State Climate Policy Tracker

• This interactive map of the United States displays detailed information about the climate policies in each state, the makeup of the governing bodies, emissions reductions targets, and sources of emissions. 
• A report of the data and information can be downloaded for use offline and there are links to cited sources and other resources for each topic. 

Positives

• The resource is well organized and easy to navigate.
• Students can deepen their understanding of climate policy in their home state and easily compare their state's progress to other states.
  

Additional Prerequisites

• When looking at the policies for an individual state, those in gray have not yet been passed in that state.
• The "Learn More About This Policy Area" link explains each policy area in detail and describes the specific policies that fall under that category.

Differentiation

• The U.S. gradient map and the state-specific emissions data can be used in middle and high school social studies classes to discuss the geographic differences in policies.
• The policy information for each state may be better suited for higher-level students as they will need to do some additional research using the links to understand each policy.
• This resource would make for a great jigsaw activity by dividing the class into seven groups and having each group become experts in one of the policy areas.
• Individuals or groups of students could select a specific policy from their state to analyze the effectiveness of and then present their findings to the class.
• Students could be challenged to identify a gap in their state's climate policies and to create a policy to address that gap. Students could draw on other states for inspiration or use ideas from the "Learn More About This Policy Area" link.
• Other related resources include this activity where students write their own climate policies and this interactive simulator where students explore the effectiveness of various climate policies.