Researchers at San Jose State University (SJSU) have evidence that climate change education leads directly to smaller individual carbon footprints. Educating society, they claim, could be one of the most effective ways to mitigate climate change.
Through comparisons with other solutions, the study shows “at scale, climate change education can be as effective in reducing carbon emissions as other solutions such as rooftop solar or electric vehicles,” the researchers explain in a paper describing their findings. “The notion that education is an important part of responding to climate change is not novel, and yet rarely has it been quantified and measured.”
The new study provides data to support a belief that climate scientists and professors have long had. When people are aware of the dangers of climate change, they’re more likely to act against it.
The study
To come to their conclusion, the research team successfully tracked down 104 of the more than 500 students who took SJSU’s global climate change course from 2007 to 2012, and had them fill out a survey on their carbon usage.
Using data and information gained through the survey, the researchers were then able to calculate each former student’s carbon footprint.
Compared to the average California resident, those who took the course further reduced their carbon emissions by 2.68 tons a year, which is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions caused by driving about 6,000 miles in the average car.
Those who responded to the survey said that the course led them to consider the environmental impact of nearly every life decision they make, from what food they eat to what cars they buy.
“Almost every activity we choose can affect (climate change) in some way, whether we choose to take the bus or drive to work or whether we choose to buy food that’s grown on land that was cleared from rainforests,” Tara, a survey participant, told the research team. “Since it is in every aspect of our life pretty much, that automatically makes it relevant to all those different aspects.”
Even after years of taking the course, those who took it maintain a strong belief in the potential of individual action.
“When everyone does something to mitigate climate change, it will have a huge impact,” Billy, another survey participant, told the researchers.
“I think every small step does make a difference,” Tara added. “One little step at a time; it all adds up. I’d like to think we’re making a difference. I feel like I am when I contribute a little bit.”
Part of the reason the course, which is still being taught, is able to leave such a lasting impression on students is that it encourages them to engage actively with the material.
In addition to exploring connections between their own lives and climate change, students who take the course engage in a “community action project,” where they come up with and implement plans to minimize carbon emissions in a community of their choice.
A realistic solution?
There are clearly a few question marks surrounding using this study method to test whether education is an effective climate change mitigation strategy. For one, the course is called “global climate change,” so students who are already interested could be self-selecting into the course, the researchers explain. Additionally, there could be outside reasons for lifestyle changes that lead to lower carbon emissions. The researchers plan on conducting more research to flesh out these uncertainties.
Yet, despite these uncertainties, they are confident in the influential power of education.
“Although at scale, the use of education as a climate change mitigation technique is still untested, our analysis suggests that if the educational approach is sound, and if we take the effort to measure the impact of education, we may realize the potential to reduce carbon emissions using education,” they explain in their paper.
