The goal of this reading list is to introduce you to the contexts and perspectives through which climate change and biodiversity are understood and communicated. What terms are used? How are climate change and biodiversity studied? How can we make the results of those studies accessible and relatable?
Each article and video can lead you down your own path of discovery, so we invite you to explore. We don’t expect you to read all of them, and you certainly won’t be tested on their contents. We do hope you find them helpful and inspiring, especially the videos that may offer some ideas about how you can tell the story of your week studying climate change and biodiversity at camp.
Blogs, articles, and interactive websites
Big Questions, from NASA (foundations of climate science): https://climatekids.nasa.gov/menu/big-questions/
What is climate change? (from the UN): https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change
Images of Change, from NASA (before and after satellite images): https://climate.nasa.gov/images-of-change/
Essential Climate Variables, from Global Climate Observing System (interactive): https://gcos.wmo.int/en/essential-climate-variables/
Biodiversity explained as part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2023/08/explainer-what-is-biodiversity/
Biodiversity 101, from NRDC: https://www.nrdc.org/stories/biodiversity-101
How Scientists Measure Biodiversity, from Global Forest Watch: https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/forest-insights/how-scientists-measure-biodiversity/
Lesotho Is an Example of How Climate Change Disproportionately Affects Developing Countries: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/climate-change-disproportionately-affects-poor-countries
A Feverish World (from 2008): https://www.snexplores.org/article/feverish-world
Timeline of climate change: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-comic-masterfully-shows-how-climate-has-changed-through-time-180960451/
Burning Buried Sunshine, a seminal article from 2003 about how much plant matter is needed to create fuel for cars: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/10/031027061350.htm
Short films
Isle de Jean Charles, short film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DprQqmaUafM
Earthrise, short film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syQi7Q-ITCE
Yukon Kings, short film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNwvHxDr7gw
Fire Is Our Relation, short film: https://www.globalonenessproject.org/library/films/fire-our-relation
Biodiversity ecosystems and ecological networks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bE-Pydad7U
Student Climate Change Documentary 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMJa8RTtLYs
Human Nature, animated short film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWLeMftOgts
PDFs
Aldo Leopold’s “Thinking Like a Mountain” (written 75 years ago)
Glossaries of terms for biodiversity and climate change