School psychologists have a professional and ethical responsibility to advocate for schools, communities, and systems that ensure equity and fairness for all children and youth. This requires addressing systemic issues that lead to inequitable outcomes in schools and engaging in advocacy for the broader societal and public policy issues that contribute to the perpetuation of inequities (Nadal, 2017). One such issue is climate change. The predicted impacts of climate change are fast becoming a reality and are already adversely affecting human health and health systems. Events such as flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires are challenging communities to reevaluate whether their schools provide a safe, healthy environment. There is consensus in the scientific community that climate change is real, caused by human activity, and has a dangerous impact on human health, including mental health. Addressing climate change may feel outside the scope of school psychology advocacy and be an uncomfortable topic for school psychologists to address because of the way it has been politicized (Heinowitz et al., 2012). But, given the direct and indirect impact of climate change on children's physical and emotional health, school psychologists should be more aware of the effects of climate change on children and schools, so they are motivated and empowered to address this issue (Heinowitz et al., 2012). This article is the first of a two-part series on school psychologists and climate change. Its purpose is to provide an overview of the impact of climate change on children's physical, emotional, and social well-being and school functioning. The focus of the second article will be on the role of school psychologists in climate change advocacy