In a world shaped by anthropogenic climate change, climate literacy becomes an important goal of science education. In this article, four studies from physics education research are presented, each focusing on one or two dimension(s) of climate literacy. The first study presents a Design-Based research project addressing lower secondary students’ conceptual understanding of the greenhouse effect. The second study provides insights into the development and evaluation of “Tutorials in Climate Change,” with special emphasis on the interconnectedness of conceptual understanding and willingness to teach about climate change. In the third study, the development of the test instrument “CTCC” (Critical Thinking in Climate Change) testing critical thinking skills in the context of climate change is described and analyzed. Finally, the fourth study explores in-service teachers’ perceptions of teaching climate action as a socio-scientific issue. Combined insights from the four studies presented in this contribution can inform physics education practice and physics education research on several levels; for example, how climate literacy can be addressed, or which research designs are useful in targeting different levels of climate change education.