创新！我们如何为气候变化创造新的解决方案？

How can we create new solutions for the changing climate? Copyright Notice© 2026 Smithsonian Institution All rights reserved. First Edition 2026. Copyright NoticeNo part of this guide, or derivative works of this guide, may be used or reproduced for any purpose except fair use without permission in writing from the Smithsonian Science Education Center. Smithsonian Science Education Center greatly appreciates the efforts of all the individuals listed below and in theacknowledgments section in the development ofInnovation! How can we create new solutions for the changing climate?Each contributed their expertise to ensure this project is of the highest quality. Smithsonian Science Education Center Guide Development Staff Lead Developer and Series Manager - Heidi Gibson Division Director for Curriculum, Digital Media, and Communications - Dr. Brian Mandell Douglas M. Lapp and Anne B. Keiser Director - Dr. Carol O’Donnell Assistant Division Director of Professional Services -Katherine BlanchardProgram Specialists - Alexia Antunez-Hernandez,Torrey SillimanProgram Assistant - Alisa Chen Series Curriculum Developers - Khadijah Thibodeaux,Dr. Erika Bonnett, Andre Radloff Project Manager - Hannah Osborn Contributing Interns - India Balkaran, Kennedy McIntosh,Maya Maltez Division Director of Professional Services -Dr. Amy D’Amico Hamid Bin Khalifa University Guide Development Staff Assistant Professor in the College of Science and Engineering - Dr. Peter Desmond The contributions of the Smithsonian Science Education Center Staff,Technical Reviewers, and Project Advisors are found in the acknowledgments section. Thank You for Your Support SmithsonianScience Education Center Dear Parents, Caregivers, and Educators, Youth should have an integral role in conversations about how to create a shared, sustainablefuture. What needs to be part of a sustainable world? Are we hoping for a world where peacefulsocieties collaborate; a world where we live in balance with the environment of our planet; a worldin which our economies fulfill our needs; a world that is fair to all? This Community Research Guideencourages young people to use science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to discover,understand, and act on the answers to these questions. As youth around the globe engage with the activities in this guide, they will gain an understandingof the science that underlies global sustainability issues. They will be able to share their knowledgewith their community, create tangible ways to help their community make informed decisions, andunderstand the best places to find additional information on these topics. Throughout the guide, young people may find themselves asking many questions about peopleand our shared planet. You do not need to have the answers to any of these questions. The mostimportant thing you can offer young people is the opportunity to question, investigate, thinkcritically and systemically, synthesize, and act. Ask the young people around you how they arefeeling and what they are thinking about as they learn this content. I am immensely grateful to the experts who helped to develop this guide—the InterAcademyPartnership, a collaboration of 150 national academies of sciences, engineering, and medicine;our colleagues across the Smithsonian Institution; and the external subject matter experts whocontributed to this guide—for their perspectives and technical support in ensuring the science inthis guide is accurate. I also want to say a special thank you to the Smithsonian Science EducationCenter developers of this guide for their thoughtful contributions to theSmithsonian Science forGlobal Goalsproject. Working together—scientists, researchers, parents, caregivers, educators, youth—we can makea better world for all. This guide is a step toward that grand collaboration. Thank you for partnering with us to inspire our youth to build a better world. Best, Dr. Carol O’Donnell,Douglas M. Lapp andAnne B. Keiser DirectorSmithsonian ScienceEducation Center Student Letter Dear Student, This is the last time you will be called a student in this Community Research Guide.Instead, you will take on a new role as an action researcher. Action researchers areinterested in figuring out what to do to make their communities better. They usescientific investigations to help understand the natural world around them. They usesocial science investigations to help understand the people, cultures, and history oftheir communities. Then they use the information they gather to help solve problemsin their own communities. This guide will help you learn more about this process. Themost important thing to know is that you will control your own research and makeyour own decisions. Think back to a time when you solved a problem. You first needed to know whatyou wanted—your goal. Then you needed to figure out what you had to do toachieve your goal. This guide is similar. You will think about goals you have for yourl