Analysis of Climate Change in General Chemistry Textbooks

Abstract

Climate change has the potential to push humans across the limits at which we can exist. Chemistry is essential in understanding the complexities of climate change, as many of the processes involve chemical relationships. Textbooks influence the development of course curricula and support instructors' decision making, which can impact student understanding. This study examined the extent, type, and location of climate change content present in 24 undergraduate general chemistry textbooks (for STEM majors and nonmajors). Visualizing the Chemistry of Climate Change (VC3) served as the theoretical framework and basis for the codebook. Textbook items were considered to be codable instances if they linked to the core chemistry concepts outlined by VC3. Of the core chemistry concepts reviewed, gases were the most prevalent topic connected to climate change. Topics regarding organic chemistry and equilibrium concepts were the least frequent codable instances. The distribution of climate change content was also uneven among the sampled textbooks. Only three textbooks contained more than 100 codable instances, and three other books did not contain any climate change material. Most instances connecting climate change to chemistry appeared in peripheral regions of the books and not in the main text. Without available materials to connect core chemistry concepts with real-world issues such as climate change, instructors become burdened with developing their own content. Supplemental materials, such as VC3, can provide a bridge to climate change content deficits, but there is a need for textbook materials to be more effective at presenting the chemistry of climate change.

Survey of United States Undergraduate Chemistry Instructors’ Perspectives on Teaching Climate Change

“…Gases appeared as the most selected core chemistry topic taught by surveyed professors. This was consistent with the representation of climate change topics in undergraduate textbooks . Within the key concept of gases, the way carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases are characterized was the most commonly occurring topic (38% of the respondents).…”

“…Textbook and journals were somewhat influential for instructors incorporating climate change, whereas all other contextual factors surveyed were selected as not influential for either incorporating or not incorporating climate change. However, textbook inclusions of the chemistry of climate change are limited . General Chemistry was the course where climate change was more common, whereas in Organic Chemistry, it was less common.…”