A climate-literate citizenry is essential for building sustainable, resilient communities in North Carolina. One of the best ways to enhance the climate literacy of future generations is to work with K-12 programs, where additional training and resources can be created to help teachers talk about climate change in their classrooms.

Researchers at North Carolina State University developed a climate-literacy curriculum for middle-school students with support from North Carolina Sea Grant. Additional Sea Grant support augmented the curriculum to include a reflection activity in which students engage their parents around climate change and coastal hazards, as well as a robust field-based service-learning project that leverages ongoing partnerships with coastal organizations including the N.C. Coastal Federation, N.C. State’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology and The Nature Conservancy. Researchers have trained 50 North Carolina teachers in using the climate-literacy curriculum, reaching approximately 450 middle-school students.

Reefs formed by oysters provide essential ecosystem services, including water filtration, sediment stabilization and habitat for juvenile fish and aquatic invertebrates. Researchers at North Carolina State University’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, with funding from North Carolina Sea Grant, created a GIS-based tool to guide site selection for oyster reef habitat restoration in North Carolina’s Pamlico Sound. The tool links biological, physical and socioeconomic information and can be used by governmental and nongovernmental agencies to maximize the cost-efficiency and value of future oyster-restoration efforts. The underlying framework of this decision-support tool also could be adapted to inform habitat restoration in other areas.

Repeated flooding due to hurricanes and nor’easters has impacted homes, businesses and crop production in Hyde County, North Carolina. North Carolina Sea Grant partnered with Georgia Sea Grant and Stetson University to perform a cost-benefit analysis of elevating structures throughout Hyde County.

The partners identified community needs related to flooding issues through a Vulnerability, Consequences and Adaptation Planning Scenario, or VCAPS, workshop. These findings led to the creation of a video and flood guide to help Hyde County educate residents and earn Community Rating System points during their next review. The county is now working with the N.C. Division of Coastal Management to scope a new water management plan.