ClimateAbout this Resource

The intention of this resource is to help guide anyone taking on the complex, evolving and impossibly huge issue of Climate Change.

In addition to suggested books, magazines, and other media, we also offer links to local, state, national and international bodies tasked with working on tracking and addressing the crisis.

The Basics

What is Climate Change?

"Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Such shifts can be natural, due to changes in the sun’s activity or large volcanic eruptions. But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas...." (read more on this UN website)

What is Global Warming?

"Global warming is the long-term heating of Earth’s surface observed since the pre-industrial period (between 1850 and 1900) due to human activities, primarily fossil fuel burning, which increases heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in Earth’s atmosphere. This term is not interchangeable with the term "climate change." (read more on this NASA website)

Mitigation & Adaptation

As explained on NASA's website, responding to climate change involves a two-pronged approach of mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation means “reducing emissions of and stabilizing the levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere." Adaptation means “adapting to the climate change already in the pipeline.”

Explaining Climate Change to Kids

"Have you heard your parents or people in videos talking about climate change? Ever wondered what it is and why we care about it so much? NASA scientists have been studying Earth’s climate for more than 40 years. We used what we’ve learned in that time to answer some of your biggest questions..." (read more on this NASA website)

A Meteorologist Explains Climate Change

“The earth, like any other matter subject to the laws of physics is constantly losing energy. During the day the sun provides a counterbalance to this energy loss, showering our planet with its warming rays. At night the earth continues to lose energy and without the compensation of the sun, the temperature plummets. On average the earth loses about 122,000 watts of energy to space each year, which is approximately equal to the amount of energy it receives from the sun. It is this balance that determines the mean climate here on earth. For about 10,000 years this balance held until about 150 years ago. In the past century as the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased, Earth’s global mean surface temperature has ticked up from 14 to 15 degrees Celsius. This is called climate change.” (Quoted from Jagadish Shukla's memoir  A Billion Butterflies: A Life in Climate and Chaos Theory)

Addressing the Climate Challenge

Impacts and Solutions

Climate change impacts (and the ways to address them) manifest across multiple sectors and ecosystems.  Visit these explainer pages on impacts including: Energy, Food, Ocean, Biodiversity, Land, Water, Health, Greenwashing, Human Security, Women, 1.5 Degrees.  

Climate Anxiety/Mental Health: Climate anxiety happens when we experience distress about climate change and its impacts to our ecosystems, the environment, and human health and well-being. Cornell University offers a resource page on climate anxiety and coping strategies.  

How to "draw down" carbon and greenhouse gasses? Visit Drawdown

International Cooperation: IPCC and the UN

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

What’s the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (Wikipedia)

UN Climate Solutions Page

Recommended Reading

Climate Authors – Non Fiction

Climate Authors – Fiction

Reading Lists

Magazines & Journals

Video & Audio

Research Tips & Tools

Browse and Search the MARINet catalog for books on climate change

Note that "global warming" is also a good keyword to use when looking for books on climate change.

Look up Climate Change Keywords

Wikipedia Glossary of  Climate Change Terms

UN Development Program Climate Dictionary

Tracking Impacts

Scripps Keeling Curve - Latest CO2 Reading -The Keeling Curve is a daily record of global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration maintained by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. They also offer a list of other trackers on this page.

*NOAA Global Climate Dashboard -Tracks Greenhouse Gases, Arctic Sea Ice, Carbon Dioxide, Mountain Glaciers, Ocean Heat, Sea Level and more

Global Energy Monitor – Tracks Fossil Fuels and Energy Sector

Yale’s Map of Life - Biodiversity & Species

NOAA: State of the Climate Explainers

(*Note NOAA Data is archived and was Last Updated 6/25/25)

*State of the Science Factsheets (solar radiation modification)

*State of the Climate 2023

*Arctic Ice Melt

*Melting Glaciers

*Atmospheric C02

*Rising Temperatures (Global Surface Temp)

*Warming Oceans

Community Action & Resources

City of Sausalito

Marin County

Marin County Civic Groups

California