I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1961 
To authorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to 
establish a Climate Change Education Program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 22, 2015 
Mr. HONDA (for himself, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Ms. NORTON, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, 
Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts, and Ms. LOFGREN) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Work-
force, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 
case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To authorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis-
tration to establish a Climate Change Education Pro-
gram. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Climate Change Edu-
cation Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
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(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 re-
duced through conservation, by shifting to renewable 
energy sources such as solar, wind, tidal, and geo-
thermal, and by increasing the efficiency of build-
ings, 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 individ-
uals and communities to take action; 
(5) implementation of measures that promote 
energy efficiency, conservation, and renewable en-
ergy will greatly reduce human impact on the envi-
ronment; and 
(6) informing people of new technologies and 
programs as they become available will ensure max-
imum understanding and maximum impact of those 
measures. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITION. 
In this Act, the term ‘‘climate change education’’ 
means informal and formal interdisciplinary learning at 
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all age levels about climate change and its effects on envi-
ronmental, energy, social, and economic systems. 
SEC. 4. CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION PROGRAM. 
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion shall establish a Climate Change Education Program 
to— 
(1) broaden the understanding of human in-
duced 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 green-
house gas reduction; and 
(4) inform the public of impacts to human 
health and safety as a result of climate change. 
SEC. 5. PROGRAM ELEMENTS. 
The Climate Change Education Program shall in-
clude— 
(1) a national information campaign to dissemi-
nate information on and promote implementation of 
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the new technologies, programs, and incentives de-
scribed in section 4(3); and 
(2) the grant program described in section 6. 
SEC. 6. GRANT PROGRAM. 
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion shall establish a program to make grants— 
(1) to support national public education, out-
reach, and communication programs to engage sub-
stantial numbers of the public in understanding cli-
mate change while developing educated and empow-
ered consumers, investors, and citizens; 
(2) to encourage and support statewide plans 
and programs for climate change education, includ-
ing relevant teacher training and professional devel-
opment, 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 edu-
cation, including funding for State education agen-
cies to— 
(A) integrate key principles of climate 
change education into existing K–12 State aca-
demic content standards, student academic 
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achievement standards, or State curriculum 
frameworks; 
(B) create model State climate change cur-
ricula; 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, tech-
nology, engineering, policy studies, and sustainability 
science, with a particular focus on programs that ad-
dress restructuring institutional incentives and re-
ducing institutional barriers to widespread faculty 
adoption of interdisciplinary teaching of climate 
change education; 
(4) for institutions of higher education to en-
gage teams of faculty and students to develop ap-
plied climate research and deliver to local commu-
nities direct services on climate mitigation and adap-
tation 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 includ-
ing— 
(A) career education; 
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(B) expanding green collar workforce 
training; 
(C) secondary school preparation or work- 
based experiences in green collar fields; and 
(D) continuing education needed for prac-
ticing professionals for green economy-related 
fields. 
SEC. 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 Con-
gress a report that evaluates the scientific merits, edu-
cational effectiveness, and broader impacts of activities 
under this Act. 
SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Na-
tional 
Oceanic 
and 
Atmospheric 
Administration 
$20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 through 2020 
for carrying out this Act. 
Æ 
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