Posted on 17 February 2012 by John Cook

A few months back, SkS blogged about a free, online course Climate Insights 101 run by the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions. PICS have taken their climate outreach efforts up another notch by compiling all the information from their online course into a series of bite sized video clips with simple explanations and funky animations. Here is the media release from PICS:

Online climate change courses go “bite size” for wider global audience

Learning about the scientific causes of climate change just got easier with the online launch today of “Climate Insights: Bite Size” YouTube videos – also on display at the Family Science Days (18-19 February) during the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Vancouver.

The short and lively videos are the latest free product in the “Climate Insights 101” series created by the four BC university consortium, the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS). The first product in the series was “Module 1: Climate Science Basics,” animated and interactive online lessons, launched in August 2011. Uptake of that product has exceeded expectations, with users from more than 120 countries. 

PICS Executive Director Tom Pedersen says today’s announcement means information about why and how our climate is changing can reach an even wider audience – geographically and demographically.

“These new mini-bite videos – which condense the Module 1 material – are easily accessible on smart-phones and other portable devices. Ranging from four to 12 minutes long, the videos are engaging and easy to watch,” Pedersen says.

“Climate Insights: Bite Size” summarizes content from Module 1 in the below 10 easily accessible videos, plus a trailer, available at www.youtube.com/PICSClimateInsights. The topics covered by the videos are:

• CO2 and the Greenhouse Effect
• More than Just CO2
• Human Influence
• The Influence of Natural Events
• Mother Nature’s History Book
• Is the Earth Actually Cooling?
• Examples of Global Warming
• Threat Posed by Acidification
• What is a Climate Model?
• Projecting Future Climate

John Cook, Climate Change Communication Fellow at the University of Queensland and creator of the award winning Skeptical Science website, says online videos are a great way to reach today’s tech-savvy audiences. “The Climate Insights Bite Size series is a welcome and greatly needed resource, using engaging animation and plain English explanations to successfully communicate the reality of climate change to the general public on a global scale.”

Pedersen says improving society’s knowledge of global warming is a crucial foundation for making informed decisions regarding mitigating, and adapting to, the challenges of human-caused climate change.

Content for Module 1 and the mini videos has been provided by climate change experts Pedersen and Dr. Francis Zwiers, director of UVic’s Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium. Environment Canada and the BC Ministry of Environment have also provided input.

Module 2 (regional climate change and its impacts), Module 3 (adaptation) and Module 4 (mitigation) are currently in production and are planned for release within the next year by PICS.

Here are a few examples of the Climate Insights videos:

Here's a video explaining ocean acidification. If discussion of ph levels and carbonates has your head spinning, just think little pacmans munching their way through the ocean!