Education for climate change - Utilizing atmospheric research facilities

In order to face the challenges of climate change, coordinated actions and efforts are required on global, regional and local scales. To succeed, they must be conveyed to informed, conscious and active citizens who understand the challenges and are ready to alter their way of living and thinking toward protecting our planet. Therefore, educating young people is one of the most effective tools for combating climate change. However, the increasing interest in climate change education by stakeholders, policymakers and the research community is not yet broadly incorporated into science education activities.

Atmospheric research stations provide valuable information about evolving climate change. Long-term observations of atmospheric parameters provide scientific evidence for the connections between the anthropogenic effect on atmospheric composition and the resulting changes in the planet’s climate.

Here we present educational activities at well-established atmospheric observatories part of international observational networks like ACTRIS, LTER, GAW and ICOS. The stations in those networks provide the necessary data and the links between atmospheric composition changes and climate perturbations. At the same time, these stations host at their premises local hubs where teachers and students have the chance to receive hands-on training on using environmental data in education and, ultimately, in school classrooms. The atmospheric research stations support networking, training and community building by stimulating personal engagement and out-of-school education of trainees.