Provided by: Council on Foreign Relations |Published on: December 11, 2025
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Synopsis
This resource from the Council on Foreign Relations is a timeline of scientific events and discoveries about greenhouse gases, global warming, and climate change.
The resource helps students see how climate science knowledge has developed over time and how scientific findings inform public understanding and decision-making.
A number of scientists are highlighted and there are a number of links to gain more information about various events.
The events are described briefly, making it easy for students to read the timeline without feeling overwhelmed.
This resource does a great job of showing students a wide variety of climate-related topics.
Prerequisites
Students may need a basic understanding of greenhouse gases and global warming to fully appreciate this resource.
Teachers may need to define some terms ahead of time, depending on what topics have already been covered in class.
Differentiation & Implementation
Students can select one event from the timeline to research further and reflect on its impact.
History teachers can have students contextualize the events by understanding and discussing other significant events that happened around those times in history.
After reading about the discovery of the hole in the ozone layer, students may need more information about the Paris Agreement and the Kyoto Protocol.
Students who are interested in coral bleaching after reading about it in the timeline can check out this video.
After reading through the timeline, students can extend the timeline to fill in with recent events and predict events in the future. Before students write their predictions, teachers can inspire hope by showing students climate solutions, possibly having students use this explorer to find some on their own.
Scientist Notes
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About the Partner Provider
CFR Education from the Council on Foreign Relations
CFR Education provides accurate, accessible, authoritative resources that build the knowledge, skills, and perspective high school and higher education students need to understand and engage with today’s most pressing global issues.
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