* Apple users running MacOSX 10.4 or later must install Microsoft's Silverlight software in order to view the streaming videos marked with *. Once installed, restart your browser before viewing. Silverlight 4.0 intel (14MB) | Silverlight 1.0 ppc (5MB) WATCH AND LISTEN under 10 minutes Climate Change Stories Sometimes it is best to hear directly from people who are experiencing climate change in their own lives and thinking about what to do about it. Several groups have begun collecting such stories: "Climate Matters Documoments" for Hawaii; Climate Minnesota, Climate Wisconsin, and Climate Stories NC (North Carolina) for those states; and (for people living around the U.S., including numerous Native communities, and some from other countries), the Climate Listening Project, Americans on the Front Lines of Climate Change, the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit, and the Climate Stories Project. The team at Yale Climate Connections puts out short (radio) podcasts along these lines five days a week. (varied) Native Americans Coping with Climate Change PBS NewsHour This link is to part of a series of short videos (plus transcripts, blogs, and photo galleries) looking at a handful of Native American tribes and their current experiences with climate change. According to an accompanying blog, "When we began our NewsHour coverage on communities across the United States coping with climate change, we didn't plan to focus on Native American tribes. But we soon realized that indigenous communities are on the frontlines of America's climate-related dangers. . . . That diversity - both geographically and culturally - makes them a sort of demographic microcosm of the United States. That means the climate shifts that they are feeling now could give clues to what other Americans can expect might see in the near future." (~8 minutes, July 2012) Human Impacts of Climate Change low-res stream | med-res stream | QuickTime movie Lori Peek, Department of Sociology, Colorado State University Is there more risk involved for women or men when it comes to climate change? What about the impact for children versus adults? This short clip describes particular groups that are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. (9 minutes, February 2010) longer Climate Change and National Security For a good short overview piece on Vox.com (November 2015), see Brad Plumer's Closer Look at the Link between Climate Change and Violence. For an excellent, lucid, concise, practical, and authoritative report, see National Security and the Accelerating Risks of Climate Change by the Center for Naval Analysis Corporation Military Advisory Board, May 2014. This last report makes it abundantly clear how well the U.S. military understands climate change as a threat to its own facilities, to global economic networks, and as a catalyst for conflict around the world. (varies) READ books articles & essays FOCUS on . . . For more annotated links on aspects of the effect of global warming on people, see the FOCUS pages on the Climate/Human Past and Wild Weather. Hotter, Drier, Hungrier: How Global Warming Punishes the World's Poorest Somini Sengupta, New York Times, March 2018 A vivid look at the effects of drought in Kenya and surrounding areas. What happens to people's lives when the rains fail? This is an important topic to understand. Swallowed by the Sea Nicholas Kristof, New York Times, January 2018 Columnist Kristof is especially alert to human justice issues, and this short piece is a good quick look at some of those associated with climate change, focused here on child marriage in some of the poorest places on Earth. Another strong column focused on starving children in drought-devastated Madagascar is here. Groundswell: Preparing for Internal Climate Migration The World Bank, March 2018 Focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America, this important report "warns that unless urgent climate and development action is taken, these three regions could be dealing with a combined total of over 140 million internal climate migrants by 2050." Concerted action, though, could reduce this number "by as much as 80 percent‒or 100 million people." Full of specifics and case studies. The Guardian has a good short story about the study here. Welcome to the Age of Climate Migration Jeff Goodell, Rolling Stone, February 2018 Lest we think, complacently, that climate migration will only affect other countries, this piece makes it very clear that the US will have its own issues possibly quite large ones, given how much of our population lives on sea coasts (Miami, Tampa) and in places where it is already hot and dry (Phoenix). Note that in 2017 alone, more than a million Americans were displaced by extreme weather linked to climate change (New Orleans, Houston). A vivid reality check. Beyond Borders: Our Changing Climate‒Its Role in Conflict and Displacement Environmental Justice Foundation, November 2017 This easy to read and lavishly illustrated 40-or-so page report is a good overview of some of the key ways climate change is beginning to cause mass population displacements and exacerbate conflicts around the globe. For anyone who thinks the main risk is mostly to polar bears, this is a must-read. The Unfolding Tragedy of Climate Change in Bangladesh Robert Glennon, Scientific American (blog), April 2017 This guest blog lays out some of the actual ramifications (present and future) for sea level rise in Bangladesh. Though Bangladeshis are doing much to help their country, climate changes threaten to overwhelm recent development, especially given the inevitable and massive human displacements. The World Hasn't Had This Many People Dying of Starvation and Disease Since World War II The Nation, Michael T. Klare, April 2017 Klare is the Nation's defense correspondent, and this essay calls appropriate and needed attention to the many ways climate change is and will be wrecking the lives of people who had almost nothing to do with causing it. Klare's political stance is characteristic of this magazine, as the subtitle suggests: "And the United States is complicit in their death." Extreme Carbon Inequality Oxfam, December 2015 We all know by now that those of us who burn the most carbon aren't the ones who will suffer most from climate change: on the contrary, the poorest humans contribute almost nothing and are already hurting the most. This report crosses all the t’s and dots all the i's for this basic and troubling fact. Climate-Displaced Persons Deserve a Dignified Transition. Here's How to Make It Happen. Kayla Walsh, Ensia, January 2016 This is a thoughtful, informed, and informative discussion of what is at stake in what we call people who are displaced by climate change. It is not simple, but it matters. The Vanishing Island Adam Morton (text), Penny Stephens (photos), and others, Sydney Morning Herald, fall 2015 This beautifully done story shows us what's happening on a tiny part of the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific as sea level rises and the islanders try to prepare for change. The story won a UN Media award in 2016. For more stories about climate change from this newspaper, click here. Climate Change Pushes India's Poorest Children into Slavery Nita Bhalla, Reuters, February 2015 Based on an interview with Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, this short article describes one of the indirect effects of climate-linked disasters on poor and vulnerable people, in this case women and children at risk from human trafficking, especially when social institutions are under severe stress. Climate Change and National Security For two good short overview pieces on Vox.com (November 2015), see David Roberts' The Right Way to Think about Climate Change and National Security and Brad Plumer's Closer Look at the Link between Climate Change and Violence. The Pentagon & Climate Change: How Deniers Put National Security at Risk, by Jeff Goodell, Rolling Stone, February 2015, is a thorough look at the current and probable future effects of climate change on US military assets and readiness to deal with emerging security issues around the globe, along with the story of how deniers in Congress are blocking action in ways that make America more vulnerable. For two excellent, lucid, concise, practical, and authoritative reports, see the 2014 Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap by the Department of Defense, October 2014, and National Security and the Accelerating Risks of Climate Change by the Center for Naval Analysis Corporation Military Advisory Board, May 2014. These last two reports make it abundantly clear how well the U.S. military understands climate change as a threat to its own facilities, to global economic networks, and as a catalyst for conflict around the world. Welcome to West Port Arthur, Texas, Ground Zero in the Fight for Climate Justice Wen Stephenson, The Nation, June 2014 A very good introduction to the issue of climate justice and its ties to public health, fossil fuels, poverty, race, pollution, and other social and environmental justice factors. Turn Down the Heat World Bank, November 2012, June 2013, November 2014 Three extensive reports from the World Bank‒all with excellent executive summaries‒look closely at projected risks to agriculture, infrastructure, health, and other important elements of human life, focusing especially on the developing world, and comparing impacts expected from today's warming (.8°C) with those from a +2°C warming (expected if the world aggressively fights emissions) and from a +4°C warming (expected if emissions continue on their current paths). The first report is subtitled "Why a 4°C Warmer World Must Be Avoided"; the second, "Climate Extremes, Regional Impacts, and the Case for Resilience," focuses on Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia; the third, "Confronting the New Climate Normal," focuses on Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, and parts of Europe and Central Asia. Adapting to a Warmer World: No Going Back Olive Heffernan, Nature, November 2012 An excellent introduction to adaptation efforts now underway around the world (both large and small scale, top-down and grassroots), as mitigation efforts flounder and severe weather events become more frequent and damaging. Facing the Storm: Indian Tribes, Climate-Induced Weather Extremes, and the Future for Indian Country National Wildlife Federation, 2011, 27 pp Well-written and comprehensive introduction to many of the climate-change issues faced by Native Americans, especially on the tribal lands in the American West and Alaska, with suggestions about needed or existing resources for adaptation. Many agencies contributed, and the footnotes are good. Suffering the Science: Climate Change, People and Poverty This clearly-written and compelling report "combines the latest scientific observations on climate change, with evidence from the communities Oxfam works with in almost 100 countries around the world, to reveal how the changing climate is already hitting poor people hard. [It] outlines evidence of how climate change is affecting every issue linked to poverty and development from access to food and water to health and security. It warns that without immediate action 50 years of development gains in poor countries will be permanently lost. One of the most worrying trends highlighted in the report is the impact of erratic weather on agriculture. Poor farmers, who can no longer rely on seasons, are losing crop after crop because of sudden heat waves or heavy rains." The full report (PDF) in English is 61 pages; the summary/briefing paper in English is 8 pages. Also available in other languages. 2009 websites The Center for Climate and Security The CCS is "a non-partisan security and foreign policy institute with a distinguished Advisory Board of military, security and foreign policy experts." It "envisions a climate-resilient international security landscape . . . recognizes that climate change threats to international security are significant and unprecedented, and acts to address those threats in a manner that is commensurate to their scale, consequence and probability." Its work includes policy development, analysis, and research, and its website offers extensive resources for climate and security field. Under-Reported Climate Stories Thomson Reuters Foundation A very good source of "under-reported" news about "the human and development impacts of climate change," focused on the developing world and including stories about extreme weather, climate finance and politics, adaptation, disaster risk reduction, forests, and more. Climate Change and Human Vulnerability Numerous organizations concerned with the effects of climate change on people have informative websites. For some good examples, see UNICEF (on children), Oxfam (on the poor, or here on adaptation), the Nature Conservancy (on heat-related disease, economic losses, sea-level rise and population centers), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (on disasters), and the Environmental Justice Foundation (on forced migration, conflict, and climate justice). Finally, the Global Call for Climate Action is run by an alliance of organizations joining forces on the matter of climate impacts on people. TEACH resources Books on Social Sciences and Climate Change Michael Svoboda, Yale Climate Connections, 2015 Part of an ongoing series about books and movies about this large subject, in this case nine books that focus on insights from social scientists, all published by good university presses in 2014 and 2015. In general, this is a series worth watching. Stories from the Front Lines Climate Central, July 2016 These five short pieces about the frontline effects of climate change in Tanzania, Kiribati, Alaska, and California result from a collaboration between Climate Central and Stanford University students. Interesting in themselves, they are also a good idea-sparker for teachers. Changing the Atmosphere: Anthropology and Climate Change American Anthropological Association, 2014 A readable and useful task force report that considers human contributions to climate change; lessons from the past about human adaptation, survival, and change; current concepts such as adaptation, vulnerability, and resilience; and the importance of local and community engagement. Are Cultures Endangered by Climate Change? Yes, but . . . . Sarah Strauss, Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews (WIREs) Climate Change, 2012 This is a lucid overview (six pages) of how anthropologists look at culture and one sensible and provocative answer to the question in the title-and a useful one for classrooms, perhaps especially introductory ones. To recommend a subscription to your librarian, click here. Sociological Perspectives on Global Climate Change Joane Nagel, Jeffrey Broadbent, and Thomas Dietz National Science Foundation and American Sociological Association, 2010 This report from a 2009 workshop offers readable summaries of ways sociologists can help understand the social causes, social impacts, and social dimensions of mitigation and adaptation of/to climate change, as well as 28 short discussions by workshop participants of their relevant questions and research and key citations. Not aimed at general readers, but should be quite useful for specialists, especially teachers, students, and practitioners of the social sciences. Psychology and Global Climate Change: Addressing a Multi-faceted Phenomenon and Set of Challenges American Psychological Association Task Force on the Interface between Psychology and Global Climate Change The chief aim of this report is "to engage members of the psychology community (teachers, researchers, practitioners, and students) in the issue of climate change." It addresses these questions: (1) "How do people understand the risks imposed by climate change?" (2) "What are the human behavioral contributions to climate change and the psychological and contextual drivers of these contributions?" (3) What are the psychosocial impacts of climate change?" (4) "How do people adapt to and cope with perceived threat and unfolding impacts of climate change?" (5) "Which psychological barriers limit climate change action?" and (6) "How can psychologists assist in limiting climate change?" Somewhat academic in style, but readable and full of useful ideas.