10 Helpful Resources
for COP29

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What Is COP29?

COP stands for Conference of the Parties, and it signifies the gathering of “parties” from around the world by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Here, the parties propose their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are climate action plans submitted by each country. COP29 is the 29th occurrence of the gathering of world governments and will take place this year in Baku, Azerbaijan from the 11th to the 22nd of November. Currently, 198 parties are participating in COP29 (197 countries + the EU). At these gatherings, leaders from around the world discuss and negotiate ways to take action against the climate crisis. This year, the COP hopes to focus on two pillars: enhancing ambition and enabling action. These pillars encourage countries not only to take the initiative and commit to bold climate plans for the future, but also to follow through with the action steps they propose. This message connects to the pathway set forth by the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that all members of the United Nations have agreed to since 2015. The 17 SDGs address climate change holistically, identifying the social, economic, and environmental issues involved. Together, with the messages behind this year's pillars and the adherence to SDGs, COP29 aims to ensure immediate and equitable global climate action and cooperation across the globe.

COP29 Teacher Guide

When COP29 begins this year, there may be students curious about what is taking place, or others who are excited to discuss the progress being made. As teachers, we can utilize this opportunity to introduce the topic of climate change in the classroom and engage students with real-world issues that are relevant to them. In this guide, you will find important resources for secondary students, from lesson plans and activities to videos and articles. Each resource can serve as a stepping stone for discussing climate change and COP29 in your classroom and connects to different Sustainable Development Goals. The resources and messages within this guide reflect UNESCO's Greening curriculum guidance, which promotes the incorporation of holistic, scientific, and equitable climate action into educational curricula. We believe these messages from UNESCO and COP29 are just as important to be heard in classrooms as they are to be heard by world nations. As countries are taking action across the world, you can encourage action from your students, and SubjectToClimate and our partners will provide you with the tools to do it!

Science Lesson: En-ROADS Climate Change Solutions

In this lesson, students explore the effectiveness, co-benefits, and equity of climate solutions and create a climate action scenario to limit global warming to 1.5°C. When using this resource with middle school students, provide definitions of complex climate science terms and offer guided instructions for the En-ROADS simulator, possibly using smaller, pre-set scenarios to help students navigate the tool.

CFR Education: How Do Governments Combat Climate Change?

This text describes how various actions implemented by governments can help with the fight against climate change, including climate finance, policies, agreements, regulations, and innovations and includes a lesson plan and discussion guide for advanced classes. For younger students, utilize the included reading and vocabulary handouts as a way for them to organize their thoughts on this resource.

10 Things to Know: Gender Equality and Achieving Climate Goals

This report details the causes and effects of gender inequality and how these inequalities impact women, climate resilience, and development in several places around the world. When using this resource with middle school students, it may be helpful to summarize the key points of the case studies and utilize group discussions to ensure the material is accessible and students are able to break down complex ideas.

Civics Lesson: Climate Action Plan

Students reflect on their feelings about climate impacts and create a plan to take meaningful action. To adapt this lesson for middle school students, incorporate more group discussions and small group work with greater teacher guidance. 

CFR Education: Who Releases the Most Greenhouse Gasses?

This section explores global greenhouse gas emissions analyzed by country, company, economic sector, and per capita, including an animation of global fossil fuel emissions from 1750 to 2010 and helpful charts and graphics. To utilize this resource with younger students, simplify the content by presenting individual charts and figures from the article and engaging the class in a group discussion about emissions reductions and energy transitions.

Tragedy of the Commons

This Khan Academy video uses a simple example of a public fishing pond to illustrate the tragedy of the commons, which allows unprotected areas or resources to become depleted or destroyed by overuse. If using this resource with middle school students, teachers can incorporate a hands-on activity where students manage a shared resource, like candy or tokens, to illustrate overuse and its impact.

Climate-Poverty Connections Report

This detailed report describes the benefits and challenges of enacting 28 climate change solutions for human well-being and poverty alleviation in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Options to simplify this report for younger students include isolating charts and diagrams and dissecting them in groups or taking excerpts of the reading and pairing each with reflection questions or simple discussion prompts. 

Chief Heat Officer: Green Career Lesson

In this lesson, students explore an emerging climate career and create solutions to the problems of extreme heat in their local community. Adapt this lesson for higher grades by encouraging more independent research instead of working in smaller groups.

Big Climate Problems Require Even Bigger Global Solutions

This podcast is a collection of five interviews with climate activists from around the world, including activists from Nigeria, Germany, South Africa, and Massachusetts. Make this resource accessible for younger learners by listening to short segments of the podcast and having students summarize key points or engage in group discussions. 

Education as a Solution to Climate Change Lesson

This lesson guides students to create their own education project as a means of informing and inspiring positive change. To challenge older or more advanced students, encourage deeper independent research on specific climate topics within their education project.

Next Steps

The more you take action as a class, the more your students will feel they are having a positive impact. Track progress in your classroom with Take Action Global’s EarthProject App, or find reading resources in TAG's Climate Action Booklist and CFR Education’s climate action articles and resources. Finally, explore more ways to incorporate climate education into your classroom with free lesson plans, activities, and resources by visiting SubjectToClimate.org. Enhance ambition and encourage action today by embodying the goals of UNESCO and COP29 in your classroom.