen/ChavoBart Digital Media.