Climate Change
Guide to climate change, including research resources and discipline-specific tools
Actions and solutions to address climate change
This graph is provided by Project Drawdown, a nonprofit organization that seeks to help the world reach “Drawdown—the future point in time when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline." The graph shows the sectors that are adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, the sinks that are taking them out, and the amount that remains in the atmosphere, which causes warming.
Learn more about actions and solutions for addressing climate change in the boxes below:
- Organizations seeking comprehensive solutions
- Renewable energy
- Transportation
- Regenerative agriculture and food-based solutions
- Carbon sequestration
- Geoengineering
- Economics and carbon pricing
- Business and corporate actions
- Individual actions and lifestyle changes
- Legislation and policies
- Adaptation to climate change
See also an extensive list of solutions from Project Drawdown: Table of Solutions
Comprehensive solutions
Project Drawdown provides a comprehensive, science-based proposal for addressing climate change. See
- Regeneration Project (website) and Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation (book) by Paul Hawken
- Drawdown 2020: The World's Leading Resource for Climate Solutions (website); and Drawdown : the most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming, (book) by Paul Hawken
- Climate Solutions 101 (six-part streaming video series).
Other recommended resources:
- M.I.T. Climate Portal—SolutionsIncludes explanations, podcasts and interactive tools.
- Center for Climate and Energy SolutionsAn independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to forge practical solutions to climate change.
- Responding to Climate Change—NASA"NASA provides the robust scientific data needed to understand and respond to climate change."
- Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE)United Nations international project "to empower all members of society to engage in climate action, through education, training, public awareness, public participation, public access to information, and international cooperation on these issues."
Not the End of the World : how we can be the first generation to build a sustainable planet by Call Number: 338.927 R57n 2024Publication Date: 2024:
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: the solutions we have and the breakthroughs we need by Call Number: Cascade, Rock Creek and Southeast Libraries 363.738/747Publication Date: 2021
Regeneration : ending the climate crisis in one generation by Publication Date: 2021
The Climate Book: The facts and the solutions. by Call Number: Print and ebookPublication Date: 2023
Podcasts
- How to Save a Planet Earthlings, we've got work to doSpotify podcasts. Includes "How Amazon Workers Got Serious About Climate (and How You Can, too)"; "Trying to Talk to Family about Climate Change? Here's How."; "How We Got our Grid and How We Get a Better One": "We Can’t Solve the Climate Crisis Without Gender Equality. We’ll Prove It To You."; and many more.
Renewable energy
- C2ES—Center for Climate and Energy SolutionsThe Center for Climate and Energy Solutions is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to forge practical solutions to climate change.
- ElectricityComprehensive sector analysis by Project Drawdown
- Renewable energyFrom M.I.T. Climate Portal
- Renewable energy—Opposing Viewpoints databaseRequires myPCC login.
Transportation
- Transportation, Air Pollution, and Climate ChangeFrom the Environmental Protection Agency
- TransportationComprehensive sector analysis by Project Drawdown
- Transportation and Climate changeArticles in Ebsco database. Requires myPCC login.
- "A brief introduction to climate change and transportation"Article by Bruce Lieberman, Yale Climate Connections, 2019
Trade Winds : a voyage to a sustainable future for shipping by Call Number: Rock Creek Library 387.5 D43t 2023
Regenerative agriculture and food-based solutions
- Food, Agriculture and Land UseComprehensive sector analysis by Project Drawdown
- Food and Climate Change: Healthy diets for a healthier planetUnited Nations web page
- "The solution to climate change is just below our feet"Article by Stacey Cook, National Geographic, 2019
Carbon sequestration
- Land sinksComprehensive sector analysis by Project Drawdown
- Coastal and ocean sinksComprehensive sector analysis by Project Drawdown
- "What is carbon sequestration?"From USGS—U.S. Geological Survey
- Soil-Based Carbon SequestrationFrom M.I.T. Climate Portal
- Forests and Climate ChangeFrom M.I.T. Climate Portal
Geoengineering
- GeoengineeringHarvard University's Solar Geoengineering Research Program
- "Scientists test radical ways to fix Earth's climate"Article by Pallab Ghosh, BBC, 2019
- GeoengineeringArticles in PCC library database Access Science. Requires myPCC login.
Economics and Carbon pricing
- Pricing CarbonFrom the World Bank
- Carbon Tax CenterAdvocacy group
- Carbon pricingArticles from Gale Popular Magazines database. Requires myPCC login.
- Global Fossil Fuels Divestment Commitment DatabaseLists PCC as one of the more than 1500 institutions that have divested their portfolios from fossil fuels.
Business and corporate actions
- Business Strategies to Address Climate ChangeCenter for Climate and Energy Solutions
- Climate Change: Accelerating SolutionsHarvard Business School
- Markers of Real Climate Action in the Fortune Global 500Annual report from Climate Impact Partners, 2023
Individual actions and lifestyle changes
- "How to Stop Freaking Out and Tackle Climate Change"Commentary article by Emma Marris, New York Times, 2020.
- "Seven things you can do about climate change if you don't have a lot of time"Article from the Paleontological Research Institution, 2022
- "The Question I Get Asked Most"Article by leading climate activist Bill McKibben
- "Top 10 things you can do about climate change"Article on the David Suzuki Foundation website.
- What Can I Do about the Climate Emergency?From Rebecca Solnit, "Everybody’s practical guide to what they can do against climate
chaos and for a just and thriving natural and human world." 14 page pdf
Legislation and policies
Portland Community College
- 2021 PCC Climate Action PlanAn update of the 2013 Climate Action Plan. Establishes a carbon neutrality goal of 2040.
Portland and region
- Climate Action—City of PortlandPast, present, and future planning and actions to reduce and prepare for the local effects of climate change.
- Climate Emergency DeclarationPortland City Council adopts Climate Emergency Declaration, June 30, 2020
- PCEF - Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits FundThe Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) provides dedicated funding for climate action that advances racial and social justice. PCEF was created by local ballot measure #26-201 in November 2018 with overwhelming community support.
Oregon
- Action on Climate ChangeOregon's Department of Environmental Quality
- Climate Protection ProgramOregon's regulatory program to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next 30 years. Includes a focus on environmental justice.
- Climate-Friendly and Equitable CommunitiesOregon's Department of Land Conservation and Development
- Carbon Policy Executive OrderOn March 10, 2020, Governor Brown issued EO 20-04, directing state agencies to take actions to reduce and regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
United States - federal legislation, executive actions, and lawsuits
- National Climate Task ForceBiden administration actions to tackle the climate crisis
- American Climate CorpsThe American Climate Corps will put a new generation of Americans to work conserving our lands and waters, bolstering community resilience, advancing environmental justice, deploying clean energy, implementing energy efficient technologies, and tackling climate change. Program created Sept. 2023
- Climate Crisis Policy Digest"A compendium of policy ideas to eliminate greenhouse gas pollution and build a sustainably-sourced, community-centered and nature-protecting economy."
- Citizens Climate Lobby"A non-profit, nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy organization focused on national policies to address climate change."
- Our Children's Trust (Youth v. Gov)"The world’s only non-profit public interest law firm dedicated exclusively to securing the legal rights of youth to a healthy atmosphere and safe climate, based on the best available science."
International
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangePlatform for United Nations support for global climate action including compliance with the Paris Climate Accord and COP (Conference of the Parties) meetings.
- Top Ten Takeaways from COP28World Resources Institute analysis
- COP 27: "Delivering for people and the planet"United Nations web site.
- COP26 Summary ReportDetailed review and analysis of the 2021 Glasgow Climate Change Conference, from the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
- Paris AgreementThe Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 parties at COP 21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016.
Adaptation to climate change
- U.S Climate Resilience ToolkitU.S. government resources for learning about potential climate hazards and adapting to the challenges of a changing climate.
- Strategies for Climate Change AdaptationEPA (Environmental Protection Agency) resources for adapting to climate challenges affecting air, water, waste and public health.
- Climate change adaptationArticles in the Gale OneFile News database. Requires myPCC login.
How to Prepare for Climate Change by Call Number: Rock Creek Library 363.738
