Climate Change Education Act

Key Points

• This bill creates a new Climate Change Education Program inside NOAA to boost climate literacy across the country. The program would cover climate science, adaptation, mitigation, resilience, and climate justice for people of all ages and backgrounds.
• The bill authorizes $50 million per year in grants for state education agencies, local school districts, colleges, professional associations, and youth organizations. Half of the grant money goes to K-12 education, 30% to colleges, and the rest to professional groups and youth corps.
• Schools would use grant money for teacher training, updating standards to include climate science, creating hands-on student projects, and building career pathways in green jobs like apprenticeships and partnerships with labor organizations.
• The bill targets environmental justice communities by requiring 40% of certain grant funds go to communities of color, low-income communities, or Tribal and Indigenous communities that face higher environmental and health risks.
• The bill highlights that only 30% of middle school and 45% of high school science teachers currently understand the scientific consensus on climate change, underscoring the need for professional development.