Climate Lit

Earth is in a state of climate emergency. Our mission is to promote climate literacy as a means to transition to an ecological civilization.

We offer you the resources to teach about climate change with literature, film, and other media for young people.

08/21/2026

Want to help build a more climate-literate future?

The Center for Climate Literacy believes in the power of grassroots change. That meaningful change happens when we work together.

Whether you’re a teacher, student, academic, community member, author, artist, or creator, there are many ways to get involved.

Everyone is welcome. Every contribution matters. https://climateliteracy.umn.edu/join-us

08/08/2026

New Review: The Forest Keeper

“Cut me first before you touch my forest!”

The Forest Keeper is based on the true story of Jadav Molai Payeng, an activist from India who witnessed a devastating flood that left behind withered plants and dead snakes. Determined to make a change, he set out to transform the barren land into a thriving forest by persistently planting trees and eventually creating a haven that beckons and shelters creatures of many kinds.

Through years of small efforts, he brings about remarkable change: this real-life forest now stretches larger than Central Park in New York and serves as a vital migration corridor for elephants.

One of the book’s central conflicts arises when elephants enter nearby villages and destroy houses, prompting furious villagers to threaten to cut down the forest. Yet Jadav protects the forest with unwavering resolve, even threatening to sacrifice his own life for it.

Visit Climate Lit to read the full review: https://www.climatelit.org/literature/the-forest-keeper-the-true-story-of-jadav-payeng/

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Review by Alison Han

Publisher: North-South Books, 2023

Audience: Ages 4-7, Ages 8-13

ISBN: 9780735845053

Pages: 40

Format: Picturebooks
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08/01/2026

What if our environmental crisis isn't driven primarily by consumerism, but by a system built on the endless production of goods for profit?

Producerism, a term coined by ecological philosopher Rupert Read, describes an economic system that depends on perpetual growth—creating products, manufacturing demand, and encouraging us to see ourselves first and foremost as consumers. This perspective challenges us to look beyond individual choices and consider the larger systems shaping our relationship with people and the planet.

Understanding terms like producerism helps us better understand the forces influencing climate change, sustainability, and our everyday lives. Click to learn more! https://www.climatelit.org/topic/producerism/

07/26/2026

Knowing Land through Love Seven Steps for Contemplative Outdoor Engagement

By Amanda M. Kingston, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA and Jessica Fundalinski, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA

**Abstract**

This article describes a seven-step process for offering contemplative outdoor experiences for students. Contemplative outdoor engagements are those experiences and practices that ask humans to move slowly through nature to foster introspection, attention to details, and deep gratitude for our earth-kin. Contemplative outdoor engagements include practices like forest therapy, forest bathing, or mindful outdoor engagements, and they can be done individually or within group settings, guided or alone. We propose that these activities can support the development of climate literacy, which depends on providing students with opportunities to form meaningful connections with the more-than-human world.

Click the link to our latest edition to read the article for free! (Vol. 4 No. 2 (2026): https://pubs.lib.umn.edu/index.php/cle/article/view/6906

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06/26/2026

Nearly 100 attendees participated in the first Minnesota Climate Literacy Education Symposium on May 9, 2026. Attendees learned from the sixteen inaugural Climate Literacy Teacher Leader Fellows from Minnesota teachers about how they brought standards-aligned climate literacy education into their classrooms—from PreK to high school, from Chinese to health to science to social studies. Materials presented at the Symposium will be published in a special issue of Climate Literacy in Education. Stay tuned!

06/18/2026

🌎 Climate Term of the Month: Treaty People Gathering 🌎

What happens when thousands of people come together to protect water, uphold treaty rights, and advocate for climate justice? The result is the Treaty People Gathering, which is a powerful example of Indigenous-led environmental activism in action.

Learn more about this important climate literacy term and its connection to environmental justice, Indigenous sovereignty, and collective action: https://www.climatelit.org/topic/treaty-people-gathering/

06/08/2026

Applications are now open for the Climate Literacy Teacher Leader Fellowship through the University of Minnesota's Center for Climate Literacy!

This three-year professional learning opportunity supports PreK–12 educators in becoming leaders in climate literacy education.

Fellows will explore climate literacy scholarship, children's and young adult literature, media, and curriculum design while developing classroom resources that empower students to understand climate challenges and become agents of change in their communities.

Participants will receive mentorship, collaborate with a network of dedicated educators, create standards-aligned curriculum materials, contribute to the Climate Lit Database, and publish reflections on their work. First-year fellows receive a $2,500 stipend.

Educators from all content areas, as well as school librarians, media specialists, and instructional coaches, are encouraged to apply.

Application deadline: July 5, 2026

For detail and to register, go to https://climateliteracy.umn.edu/what-we-do/climate-literacy-teacher-leader-fellows-program

This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing community working to reimagine education for a more sustainable future. Please share with educators who may be interested!

05/23/2026

Climate change is a human story about home, loss, movement, and belonging.

This new thematic package for grades 9–12 explores climate migration through fiction, nonfiction, journalism, and classroom-ready resources that help students connect climate change to real human experiences.

Featuring books like Dislocation, The Great Displacement, and Climate Migrants, along with discussion frameworks, mapping activities, and interdisciplinary teaching ideas, this resource invites students to ask urgent questions about borders, justice, and what it means to call a place home.

Because behind every climate statistic is a human story.

Access the full package here! https://www.climatelit.org/blog-post/teaching-climate-migration-stories-movement-and-the-human-face-of-climate-change/

05/19/2026

Who Hid the Stars: How Light Pollution Changes Our World is a nonfiction picturebook that introduces how artificial lights are created and examines their impacts on animals, insects, and plants.

It begins by tracing the history of artificial light, from early forms of fire—torches, lanterns, and oil lamps—to modern electric lighting. It explains how humans influence other species’ lives through the widespread use of electric lights, affecting both urban areas and wild habitats. The book then introduces birds’ lives in cities, exploring how they are affected in terms of migration, daily cycles, and living conditions.

Check out the full review: https://www.climatelit.org/literature/who-hid-the-stars-how-light-pollution-changes-our-world/

©2026 ClimateLit (Review by Alison Han)
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2026
Audience: Ages 14+, Ages 8-13
ISBN: 9780802856517
Pages: 44
Format: Nonfiction, Picturebooks
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05/08/2026

NEW REVIEW: A LONG WAY FROM HOME on CLIMATE LIT!

A Long Way from Home explores the themes of climate crisis, migration, belongingness and intergenerational coalitions through the lens of science fiction. The story shows how climate emergencies cut across our understanding of identity, displacement and the search for “home”. Read the full review:
https://www.climatelit.org/literature/a-long-way-from-home/

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