Climate change is one of the most urgent challenges of our time, but it’s also one of the most fascinating. In this Climate Science course, you and your teacher will work one-to-one to explore climate change, uncover the science behind a warming world, and examine how geography, biology, and technology intersect in shaping the planet’s future.
Unlike a traditional classroom where you might memorize terms for a test, here you’ll work with a mentor who builds the course around your questions, your interests, and your pace. Together we’ll uncover the evidence, test the data, and imagine solutions. You’ll finish with a clearer view of how our world works—and of your place in it.
A Course Built Around You
With the customization that is available at Cicero you could be learning about glaciers and polar science, or studying coral reefs, while others may focus on renewable energy. Your teacher will design lessons and projects that let you follow your curiosity, while still giving you the foundation you would expect in a rigorous course.
You might:
- Analyze global temperature data sets and practice interpreting trends.
- Design a local project, such as measuring air quality or studying a nearby wetland.
- Simulate policy decisions in different countries to see how climate action plays out.
- Explore how indigenous knowledge informs resilience strategies around the world.
- Each of these projects is shaped by you, not by a fixed syllabus.
The Geography of Climate Change
One part of this course will focus on how geography frames climate science. You’ll investigate how shifting weather patterns and rising sea levels affect different places differently:
- Polar regions losing ice cover
- Tropical rainforests under pressure
- Coastal communities facing storm surges and flooding
Through mapping exercises, case studies, and virtual simulations, you’ll see how location shapes both the problem and the solutions. Together we’ll ask questions like: Why is Bangladesh more vulnerable than Belgium? Why do droughts in one part of the world ripple into food insecurity elsewhere?
This work will give you a deep appreciation for the global scope of climate change and the unequal ways it touches lives.
The Science: Greenhouse Gases, Carbon Cycles, and Global Systems
The science portion of the course takes you inside the mechanics of climate change. You’ll learn about:
- The greenhouse effect and why gases like CO₂ and methane matter
- The carbon cycle and how human actions disrupt it
- The feedback loops that accelerate warming, from melting permafrost to darker oceans absorbing heat
You won’t just read about these topics—you might model the greenhouse effect in a hands-on experiment, analyze real-world climate data, or debate different interpretations of scientific evidence. Together we’ll treat climate science not as a settled story but as a living inquiry, where your critical thinking skills are as important as the facts you learn.
Technology, Innovation, and Human Action
Climate science is not only about understanding the past and present—it’s also about building the future. In this part of the course, you’ll explore how technology and innovation are reshaping our approach to climate challenges.
Topics might include:
- Renewable energy breakthroughs—solar, wind, and beyond
- Sustainable agriculture and food systems
- Climate modeling and the tools used to predict future scenarios
- The ethics of geoengineering
You’ll also get a chance to use digital tools yourself. From analyzing satellite data to creating multimedia presentations that communicate scientific findings, you’ll practice the digital literacy skills today’s climate scientists use every day.
Place-Based and Project-Based Learning
Because Cicero courses happen one-to-one, your work can spill out of the “classroom” and into the world. Together we might design place-based projects wherever you live or travel. A student in California could monitor local drought conditions. A student in Thailand might explore coastal mangrove ecosystems. A student on the move with their family might carry a climate diary, recording changing environments across countries.
These projects are not extra—they’re the heart of the course. They help you connect scientific principles to real-world observations and develop the kind of intellectual independence that will serve you long after the course ends.
Becoming a Global Citizen
Ultimately, Climate Science at Cicero is about more than charts and formulas. It’s about becoming an informed global citizen. That means:
- Developing the ability to evaluate evidence and claims you encounter in media and politics.
- Learning to connect local experiences to global patterns.
- Building the confidence to discuss and even lead conversations about climate action in your community.
By the end of the course, you ought to feel equipped not only with knowledge but also with the mindset and skills to take thoughtful action—whether that means advocating for change, innovating solutions, or simply living with greater awareness of the planet we share.
The Cicero Difference
What makes this Climate Science course distinct from other options is not just the material we cover, but how we cover it. With Cicero you have:
- One-to-one attention. Every session is with your teacher, not a group.
- Customized curriculum. Your syllabus evolves with you.
- Intellectual depth. You’ll get the rigor of an elite private school but with more flexibility.
- Real-world integration. Projects and place-based learning make the material stick.
Our goal isn’t only to prepare you for exams or transcripts—though we do that too. It’s to ignite curiosity and to give you tools that will matter for life.
Looking Forward
Climate science is both sobering and hopeful. It shows us the magnitude of the challenge, but it also shows us the scope of human creativity and resilience. In this course, you will learn the facts, debate the ideas, and design projects that matter. Together we’ll cultivate not only your scientific understanding but also your capacity for critical thinking, problem-solving, and global citizenship.
Because the truth is this: the story of climate change is not yet written. And the more you learn, the more you can help write the next chapter.
