The Scottish Library and Information Council is committed to working towards a greener, fairer and healthier Scotland by 2032 as set out in the Scottish Government’s Climate Change Plan. The Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations also set out a global call to action to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.
Young People are increasingly leading the way in tackling environmental issues and the legacy of COP26 will create even more opportunities to engage with young people on issues relating to climate change and sustainability. Below you will find a list of online resources that librarians can share with young people, networks and communities.
You can also watch the Climate Action Needs Culture video produced by Creative Carbon Scotland which takes a look at how cultural institutions like libraries, museums, galleries and historic environments can help us paint a new vision of the future.
We regularly update our resource pages and welcome suggested additions. If you would like to add any resources to this page please get in touch with the SLIC Team by emailing info@scottishlibraries.org
The Climate Solutions MOOC course is delivered by instructors with decades of experience in climate change and online learning. Experts from the University of Edinburgh, the Royal Scottish Geographical Society and the COPS26 Universities Network look at what climate change is, what causes it and why it's important.
Earth Day takes place each year on April 22. Their Education Resource Library contains helpful information which can be used for activities on Earth Day itself as well as throughout the year. The resources can also be adapted to suit a variety of age groups and settings.
Edinburgh school libraries have put together a short video for pupils interested in campaigning and activism about issues important to them. It includes questions which students across the city submitted to their school librarian for Young Friends of the Earth Scotland.
You can find out more about the project by reading the Edinburgh Libraries blog.
Education Scotland has a bank of online resources to support learning and teaching about climate change within Curriculum for Excellence.
Here you can download files which explore areas such as the impact of climate change and predictions for the future.
They also have resources created to support engagement with the United Nations COP26 Climate Summit which took place in Glasgow in 2021. These resources continue to be relevant to all those interested in climate education and Learning for Sustainability.
Fairtrade Schools provide a wide range of resources to support global learning including lesson plans, films, activities and games. You can also register for a Fairtrade School Award.
You'll find a range of instructional videos for teachers on the Glasgow Science Centre website covering environmental issues. It has also produced three lessons for P5-P7 pupils in partnership with Scottish Power exploring climate change through STEM. Each lesson is designed in line with second level Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes.
The Centre also develops and maintains Our Future Energy - an interactive website for teachers. The website features resource materials for UK schools designed to engage 11-16 year-olds with the science underpinning the critical issues related to future energy supply.
The Greenpeace website provides educational resources for schools, youth groups, parents, carers and young people. Resources are categorised into three age groups: 7-11, 11-14, and 14–18-year-olds.
Keep Scotland Beautiful is a Scottish charity with a vision for a clean, green, sustainable Scotland. It delivers the Eco-Schools Scotland programme and offers a range of resources and training courses for young people and teachers.
The charity offers a one-day training course called Climate Ready Classrooms which uses interactive activities and examples to start a conversation about climate change. It is aimed at young people aged between 14-17 years. Upon completion, pupils receive Carbon Literacy accreditation.
The NatureScot website has useful information on how climate change is affecting Scotland’s habitats.
The Oxfam Education website provides, ideas, resources and support for active global citizenship. Resources are aimed at 7-14 year olds and includes teaching resources, home learning ideas and climate challenge activities.
Climate Change is a major area of work for The Royal Scottish Geographical Society. They have a number of school resources on their website, including fact sheets, lesson plans and their Chalk Talk series – free virtual Geography lessons which includes a lesson on Climate Change for both Nat 5 and Higher curriculum.
The Science Museum Group has a range of climate resources and activities designed for both the classroom and home learning. The resources aim to explore some of the science and mathematics behind climate and sustainability.
Scotdec works with schools and educators to champion active and participatory Global Citizenship Education. Their resources support both classroom learning around climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Scotland’s Environment website contains educational resources on a range of environmental issues with maps, data, resources and useful links about Scotland’s environment for use in the classroom.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the world’s shared plans to end extreme poverty, reduce inequality, and protect the planet by 2030.
SDGs have inspired people from across the globe to come together to learn about what works while at the same time adapting to new information and trends.
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals were agreed upon by 193 countries in 2015. The goals aim at ending poverty, fighting inequality and addressing the urgency of climate change. More information on the SDGs can be found on the Global Goals website.
The World’s Largest Lesson is a programme from Project Everyone, which promotes use of the Sustainable Development Goals in learning so that children can contribute to a better future for all.
They build skills and motivation in children & young people to take action by producing creative tools for educators and action focused learning experiences.
Glasgow hosted the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) on 31st October - 12th November 2021.
The summit brought world leaders together to work towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
You learn more about the negotiations and the outcomes achieved on the official UN COP26 website.
To encourage engagement in COP26 Scottish Musicians Karine Polwart, Oi Musica and The Soundhouse Choir created a song called 'Enough is Enough'.
The song was composed to encourage choirs, schools, community groups and street bands to learn and perform it - joining in a collective musical response to COP26.
The Young People’s Trust for the Environment aims to encourage young people's understanding of the environment and of the need for sustainability.
The website contains a range of resources which can be used to raise awareness of a wide range of environmental problems. A range of lesson plans are available for teachers as well as resources for children & young people.
ReRoute is Scotland’s Youth Biodiversity Panel. Their aim is to engage young people on different topics, issues and opportunities relating to Scotland's nature and wildlife. Read their report on how young people can better connect with nature on the Young Scot website.
