Effective Climate Action

Lesson Plans

Grades9, 10, 11, 12Economics, Civics

Scientist Reviewed

Provided by OER Project

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What it is

In this module from the OER Project: Climate, students will learn about the most effective ways to implement climate solutions for different groups, individuals, and organizations.
Students will understand the levers of power that can contribute to solutions, evaluate a climate solution, and hear and read examples of young people making a difference.
This is one of many lessons in the online Climate course by OER Project.

Teaching tips

Positives

This resource does a great job of focusing on climate action from a broader lens, without making the bulk of the information about reducing individual carbon footprints.
Students will be inspired by the various stories of young people making a difference and taking action.

Prerequisites

Students should be familiar with the causes, impacts, and adaptation and mitigation strategies for climate change.
It may benefit students to be familiar with government and non-government organizations that work to address problems.
To access teaching tools, like a teacher guide to accompany this module, teachers will need to create a free account.

Differentiation & Implementation

Teachers can use the Climate Action Sort activity as both a pre-assessment and a post-assessment to measure what students learned from the reading.
After reading about the business levers of change, students can further explore greenwashing with this lesson.
To further illustrate the intersectionality of climate change as described in the video, teachers can show students the UN Sustainable Development Goals and explain that climate change is woven into all of the goals.
To have the video pause to ask questions, students will have to check the box below the video.

From the scientist review

This lesson teaches students about effective climate action and how different levels of action are best done by different groups (individuals, NGOs, governments, etc.). Students will read about a variety of climate actions, their obstacles, and how these were addressed. The information presented is accurate, and this resource is recommended for teaching.

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At a glance

Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Subjects: Economics, Civics
Other types: Articles/Websites, Videos, Activity - Classroom, Worksheets
Language: English
Location: Earth
Provider: OER Project
Authors: OER Project: Climate
Published: August 21, 2025
Last updated: July 16, 2026
: Reviewed by our climate scientists How we review

Standards alignment · D2.Civ.12.9-12 + 11 more

Core

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards

D2.Civ.12.9-12Analyze how people use and challenge local, state, national, and international laws to address a variety of public issues.
D4.7.9-12Assess options for individual and collective action to address local, regional, and global problems by engaging in self-reflection, strategy identification, and complex causal reasoning.

Maine Climate Education Hub

English Language Arts

SL.9-12.2Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
R.9-12.4Read various texts closely to determine what each text explicitly says and to make logical inferences; cite specific textual evidence to support conclusions drawn from the texts.
R.9-12.5Provide an accurate summary of various texts; determine the central idea(s) or theme(s) and analyze its development throughout each text.
R.9-12.7Interpret words and phrases as they are used in various texts, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
W.9-12.3Routinely produce a variety of clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, audience, and purpose.

Science and Engineering

HS-ESS3-4Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.

Social Studies

Civics& Government 1 (F3): Students understand the ideals, purposes, principles, structures, and processes of constitutional government in the United States and in the American political system, as well as examples of other forms of government and political systems in the world by describing the purpose, structures, and processes of the American political system.
Civics& Government 1 (D1): Students understand the ideals, purposes, principles, structures, and processes of constitutional government in the United States and in the American political system, as well as examples of other forms of government and political systems in the world by evaluating and comparing the relationship of citizens with government in the United States and other regions of the world.
Economics(F1): Students understand the principles and processes of personal economics, the role of markets, the economic system of the United States, other economic systems in the world, and how economics serves to inform decisions in the present and future by analyzing the role of financial institutions, the financial markets, and government including fiscal, monetary, and trade policies.
GlobalConnections (F2): Students understand economic aspects of unity and diversity in Maine, the United States, and the world, including Maine Native American communities, by analyzing how resource distribution effects wealth, poverty, and other economic factors.

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What it is

Teaching tips

From the scientist review

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