About
Climate change is very complex. The basics are simple: greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere trap the sun’s warmth. With no GHGs, the surface of the Earth would be the temperature of space – but with too many GHGs, the Earth gets very, very warm. The amount of GHGs in the atmosphere has always gone up and down over time, and the temperature went up and down with it. But something very important happened in the mid-late 1800s: humans started burning fossil fuels to create electricity, move vehicles and support industries. Burning those fossil fuels – including coal, oil, and natural gas – made it so GHGs increased over time. In “pre-industrial” times, the amount of CO2 (the most prevalent GHG) was around 270 parts per million (ppm), but now it’s over 415 ppm. Other GHGs, like methane and hydrofluorocarbons, have also increased. Our atmosphere continues to warm as a result, and is about 1.2°C (2.0°F) higher than it was in the 1870s.
Growing GHGs and rising temperatures have a plethora of consequences, from stronger storms to more heat waves to migration and economic damage. The following resources cover the basics of climate change and its many impacts.
Another list with disability rights info and organizations is available on our disability resources page. If you have any suggested resources, please reach out to info@accessibleclimate.com!
General Climate Change
- NASA Climate Change home – Basics of climate change, plus NASA’s research and response.
- US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) “Understand Climate Change“ – includes details on what’s happening and why, impacts on society, response options and more.
- International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – International organizing body for climate research, policy and agreements.
- United Nations climate change info page – UN’s climate basics, partnerships, summits and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13: Climate Action.
- World Health Organization’s climate change webpage – includes fact sheets, evidence & monitoring, country support, advocacy & partnerships, and capacity building info.
- Climate Action Network International – a network of civil society advocates, organizations, and businesses focused on climate change. Website includes plenty of news & info.
- George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication – resources and training for educators, journalists and anyone interested in teaching others about climate change.
- The Climate Reality Project – organizing, networking and advocacy for climate advocates.
- Post Carbon Institute – education and advocacy on community resilience, the energy transition, and limits to growth.
- Global Environmental Change (journal) – an open access research Journal for in-depth articles and analyses
Climate News
- The Daily Climate – a collection of original articles and curated news from around the web.
- Climate Home News – climate-related news from around the world
- Climate Central News – articles and radio spots on important climate topics
- Yale Climate Connections – articles and podcasts on all things climate change
- Climate Action news – original and curated articles on policy, renewable energy, sustainable investments and more.
- Climate One – engaging podcast discussions, hosted by the Commonwealth Club of California
- UN climate change news – news about ongoing research, policies and sustainable development from an international lens
Natural Disasters
- World Meteorological Organization: (Un)Natural Disasters: Communicating Linkages between Extreme Events and Climate Change – a bulletin on how climate affects disasters, and ways to engage the public
- UN Report: Human cost of disasters (2000-2019) – a detailed overview of recent disasters, including possible connections to climate change and its effects over time.
- Climate Insights 2020: Natural Disasters – a report on American public opinion on climate change and the environment.
- ShelterBox: Climate Change and Natural Disasters – great information page from a nonprofit advocating for safe shelters after disasters and conflict.
- UN High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR): Climate change and disaster displacement – important connections between climate, natural disasters, and temporary or permanent displacement.
Migration
- International Organization on Migration (IOM) Environmental Migration Portal – up-to-date information on key policy processes and developments, capacity building efforts, research and publications, and operational projects addressing the migration, environment and climate change nexus.
- International Organization on Migration (IOM): Migration, Environment and Climate Change (MECC) Division – the leading intergovernmental migration agency’s climate and environmental division, with info on migration itself, in-depth research, and international projects
- Migration Policy Institute – a research and policy organization that addresses all things migration. You can search “climate change” for reports, podcasts, articles and research journals.
- Wilson Center article: Reorienting Perceptions of Climate Change, Migration, & Displacement – a great intro article to the basics of climate change and migration
- Migration Data Portal: Environmental Migration – research using data-sets on migration in response to environmental change
Conflict
- International Committee of the Red Cross: Seven things you need to know about climate change and conflict – a brief overview of how climate affects conflict, and how conflict impacts climate resilience.
- The Center for Climate & Security – a research, policy and advisory group addressing the intersection of climate change and national security.
- Wilson Center: Environmental Change and Security Program – a research and policy program that explores the connections between environmental change, health, and population dynamics and their links to conflict, human insecurity, and foreign policy. Includes events, publications, and films & podcasts.
- New Security Beat – the blog of the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program.
Economic Impacts
- State of the Planet: How Climate Change Impacts the Economy – an overview article from Columbia University on how climate change effects industries ranging from agriculture to infrastructure to tourism and more.
- Brookings: Ten Facts About the Economics of Climate Change and Climate Policy – this website, also available as a PDF white paper, gives background on climate change and how it might progress, then provides 10 facts about climate change’s economic impacts, reasons why reducing emissions is getting cheaper, and economic policies to address climate change.
- Center for American Progress: Climate Change Threatens the Stability of the Financial System – a special focus on how climate change will affect banks, stock markets, insurance and other parts of the financial system in the US and abroad.
- International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Report 5 (AR5) Chapter 10: Key Economic Sectors and Services – this nearly-50-page report from 2018 addresses major economic impacts on numerous sectors of the economy. IPCC reports are great resources for in-depth research and analysis.
- Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): The Economic Consequences of Climate Change (2015) – an in-depth, 120-plus-page report on the economic consequences of climate change, with focuses on certain climate impacts, a larger picture of climate change, and laying out the benefits of policy actions.
Public Health
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Climate and Health Program – a federal effort to support state, tribal, local, and territorial public health agencies prepare for health impacts of a changing climate. Includes a great overview page of climate effects on health.
- USGCRP: Climate and Health Assessment – a 300-page assessment of the impacts of climate change on human health, including specific focuses on topics such as extreme heat, flooding (and water-related illnesses), and mental health and well-being.
- Public Health Institute: Center for Climate Change & Health – information on work by PHI’s climate change team, including news and publications.
- US Climate and Health Alliance – a national network of health and public health practitioners dedicated to addressing the threats of climate change and health.
- American Public Health Association: Climate Change – information and resources on the connections between climate change and public health, and APHA’s work on climate resilience.