Author/ Background
About the Author
Lily Hartzell is a rising senior at Sequoia High School in California. She comes from a Unitarian Universalist family, and she is member at the Unitarian Universalist (UU) Fellowship of Redwood City. At the time of developing this curriculum she is an intern at the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office (UU-UNO), which works to connect UUs with the world and bring our values to justice work on an international scale.
Background
Before diving into the course, it is important that you, the instructors, feel confident with the subject. Don’t worry about not being able to answer your participants’ questions, be happy that they are curious and direct them to the resources provided as part of the course. Also remember that climate science is an ever developing field and there are still many questions to be answered.
The following information is provided to assist with creating a foundation in the areas the course covers.
- Gateway to the UN System's Work on Climate Change: Facts and Figures
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Climate Change Science Overview
- The World Bank: Climate Change Overview
For connection to the UN and UUs:
Given that this course has a focus on the United Nations and global solutions to climate change (after all, it is a very global problem), it helps to be familiar with the organization. This is background (PDF, 10 pages) that is part of a curriculum specifically about the UN. Many of the organizations referenced in this curriculum, such as the UN Environmental Programme, World Food Programme, and others are closely associated with the UN and an integral part to the system described.