Readings
How Climate Change Reduces Biodiversity
Climate change is straining the earth’s ecosystems. Learn how humans can adapt to protect them.
AP Environmental Science
Explore free resources that align with your AP Environmental Science curriculum.
CFR Education offers a range of free resources that can supplement your AP Environmental Science curriculum. Browse readings, timelines, videos, and simulations covering climate issues and other topics related to environmental science.
Skills students learn with CFR Education Environmental Science Resources:
- explaining key scientific concepts and how they impact us
- analyzing texts, visual representations, data to understand environmental issues
- evaluating various policy options to address environmental issues
Unit 2: The Living World: Biodiversity
- Videos
Climate Change and the Coffee Industry
In this educational video, learn how climate change’s effects on agriculture can have serious economic consequences for the world.
Unit 4: Earth Systems and Resources
- Readings
How Climate Change Can Get Even Worse
Climate change can amplify itself through feedback loops. It can also trigger catastrophic “tipping points.”
Unit 5: Land and Water Use
- Videos
How Climate Change is a Collective Action Problem
The world can work together in the fight against climate change, but there are challenges to international cooperation.
- Readings
Protecting Global Food and Water Supplies in a Warming World
Discover how climate change is diminishing global food and water security, and how the world can adapt to those vital resource challenges.
- Readings
How Climate Change Reduces Biodiversity
Climate change is straining the earth’s ecosystems. Learn how humans can adapt to protect them.
- Readings
How to Lower Agriculture and Land-Use Emissions
Agriculture is warming the planet. Changing how we farm and manage land can decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
- Readings
What Is Water Scarcity?
Is there a global water crisis? In this free resource, learn how climate change is causing water scarcity to worsen worldwide.
- Readings
Climate Change Adaptations
Explore how eleven countries are adapting to the effects of climate change in this free resource.
Unit 6: Energy Resources and Consumption
- Readings
How Energy Conservation Can Help Fight Climate Change
Conserving energy and maximizing efficiency means less strain on electricity grids and fewer greenhouse gas emissions. But is it working—and fast enough?
- Readings
What are Critical Minerals?
From clean energy technology, to satellites, to everyday devices, critical minerals are vital to the world’s economies. But taking them out of the earth can come with a cost.
- Readings
Why Energy Storage is Essential for a Green Transition
Learn how energy storage can provide reliable renewable energy.
- Readings
Why Electric Grids Need to Be More Resilient
Severe weather is causing costly disruptions. To protect the energy grid, countries need a smarter plan.
- Videos
How Renewables Can Boost a Country's Energy Security
Climate change poses energy security challenges, but building more renewable sources and taking other steps can help strengthen supply and lower risks.
- Readings
How to Address the Economic Costs of Climate Change
Climate change–related weather events will destroy bridges, roads, homes, and even power plants—unless those structures become more resilient.
- Readings
How to Lower Industry-Sector Emissions
Industrial emissions pose big challenges for the climate. Innovative industrial solutions can make a difference.
- Readings
How to Lower Energy-Sector Emissions
Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy can help mitigate climate change.
- Readings
The Inflation Reduction Act
What is the IRA? In this free resource, learn what the United States’ largest-ever climate change legislation does.
- Readings
Why Is The Free Flow of Oil Important?
Why does the price of oil change so much? Learn how crude oil affects the global economy and the potential for economic development, and how fluctuating prices can contribute to crises.
- Readings
Sources of Energy: A Comparison
Learn how turning toward cleaner energy sources means factoring in economic and energy needs alongside environmental ones.
Unit 7: Atmospheric Pollution
- Readings
How Climate Change Affects Our Health
A warmer world threatens more extreme weather and infectious disease, but policymakers can counter climate change’s damages to global health.
- Readings
What Is Geoengineering?
Learn more about the promises and perils of artificially manipulating the environment to combat climate change.
Unit 9: Global Change
- Simulations
Global Climate Change Policy (NSC)
A major international climate summit approaches, and all eyes are on the United States.
- Simulations
Global Climate Change Policy (UNSC)
A major summit approaches where the UN Security Council will meet to discuss the effects of climate change on security.
- Readings
How State and Local Governments Can Fight Climate Change
When it comes to climate action, the federal government can coordinate and fund many measures. But state and local governments also play a critical role in helping—or hindering—the fight against climate change.
- Readings
Why Electric Grids Need to Be More Resilient
Severe weather is causing costly disruptions. To protect the energy grid, countries need a smarter plan.
- Readings
How Climate Change Affects Our Health
A warmer world threatens more extreme weather and infectious disease, but policymakers can counter climate change’s damages to global health.
- Videos
How Climate Change is a Collective Action Problem
The world can work together in the fight against climate change, but there are challenges to international cooperation.
- Readings
Protecting Global Food and Water Supplies in a Warming World
Discover how climate change is diminishing global food and water security, and how the world can adapt to those vital resource challenges.
- Readings
How Humans Cause Climate Change
Every aspect of modern life carries hidden environmental costs. Recognizing the human-driven causes of climate change can help build a more sustainable future.
- Readings
How Climate Change Can Get Even Worse
Climate change can amplify itself through feedback loops. It can also trigger catastrophic “tipping points.”
- Readings
What Is Geoengineering?
Learn more about the promises and perils of artificially manipulating the environment to combat climate change.
- Mini Simulations
U.S. Arctic Policy
Should the United States launch a new Arctic policy in response to climate change and investments from countries like China and Russia in the region? Explore this simulation.
- Mini Simulations
Stopping Deforestation in the Amazon
Should the United States take action to stop deforestation in the Amazon to combat climate change? Explore this simulation.
- Mini Simulations
Solar Geoengineering
Should the United States consider the use of solar geoengineering to combat climate change? Explore this simulation.
- Readings
The Greenhouse Effect
How do greenhouse gas emissions contribute to global warming? Learn why the world is getting warmer in this free climate change resource.
- Readings
Why Scientists Are Watching Greenland
In this free climate change resource, learn why melting ice in Greenland is causing global sea level rise.
- Videos
Climate Change and the Coffee Industry
In this educational video, learn how climate change’s effects on agriculture can have serious economic consequences for the world.
- Videos
What Is Climate Change?
In this educational video, learn why the climate is changing, how it affects us, and what we can do about it.
- Readings
Climate Change Adaptations
Explore how eleven countries are adapting to the effects of climate change in this free resource.
