Changing Climate
The greatest difference the Conservation Learning Group project team found between students interviewed in 2012 and those they spoke to in 2022 was in their attitudes and acknowledgment of climate change. In 2012, while the students were aware of climate change, they were uncertain if it was a problem, or they had more important things on their plates than worrying about climate issues. In 2022, the students had much longer and more confident responses to the question about climate change.
It is not surprising that college students’ awareness and concern has increased significantly in ten years. The students are hearing about climate change in the news and in classes from literature to biology, and they are experiencing weather that is not normal, mentioning the derecho of August 2020, the tornadoes that had occurred in Iowa in December 2021, and unseasonal temperature extremes in both 2021 and 2022.
The majority of students interviewed agreed climate change is happening, and they shared that they are worried not only about current impacts, but also those for future generations. Many identified the responsibility for solving the problem of climate change as resting in the hands of both corporations and government. Regardless of who is responsible, the students expressed an urgency for real action now.