CLIMATE IN ARTS AND HISTORY: AN EVOLVING CROSS-DISCIPLINARY CLIMATE EDUCATION RESOURCE PROMOTING CLIMATE LITERACY, RESILIENCE, AND DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES

This presentation describes the current status of “Climate in Arts and History,” (http://www.science.smith.edu/climatelit/) an online educational resource that strives to promote climate literacy in disciplines beyond the natural and environmental sciences. This website features examples of the impact of past and present climate on society and culture through topical entries on the themes of history, art, literature, languages, and music. Indigenous perspectives are highlighted within each theme. Individual entries summarize the topic, explore a climate connection, and link to resources. In consultation with experts, Smith College students from across fields are developing website entries, drawing from recent publications, performances, and other works.

To make climate connections accessible to our intended audience of middle- and high-school students and teachers as well as the general public, this resource explains climate relations in plain and simple language. We are reorganizing the website to make locating topics easier for viewers regardless of their background knowledge on climate history. In light of the ongoing climate crisis, we acknowledge the anxieties and stress that this subject can trigger. An entry on Climate Change and Mental Health Issues, for example, has a list of resources that encourage community connection and advocacy for building emotional resilience.

We are currently developing content across themes with attention to geographic and cultural diversity. Climate has and will continue to affect people across the globe, and this resource aims to represent this. We have expanded upon topics in the Indigenous Perspectives sections to include, for example: Languages - Effects of Colonization and Climate Change on Indigenous Languages; Music - Retribution by Tanya Tagaq; and History - The Great Dying. Indigenous perspectives are essential for cultivating climate literacy as climate history and the modern climate crisis cannot be separated from the reality of settler colonialism.

At this stage of project development, we aim to promote the website through maximizing its searchability, engaging in social media outreach, and collaborating with similar initiatives. We continue to seek feedback via climate@smith.edu to improve the visibility and effectiveness of this resource.