For the Climate Change Education scenario we assume that a) each student reduces their carbon emissions by 2.86 tons of CO2, similar to the COMM 168 course and b) the adoption of this type of education grows from less than 1% of all secondary students today to 16% of all secondary students by 2050 (note: the number of secondary students is restricted to only high income and upper-middle income countries where residents have higher carbon emissions). Although recycling may be viewed as a fairly common action in many Californian communities, food choices and the connection with carbon emissions is not as widely known by the general public (e.g., [30]; [31]). While there are similarities to the teaching of other environmental topics, climate change includes some unique education challenges that make teaching this topic especially difficult [25]; [26]; [27]. However, I worry that a narrow focus on macro goals (a Green New Deal, international agreements, etc), will prevent me from taking initiative on the impacts that I can make as a student. While it is difficult to write policy, or change the minds of adults in power, informing the current and next generation will help prepare society for how we can combat the most life-threatening issue any of us will have to face in the coming years. Climate change will also likely affect tourism and recreational activities. A hallmark of conversations with graduates from the course was the consideration of climate in daily decisions. My best advice in taking climate action is to choose a project — no matter the scale — and see it to its completion. [45] found that using issue investigation and action training was an effective way to promote pro-environmental behavior. 5 climate change facts to scare you into action this Halloween. Among the emerging theories of behavior change, community-based social marketing and the strong impact of social norms have been shown to be effective measures for stimulating behavior change [47]; [48]. Should education be shown to be an effective tool to reducing emissions via changes in attitudes and behavior, it would seem likely that funding and interest in such methods would become more widespread and well supported. The exposure of such uncertainties and limitations provides the research with a context for interpreting the results and also provides an avenue for researchers to undertake additional studies to investigate the impact that education can have on long-term behavior change. In Fig 4, we show the relationship between individual carbon emission reductions with personal beliefs about how global warming will influence them or future generations. This is in part why we chose to do a focus group to more accurately investigate aspects of the course that may have been important. The third aspect of the course that we feel was important to creating impactful and lasting change was the social norms that were established during the year-long course. Copies of the survey, focus group scripts, and focus group protocols are provided in S1 and S3 Texts. Although a number of studies have established links between educational programs and environmental quality, such as water or air quality [7], far fewer studies have established causal links between education and carbon emissions [5]. A first lesson we are drawing from the COVID-19 pandemic and how it relates to climate change is that well-resourced, equitable health systems with a strong and supported health workforce are essential to protect us from health security threats, including climate change. About 5% of students reported almost no change (0–1 ton of CO2/year), and about 10% reported between 6 and 8 tons of CO2/year. Strategies to mitigate climate change often center on clean technologies, such as electric vehicles and solar panels, while the mitigation potential of a quality educational experience is rarely discussed. WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT YOU? Thus, if we subtract the emission reductions for the average Californian (0.68) from our participants (3.54), we find that the net reduction above the average citizen is 2.86 tons/year (3.54–0.68 = 2.86). Although several studies have linked environmental education and environmental quality (e.g., Education and water quality [4]; Education and air quality [5]; and Education and energy reduction [6]), the environmental education literature is relatively sparse [7]. Millennial Republicans are more likely to say global warming is happening, is human-caused, and that most scientists agree it is happening, and they are more likely to worry about global warming than … However, over the long term, climate change will also bring new species into existence and change ecosystems around the world. Although some of these uncertainties, such as the reliability of the carbon footprint calculator and the related carbon emissions, probably would not influence the primary outcomes of the study, other uncertainties such as initial attitudes of participating students may have a larger influence on the study results. If I want to rebel by not using a car, I first have to know that everyone thinks using a car is a normal thing to do.” Participants agreed that talking about their own actions helped in discussing climate change issues with others. Send us an email or message us on Instagram. Yes Overall, focus group participants noted that this course helped them develop experience communicating with other people about their actions and why they are taking them. The Community Action Project (CAP) was the culminating experience where student teams competed to develop the most impactful community-based project. For example, while only 31% of participants reported purchasing a more gas-efficient car, this single action accounted for 18% of all carbon emission reductions observed. Despite the goals of environmental education organizations like the UNESCO, relatively few climate change education programs remain that have successfully demonstrated the type of behavior change needed to effectively respond to climate change [23]; [28]; [29]. PLOS ONE promises fair, rigorous peer review, The carbon footprint calculator is used to estimate how a particular action attributed to taking COMM 168 would impact individual annual carbon emissions. The focus group participants noted that they go out of their way to take action because they feel as if they are making a difference. We use the CoolClimate Calculator [34] an online household carbon footprint calculator that has been well documented and verified in a number of studies (e.g., [35]; [36]; [37]; [38]). There is clear evidence to show that climate change is happening. Surveys and focus group interviews identify that course graduates have developed a strong personal connection to climate change solutions, and this is realized in their daily behaviors and through their professional careers. FACT: Carbon dioxide, a byproduct of fossil-fuel combustion, is a greenhouse gas, which traps solar radiation in the atmosphere. Climate change includes both the global warming driven by human emissions of greenhouse gases, and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns.Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century, humans have had unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.. Reduce emissions. Turn off some lights. One of the primary themes identified was a focus on making climate change personally relevant and meaningful for learners. A student's guide to Global Climate Change. No, Is the Subject Area "Global warming" applicable to this article? Then, you can take up another one. However, once the 3-unit incentive was removed in 2014, only two colleges (i.e., Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts) had significant enrollment (i.e., more than 10% of students), with the course now having more enrollment from Environmental Studies and Communication Studies. 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