CFR Education, the educational arm of the Council on Foreign Relations, offers a comprehensive library of nonpartisan, multimedia teaching and learning resources on climate change and its implications for global affairs and foreign policy. Explore these free resources and their accompanying teaching materials.
Explore the Topics
- Understanding the Causes of Climate Change
- How to Mitigate Climate Change
- How the World Can Adapt to Climate Impacts
- Climate Policy: Opportunities and Obstacles
- Energy Challenges in the Face of Climate Change
- What Is Geoengineering?
As a part of its commitment to addressing climate change, the Council on Foreign Relations also offers "Climate Change and Global Affairs: Navigating a Warming World," a three-part specialization on Coursera. By completing this self-guided series, learners will understand the natural and human causes of climate change and how climate change affects society and global affairs. They will also learn about the many approaches to mitigate and adapt to climate change’s effects and assess how governments can address climate change at the local, national, and international levels. In short, participants will achieve climate literacy.
Full Library of Climate Resources
Understanding the Causes of Climate Change
- The Greenhouse Effect
- How Climate Change Can Get Even Worse
- How Humans Cause Climate Change
- Who Releases the Most Greenhouse Gases?
- Timeline: Awareness of Human Caused Climate Change
How to Mitigate Climate Change
- How to Lower Energy-Sector Emissions
- How to Lower Industry-Sector Emissions
- How to Lower Transportation-Sector Emissions
- How to Lower Buildings-Sector Emissions
- How to Lower Agriculture and Land-Use Emissions
How the World Can Adapt to Climate Impacts
- How to Protect Against Extreme Weather
- Protecting Global Food and Water Supplies in a Warming World
- How to Address the Economic Costs of Climate Change
- How Climate Change Reduces Biodiversity
- Climate Change Threatens to Displace Many People
- How Climate Change Threatens National Security
- How Does Climate Change Affect Our Health?
- How Climate Change Worsens Inequality
Climate Policy: Opportunities and Obstacles
- How Climate Change is a Collective Action Problem (video)
- How Are International Agreements Helping Fight Global Warming?
- How the Paris Agreement Helps Stop Climate Change (video)
- What Is a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism?
- What Are Market-Based Solutions for Mitigating Climate Change?
- What Is the Inflation Reduction Act?
- How Target Setting Can Help Guide Climate Action
- What Is Climate Finance?
- How Regulations Help Fight Climate Change
- How to Make the Green Transition Just and Equitable
- How State and Local Governments Can Fight Climate Change
- Timeline: History of Climate Action
Energy Challenges in the Face of Climate Change
- How Renewables Can Boost a Country’s Energy Security (video)
- How Electrification Can Reduce Emissions
- Why Energy Storage is Essential for a Green Transition
- How Earth’s Minerals Are Helping the World Meet Its Climate Goals
- Why Electric Grids Need to Be More Resilient
- How Energy Conservation Can Help Fight Climate Change
Geoengineering
Teaching Resources
High School
- High School Essay & Discussion Questions covering causes of climate change, mitigation, climate impacts and adaptations, energy challenges, policy levers, geoengineering and climate videos
- Climate Change: Introduction (Lesson Plan)
- Who Releases the Most Greenhouse Gases (Lesson Plan)
- Coffee and Costs (Lesson Plan)
- Mitigation (Lesson Plan)
- Climate Change and Infectious Diseases (Lesson Plan)
- International Agreements (Lesson Plan)
- Regulation and Market-Based Climate Solutions (Lesson Plan)
- Renewable Energy and Batteries (Lesson Plan)
- AP Environmental Science Alignment Page
Higher Education
- Higher Education Essay & Discussion Questions covering causes of climate change, mitigation, climate impacts and adaptations, energy challenges, policy levers, geoengineering and climate videos
- Navigating the Green Transition (Activity)
- Create A Mitigation Awareness Video (Activity)
- Climate Prompts: Fact or Fiction? (Activity)
- Combating Climate Change: Climate Simulator Activity
- Solar Geoengineering Mini Simulation Activity
- Hurricane in the Caribbean Mini Simulation Activity
Climate Change Simulations
- Hurricane in the Caribbean
- Solar Geoengineering
- Stopping Deforestation in the Amazon
- U.S. Arctic Policy
- Should the United States Ratify the Law of the Sea?
- Global Climate Change Policy (National Security Council)
- Global Climate Change Policy (UN Security Council)
Explore Library of Climate Events
- Teaching Climate Change: From Earth Day to Every Day (CFR Education, April 22, 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. (EDT)
- Teaching Climate Change Across Disciplines in 2025 (SXSW EDU, March 2025)
- Engaging Students in Interdisciplinary Climate Education (Recording on edWeb, November, 2024)
- Higher Ed Webinar: Teaching Climate Change (Recording on CFR Education, November, 2024)
- Climate Change: What Your Students Want to Know AND What They Can Do About It (Recording on Share My Lesson, March 2024)
Stay Updated
- Subscribe to the CFR Education newsletter from the Council on Foreign Relations to receive free teaching and learning resources straight to your inbox.
CFR Education, the educational arm of the Council on Foreign Relations, is at the forefront of helping middle, high school, and higher education students understand and engage with today’s most pressing global issues. With over 700 free, nonpartisan multimedia teaching and learning resources, CFR Education’s supplemental materials help students gain the knowledge, skills, and perspective needed to navigate today’s interconnected world. CFR Education also provides professional development and programming opportunities to support educators as they take on this crucial work.