In an age of rapidly evolving digital media, helping young people to understand climate change requires more than just teaching the science. It is also about equipping them with the skills to navigate, interpret and critically assess the information they encounter every day.

From social media feeds to news headlines, climate-related content is now a constant presence in young people’s lives. Yet the ability to distinguish robust, evidence-based information from misleading or low-quality claims is far from straightforward. It is in this context that the Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS) has developed a new set of climate media literacy teaching resources, designed to sit at the intersection of climate education and critical thinking.

These resources form part of the Society’s wider education mission: to improve climate literacy, support teachers, and ensure that young people are better equipped to engage with one of the defining challenges of our time.

Why climate media literacy matters

Findings from the RMetS Climate Literacy Survey continue to highlight both encouraging trends and emerging risks in how young people engage with climate information.

On the one hand, there are clear signs that students are able to identify and place trust in authoritative sources. Science (82%), geography teachers (73%), the BBC (77%) and organisations such as the Met Office (67%) are regarded as trustworthy. At the same time, sources often associated with lower evidential standards – including social media, YouTube and tabloid newspapers – are treated with greater scepticism.

However, the picture is more nuanced than it first appears. Despite relatively low levels of familiarity with organisations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), many respondents still report trusting them. This suggests that while students may recognise authority, they do not always have a clear understanding of who these organisations are or how they produce knowledge. In other words, trust does not always rest on fully developed evaluative skills.

Moreover, the survey points to a gradual increase in trust in social media, alongside a broader media environment in which misinformation remains pervasive. Only 39% of respondents report trusting social media “a lot” or “a little”, but this figure is creeping upwards. Even small shifts in this direction matter when considered against the scale and speed at which information spreads online.

Evidence from across the UK reinforces this concern. Research from Ofcom shows that around four in ten UK adults report encountering misinformation online, highlighting how widespread the issue has become. Meanwhile, the Alan Turing Institute has found that more than 90% of the UK population have come across misinformation in digital spaces.

This sits within a wider global context in which trust in online information is increasingly fragile. According to Statista, around 70% of people report struggling to determine whether content has been generated by artificial intelligence, while 64% express concern about its potential influence on elections. At the same time, misinformation relating to climate and extreme weather continues to circulate widely across major platforms, often without clear labelling or verification.

Taken together, these findings point to a clear conclusion: while foundational climate literacy remains essential, we must do more. Students must also be able to interrogate the sources, framing and evidence behind the climate stories they encounter – a vital skill that paves the way for negotiating future challenges, as well as prospering in the green economy.

New climate media literacy resources for teachers. In a fast-changing digital world, understanding climate change means more than science – students also need skills to navigate, interpret and critically assess the information they encounter every day                     

A new approach: combining climate and media literacy

The new RMetS resources have been developed in response to this challenge. Bringing together climate education and media literacy, they are designed to help students apply critical thinking and evaluation skills to real-world climate content.

Structured as two lessons, the resources can be delivered flexibly across a range of subjects or as part of a cross-curricular themed day. They are available at both foundational and advanced levels, enabling teachers to tailor delivery to the needs and abilities of their students.

At their core are three key learning objectives:

• to support students in analysing climate information carefully, including data, graphs, language and sources.

• to enable students to use evidence and critical thinking to judge whether information is accurate or misleading.

• to help students recognise how misunderstandings and poor-quality evidence can lead to inaccurate climate claims, and to question such claims in a careful and responsible way.

The materials are supported by a curriculum mapping document, which links directly to Progression Step 4 (Key Stage 3 in England and Wales, and S3/S4 in Scotland), while also demonstrating how the resource can contribute to interdisciplinary teaching across subjects.

In this way, the resources are not simply an “add-on” to existing content, but a practical tool for embedding critical engagement within climate education.

A resource for Primary teachers will be available soon. 

Supporting teachers, strengthening impact

A consistent theme emerging from both research and engagement with educators is the need for high-quality, classroom-ready resources that align with curriculum requirements while addressing contemporary challenges.

Teachers are already among the most trusted sources of climate information for young people. The Climate Literacy Survey shows that geography teachers, in particular, are held in high regard. Supporting them with robust, evidence-informed materials therefore represents one of the most effective ways to improve climate understanding at scale.

By focusing on media literacy, these new resources also respond directly to the realities of the modern information environment. Rather than treating misinformation as a peripheral issue, they place it at the centre of the learning experience, encouraging students to engage actively and critically with the content they encounter.

A collective effort

As with all of the Society’s education work, this initiative has been made possible through the support of our members.

RMetS’ ability to develop and deliver resources such as these, which are freely available to teachers and schools, is underpinned by the continued commitment of our community. Member support enables the Society to invest in improving climate literacy, advancing education, and helping to build a more informed and resilient society.

At a time when both climate change and the information landscape are becoming more complex, this work is more important than ever.