New government brochure explains climate science

WASHINGTON — Day after day, reports of the dangers of climate and climate change circulate in the news, often filled with confusing data and debate.

In an effort to improve understanding of climate science, a group of government agencies has combined efforts to produce "Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Science."

"There is so much misinformation about climate," said Tom Karl, director of the government's National Climatic Data Center. "We want to provide an easily readable document to help everyone make the most informed decisions. Having one product endorsed by the nation's top federal science agencies, as well as leading science centers and associations, makes this document an essential resource." Karl said.

The booklet is available online at: www.noaa.gov/climateliteracy.html and www.climatescience.gov.

It is also being distributed to teachers attending the National Science Teachers Association meeting this week in New Orleans.

The guide was organized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, parent agency of the climate center, along with the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Interior, State, Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Agency for International Development and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.