Climate Change Education Act

To authorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish a Climate Change Education Program. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Climate Change Education Act 2. Findings Congress finds that— (1) the evidence for human-induced climate change is overwhelming and undeniable; (2) the United States is the second highest emitter of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the world; (3) atmospheric carbon can be significantly reduced through conservation, by shifting to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, tidal, and geothermal, and by increasing the efficiency of buildings, including domiciles, and transportation; (4) providing clear information about climate change, in a variety of forms, can remove the fear and the sense of helplessness, and encourage individuals and communities to take action; (5) implementation of measures that promote energy efficiency, conservation, and renewable energy will greatly reduce human impact on the environment; and (6) informing people of new technologies and programs as they become available will ensure maximum understanding and maximum impact of those measures. 3. Definition In this Act, the term climate change education 4. Climate Change Education Program The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall establish a Climate Change Education Program to— (1) broaden the understanding of human induced climate change, possible long-term and short-term consequences, and potential solutions; (2) apply the latest scientific and technological discoveries to provide formal and informal learning opportunities to people of all ages, including those of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds; (3) emphasize actionable information to help people understand and to promote implementation of new technologies, programs, and incentives related to energy conservation, renewable energy, and greenhouse gas reduction; and (4) inform the public of impacts to human health and safety as a result of climate change. 5. Program elements The Climate Change Education Program shall include— (1) a national information campaign to disseminate information on and promote implementation of the new technologies, programs, and incentives described in section 4(3); and (2) the grant program described in section 6. 6. Grant program The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall establish a program to make grants— (1) to support national public education, outreach, and communication programs to engage substantial numbers of the public in understanding climate change while developing educated and empowered consumers, investors, and citizens; (2) to encourage and support statewide plans and programs for climate change education, including relevant teacher training and professional development, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, and multidisciplinary studies to ensure that students graduate from high school climate literate, with a particular focus on programs that advance widespread State and local educational agency adoption of climate change education, including funding for State education agencies to— (A) integrate key principles of climate change education into existing K–12 State academic content standards, student academic achievement standards, or State curriculum frameworks; (B) create model State climate change curricula; or (C) create State green school building standards or policies; (3) to improve the quality of and access to higher education in green collar industries and green economy-related fields such as green business, technology, engineering, policy studies, and sustainability science, with a particular focus on programs that address restructuring institutional incentives and reducing institutional barriers to widespread faculty adoption of interdisciplinary teaching of climate change education; (4) for institutions of higher education to engage teams of faculty and students to develop applied climate research and deliver to local communities direct services on climate mitigation and adaptation issues impacting such communities, with a priority on distressed communities; and (5) for projects that build capacity for climate adaptation at the State and national level including— (A) career education; (B) expanding green collar workforce training; (C) secondary school preparation or work-based experiences in green collar fields; and (D) continuing education needed for practicing professionals for green economy-related fields. 7. Report to Congress Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall transmit to Congress a report that evaluates the scientific merits, educational effectiveness, and broader impacts of activities under this Act. 8. Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 through 2020 for carrying out this Act.

Summary: Climate Change Education Act This bill declares that the evidence for human-induced climate change is overwhelming and undeniable. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) must establish a Climate Change Education Program to: broaden the understanding of human-induced climate change, possible consequences, and potential solutions; apply the latest scientific and technological discoveries to provide learning opportunities to people of all ages; conduct a national information campaign to help people understand and promote implementation of new technologies, programs, and incentives related to energy conservation, renewable energy, and greenhouse gas reduction; and inform the public of impacts to human health and safety as a result of climate change. NOAA must establish a grant program for climate change education. This grant program must be included in the Program.