Climate Science & Policy: Home
Guide content supports the teaching and research goals of multiple departments on campus. Content represents a non-exhaustive selection of essential resources and tools for engaging a wide range of backgrounds and viewpoints.
Brett Cloyd
International Organizations
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)"The IPCC is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change...IPCC assessments provide a scientific basis for governments at all levels to develop climate-related policies"
- International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)"IUCN is a democratic Union that brings together the world’s most influential organisations and top experts in a combined effort to conserve nature and accelerate the transition to sustainable development."
- United Nations Environment ProgrammeManages the environmental parts of the Sustainable Development Goals, including climate. Find data and publications to describe current progress.
- World Meteorological Organization (WMO)"WMO provides world leadership and expertise in international cooperation in the delivery and use of high-quality, authoritative weather, climate, hydrological and related environmental services by its Members, for the improvement of the well-being of societies of all nations."
Journals & Magazines
- BrowZine Web This link opens in a new windowAn easy way to browse, read and monitor scholarly journals across the disciplines.
- Global Change Biology
Covers all aspects of current environmental change that affects a substantial part of the globe and biological systems. - Nature Sustainability
Publishes research from a broad range of natural, social and engineering fields about sustainability, its policy dimensions and possible solutions. - Nature Climate Change
Research on the nature, underlying causes or impacts of global climate change and its implications for the economy, policy and the world at large. - Scientific American - Sustainability
The sustainability section covers climate, conservation, environment, natural disasters, and weather.
Databases
- Climate Action Portal
The revamped UN climate action portal has been revamped and offers content in six languages, including on the road to net zero, the Paris Agreement, the SG’s six climate-positive actions, climate finance, youth in action, climate solutions, and much more. - Climate Change and Law Collection
This comprehensive collection of climate change and law documents contains original source, non-edited and non-redacted “grey literature” (non-peer reviewed) in English, centered on climate change and the law. Incorporated in the category of ‘law’ is any discipline of law which addressed climate change, including corporate law, environmental law and human rights law. Materials in the collection originate from a wide range of organizations in the public and private sector, institutions, and/or individuals, world-wide. - Climate Change Indicators Dashboard
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) launched on 7 April 2021 a new Climate Change Indicators Dashboard—an international statistical initiative to address the growing need for data in macroeconomic and financial policy analysis to facilitate climate change mitigation and adaptation. - Climate Change Knowledge Portal
In an effort to serve as a 'one stop shop' for climate-related information, data, and tools, the World Bank created the Climate Change Knowledge Portal (or CCKP). The Portal provides an online tool for access to comprehensive global, regional, and country data related to climate change and development. - Climate Data Catalog
The focus of Climate.Data.gov is on providing data related to climate change that can help inform and prepare America’s communities, businesses, and citizens. Data.gov currently includes datasets from Federal agencies and from other public sector organizations. - Climate Watch
Climate Watch brings together dozens of datasets for the first time to let users analyze and compare the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. - CQ Researcher: Environment, Climate and Natural Resources
CQ Researcher publishes weekly reports written by professional journalists. This link will give the reader a list of environmental topics and guide you to recent articles. - CRS Reports: Climate Change
Congressional Research Reports prepares reports at the request of members of Congress. Reports are well-researched, and include legal, political, and financial analysis. This link will take you to a result screen for "climate change" search. - E&E News
Environment & Energy Publishing (E&E) is the leading source for comprehensive, daily coverage of environmental and energy policy and markets. E&E's five daily online publications are considered "must-reads" by people who track and influence energy, environmental and climate policy. - ETDEWEB: Energy Information Sources
Searchable database of documents from the international scientific and technical literature in the field of energy and related topics. Includes abstracts and complete articles as well as links to available full text on the environmental impact of energy production and use, including climate change, energy R & D, energy policy, and nuclear, coal, hydrocarbon, and renewable energy technologies. - Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs is leading forum for serious discussion of American foreign policy and global affairs. Foreign Affairs is published by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), a non-profit and nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to improving the understanding of U.S. foreign policy and international affairs through the free exchange of ideas. Environment, energy and climate change are among the topics discussed in the magazine. - Global Carbon Project
The Global Carbon Project (GCP) integrates knowledge of greenhouse gases for human activities and the Earth system. Our projects include global budgets for three dominant greenhouse gases — carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide — and complementary efforts in urban, regional, cumulative, and negative emissions. - GOVINFO.GOV
Full-text of US Congressional hearings, the Congressional Record, Committee Reports and other federal primary source material. This search link should take you to documents from 1970 highlighting the first Earth Day. - GreenFILE
A freely accessible research database focusing on the relationship between human beings and the environment, with well-researched but accessible information on topics ranging from global warming to recycling to alternate fuel sources and beyond. - InfoHawk+
Search the Libraries' catalog for books, reports, articles, and more. Add terms like "public policy" or "policy" to retrieve relevant information. - National Conference of State Legislatures
NCSL is a bipartisan organization working on state policy issues. This section of their web site focuses on environmental issues. - New York Times (nytimes.com)
New York Times UI subscription includes journalism and data around climate change science and policy - NOAA Climate.gov
NOAA Climate.gov is a source of timely and authoritative scientific data and information about climate. Contains a popular-style magazine for the science-interested public, reusable climate maps and datasets that document various climate conditions, and learning activities and curriculum materials for educators. - Roper Center for Public Opinion
Provided by the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at Cornell University, Roper iPoll is the largest collection of public opinion poll data with results from 1935 to the present. Roper iPoll contains nearly 800,000 questions and over 23,000 datasets from both U.S. and international polling firms. Surveys cover any number of topics including, social issues, politics, pop culture, international affairs, science, the environment, and much more. When available, results charts, demographic crosstabs and full datasets are provided for immediate download. - U.S. Global Change Research Program
A gateway to authoritative science, tools, and resources to help people and organizations across the country manage risks and respond to changing environmental conditions. - UNdata
Use UNdata to search the Environment Statistics Database, Greenhouse Gas Inventory Data, and World Meteorological Organization Standard Normals. - World Development Indicators
Statistical data for over 550 development indicators, and 1960-2000 time series data for over 200 countries and 18 country groups. Includes social, economic, financial, natural resources, and environmental indicators.
Link to PDF of Slides
- Climate Science & Policy: Navigating the Flood of InformationPDF of slides for "Climate Science & Policy: Navigating the Flood of Information," an Earth Day Teach-in Talk given on April 22, 2021.
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Selected Books at the UI Libraries
Indigenous Knowledge for Climate Change Assessment and Adaptation by
Written by indigenous peoples, scientists and development experts, a broad range of case studies illustrate how diverse societies, building upon traditional knowledge handed down through generations, are already developing their own solutions for dealing with a rapidly changing climate and how this might be useful on a global scale.
ISBN: 9781107137882Publication Date: 2018-10-04
A Sugar Creek Chronicle: Observing Climate Change from a Midwestern Woodland by
In 2010, while editing a report on the effects of climate change in Iowa, ecologist Cornelia Mutel came to grips with the magnitude and urgency of the problem. She already knew the basics: greenhouse gas emissions and global average temperatures are rising on a trajectory that could, within decades, propel us beyond far-reaching, irreversible atmospheric changes; the results could devastate the environment that enables humans to thrive. The more details she learned, the more she felt compelled to address this emerging crisis. The result is this book, an artful weaving together of the science behind rising temperatures, tumultuous weather events, and a lifetime devoted to the natural world. Climate change isn't just about melting Arctic ice and starving polar bears. It's weakening the web of life in our own backyards. Moving between two timelines, Mutel pairs chapters about a single year in her Iowa woodland with chapters about her life as a fledgling and then professional student of nature. Stories of her childhood ramblings in Wisconsin and the solace she found in the Colorado mountains during early adulthood are merged with accounts of global environmental dilemmas that have redefined nature during her lifespan. Interwoven chapters bring us into her woodland home to watch nature's cycles of life during a single year, 2012, when weather records were broken time and time again. Throughout, in a straightforward manner for a concerned general audience, Mutel integrates information about the science of climate change and its dramatic alteration of the planet in ways that clarify its broad reach, profound impact, and seemingly relentless pace. It is not too late, she informs us: we can still prevent the most catastrophic changes. We can preserve a world full of biodiversity, one that supports human lives as well as those of our myriad companions on this planet. In the end, Mutel offers advice about steps we can all take to curb our own carbon emissions and strategies we can suggest to our policy-makers.
ISBN: 9781609383954Publication Date: 2016-03-15
The Water Problem: Climate Change and Water Policy in the United States by
Building water resilience is the single biggest challenge in a changing global climate. The United States faces a water crisis as critical as the energy crisis that once dominated headlines. Like the energy crisis, a solution can be found. Pat Mulroy, for many years general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the lead negotiator on the Colorado River for the State of Nevada, and a Brookings fellow, has gathered a number of practitioners and scholars to show us why we face a crisis caused by climate change and what we can do to alleviate it. While the focus recently has been on California, with its water restrictions and drought, many other parts of the United States are also suffering from current and potential water shortages that will only be exacerbated by climate change. The Water Problem takes us to Miami and the problem of rising oceans fouling freshwater reservoirs; Kansas and Nebraska, where intensive farming is draining age-old aquifers; and to the Southwest United States, where growing populations are creating enormous stresses on the already strained Colorado River. Mulroy and her contributors explore not just the problems, but also what we can do now to put in place measures to deal with a very real crisis.
ISBN: 9780815727842Publication Date: 2017-03-28
Video
- Academic Video Online This link opens in a new windowAcademic Video Online delivers almost 80,000 titles spanning a wide range of subject areas including anthropology, business, counseling, film, health, history, music, and more.
- Docuseek This link opens in a new windowDocuseek streams essential independent, social-issue and environmental films. The University of Iowa's collection includes the Docuseek2 Complete Collection™: Second Edition of 1,800 exclusive documentaries, as well as numerous other titles.
- Filmakers Library Online This link opens in a new windowFilmakers Library Online provides award-winning documentaries with relevance across the curriculum—race and gender studies, human rights, globalization and global studies, multiculturalism, international relations, criminal justice, the environment, bioethics, health, political science and current events, psychology, arts, literature, and more.
UI subscription includes First Edition Volume One, and Second Edition. - Kanopy Streaming This link opens in a new windowCustom online libraries of streaming videos from a variety of studios on a variety of subjects.
UIowa can subscribe to individual titles upon request.