The effects of climate change are becoming ever more evident and urgent. At SJK, we want to help teachers equip the next generation to make informed decisions in order to slow climate change and limit its consequences. This collection of adapted research articles highlights some unexpected ways in which climate change impacts us. Engage students in exploring youth health and development using the scientific method. Each article comes with standards-matched adaptations, introductory video content, comprehension questions, and vocabulary to further the lesson outcomes. Each adapted article also comes with additional suggestions for activities to enhance the readers’ understanding and make the class more exciting.
1. How does climate change affect mental health?
Abstract: Did you know that climate change affects people’s mental health? Some people experience climate change anxiety. They have extreme worries and fears about the future because of climate change. We wanted to describe the levels of climate change anxiety that people experience more clearly. We used a survey called the Climate Change Anxiety Scale. We also used a survey about stress, anxiety, and depression. We used the results to determine cut-off scores. We found that a total score of 21 means a person has mild to moderate climate change anxiety symptoms. A total score of 23 means a person has severe climate change anxiety symptoms. We also found that many young people have climate change anxiety. Measuring climate change anxiety can help health care professionals provide support. It can also help governments make policies to reduce climate change. These policies should improve people’s mental health.
This article is suitable for middle school and lower high school students. An audio narration is available in English.
- Key terms: climate change, mental health, psychology
- Scientific figures: line graph, pictograph
- Scientific method: survey research
2. How does climate change impact satellites?
Abstract: There are a lot of satellites in low Earth orbit. We use them for things like communication and weather forecasting. Climate change is actually cooling this region of our atmosphere. This changes the density of air there. Changes in climate could impact these satellites. We wanted to know how much. We used a model to estimate air density changes in low Earth orbit in the future. Then we calculated how many satellites the region could safely hold. We did this for three climate change scenarios. We found that by 2100, climate change could reduce the number of satellites low Earth orbit can hold by 50–66%. This means we need to develop strategies to make low Earth orbit a more sustainable resource for the future.
This article is suitable for high school students. An audio narration is available in English.
- Key terms: astronomy, atmosphere, climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, space travel
- Scientific figures: heatmap, time series graph
- Scientific method: climate scenarios, scientific modeling
3. Why are flights getting bumpier?
Abstract: Have you ever ridden on an airplane? If so, was there a moment when it suddenly started to shake? That unpleasant and sometimes scary shaking is called turbulence. If there is no storm, or even clouds, it can seem to come out of nowhere! We wanted to find out whether clear-air turbulence has increased over the past 40 years. We analyzed data from 1979 to 2020 and found a big increase over the midaltitudes. The skies that most planes fly through are bumpier now than four decades ago. In fact, over the North Atlantic, severe turbulence increased by 55%. Our findings are important because they show that we are already seeing the impacts of climate change in unexpected ways.
This article is suitable for lower high school students. Audio narrations are available in English and Spanish, and a written translation is available in Spanish. This article includes an SJK Academy Research Recap video summarizing the content.
- Key terms: aviation, climate change, physics
- Scientific figures: pictograph, scatter plot
- Scientific method: GIS, proxy data, scientific modeling
That’s Not All!
Browse our complete collections of adapted research articles on Climate Change and Climate Change Adaptation, or explore our collection of free, vetted teaching activities about Energy and Climate Change.
Title image by Markus Spiske
Last updated: Oct 2025. If you come across any issues with this collection, please let us know by emailing editor @ sciencejournalforkids.org.
