2. Ijesr - Students Conceptual Understanding

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STUDENTS’ CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND ATTITUDE ON

CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCE AND MITIGATION PRACTICES

BANJIE GODILANO-SARMIENTO1 & CHRISTIA ALMARIO-GUEVARA

2

1University Research Associate II, Plant Biology Division, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of the

Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna, Philippines

2 Assistant Professor, Plant Biology Division, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of the Philippines

Los Baños, College, Laguna, Philippines

ABSTRACT

Climate change is a complex problem because along with it are various consequences such as rise in sea level

and extreme weather disturbances resulting to drought, flood, and stronger typhoons. This in effect, threatens food security. According to the study of World Bank (2009), the Philippines ranks first in the list of countries that are in

danger of frequent and more intense storms. To cope with these challenges, the commitment and support from younger

generations is needed to ensure a more sustainable future. However, most of these young people are not aware that

simple daily activities can contribute to global climate change.

To address the knowledge gap on climate change resilience and mitigation, college students from different

degree programs, socio-economic status, and age groups were selected as respondents. The objective of this study is to

explore on students’ attitude toward climate change resilience and mitigation. A survey instrument was developed and

administered to the students. This tool included inventory of practices on water and soil conservation, and low-carbon

behavior activities. Based on the ordinal scale devised from statistical data, majority of the students showed fair

awareness on resilience practices related to health, high awareness for soil and biodiversity conservation while low

awareness on water conservation practices. Majority of the students showed low level of disaster-preparedness. The study

also revealed that students exhibit fair engagement in mitigation practices.

Based on these findings, it is strongly recommended that educational systems integrate climate change in the

frameworks of both natural and social science curricula. A multi-disciplinary based and holistic program for climate

change is essential to allow students to comprehend issues intensively, and increase their engagement in climate change

resilience and mitigation.

KEYWORDS: Climate Change, Mitigation, Resilience

Received: Dec 15, 2015; Accepted: Feb 22, 2016; Published: Feb 29, 2016; Paper Id.: IJESRAPR20162

INTRODUCTION

Climate change is the greatest challenge that confronts humanity. This phenomenon haunts people from

various walks of life and across generations. With impacts ranging from extreme weather events and periodic

inundation and droughts, to property damage and food scarcity, it has been an alarming reality the entire world

faces. Physical, biological, and, chemical processes on Earth can be affected by climate change causing an effect

on natural resources, on biodiversity, ecosystem services and on plants in general that can alter biophysical

relationship, shrinking of habitat, desertification and shift in the natural world [2].

Or i gi n al Ar t i c l e

International Journal of Educational

Science and Research (IJESR)

ISSN(P): 2249-6947; ISSN(E): 2249-8052

Vol. 6, Issue 2, Apr 2016, 7-16

© TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.


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8 Banjie Godilano-Sarmiento & Christia Almario-Guevara

Impact Factor (JCC): 4.3912 NAAS Rating: 2.72

Climate change affects plant diversity, thus threatens food security.

Severely affected by climate change are those residing in coastal and lower rung urban communities, as well as

typhoon prone regions, which constitute large areas of the Philippines. But pressing as it is, there is a growing gap on the

degree of understanding and awareness people have on its nature, mechanism, and the concepts and principles that govern

its occurrence.

According to the study of World Bank in 2009, the Philippines ranks first in the list of countries that are in danger

of frequent and more intense storms. To cope with climate change vulnerability, the commitment and support from

younger generations is needed to ensure a more sustainable future. Based on the study of Quick [9], the United Nations

Environment Programme (UNEP) has outlined several key ways to increase awareness of environmental issues worldwide.

These are targeted efforts such as environmental legal rights and responsibilities, campaign awareness, local outreach,

media, and community education. There is a need to promote awareness on climate change specially in under developed

and developing countries. However, most people are not aware that simple daily activities can contribute to global climatechange. The present study aimed to determine students’ knowledge and misconceptions on climate change and their

perception and attitude on climate change resilience and mitigation practices.

METHODOLOGY

The study employed a cross-sectional survey design, the key feature of which is the intent to capture current

views, beliefs, practices and attitudes toward an issue. This method further allowed survey instruments to be administered

and collected over a relatively short period of time.

Study Site

The study was conducted at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Laguna, Philippines. The

University consists of nine colleges and offers 29 undergraduate courses. Located some 46 Km southeast of Manila, UPLB

is the national university of the country, being one of the 12 campuses of the University of the Philippines System.

Questionnaire and Discussion Guide

Climate Change Key Concepts and Principles Inventory (CCKCPI) was developed and peer reviewed. It included

an exploration on the students’ knowledge about climate change, key concepts, indicators, resilience and mitigation. The

same instrument was also used to gather demographic information about the respondents. A Discussion guide consisting of

open-ended questions was also prepared and used to draw insights from selected students among the respondents fordeeper discussion and elucidation.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

A total of 148 undergraduate students enrolled in 20 different courses under 8 colleges (Table 1) from the

University of the Philippines Los Baños participated in this study. The respondents consisted of 37.16% males and 62.84%

females. They were from ages 16 to 22 and 57.43 % were of ages 18-19. These students were from diverse communities

and income classes.


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Students’ Conceptual Understanding and Attitude on Climate 9

Change Resilience and Mitigation Practices


Table 1: List of Different Colleges in the University of the Philippines Los Baňos

CollegeNumber of Courses

Covered

1 College of Agriculture (CA) 3

2 College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) 73 College of Human Ecology (CHE) 1

4 College of Economics and Management (CEM) 2

5 College of Engineering and Agro-Industria2l

Technology (CEAT)4

6 College of Forestry and Natural Resources

(CFNR)1

7 College of Development Communication

(CDC)1

8 College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) 1

9 College of Public Affairs (CPAF)* 0

*not covered in the study

Based on the self-assessment part of the survey (Table 2), all respondents had knowledge on what climate change

is and their most common sources of information include internet sources (rank 1) followed by media, lectures or courses,

and journals/newspapers (rank 4). Majority (65 %) of the respondents had ideas on global climate change indicators while

35.0% lacked knowledge. For local climate change, 47% were aware while 53% were unaware. Students’ showed low

awareness on resilience and mitigation and the corresponding indicators related to both.

Table 2: Self-Assessment of Students on Climate Change

Criteria Percentage

Knowledge on Climate Change 100

Indicators of Climate Change

GlobalLocal

65.047.0

Occurrence of Climate Change 24.7

Knowledge about Resilience 22.3

Knowledge about Mitigation 31.5

According to Agrafioti [1], climate change is a long-term change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns

over periods of time that range from decades to millions of years. This may lead to change in the average weather

conditions or a change in the distribution of weather events with respect to an average such as greater or lesser extreme

weather events.

Based on the result of the study, common misconceptions on climate change were: Climate change is globalwarming and it is mainly anthropogenic in nature, Carbon dioxide is the most potent greenhouse gas, and that individual

lifestyle has little bearing on global climate change scale. Due to increasing population growth, the demand for more

resources also increases. These leads to more anthropogenic activities that contribute to global climate change. According

to The Energy Resources Institute [10], large amount of greenhouse gases and other pollutants is being contributed by the

use of electricity and vehicles that utilizes fossil fuels (mostly coal). According to the said institute also, the energy sector

is responsible for about ¾ of the carbon dioxide emissions, 1/5 of the methane emissions and a large quantity of nitrous

oxide.


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Figure 1: Response of Students to Climate Change Key Concepts and Principles

When it comes to knowledge on climate change key concepts and principles such as mechanisms, patterns, and

carbon footprints, 61 % of the respondents were knowledgeable, 17% do not have any knowledge at all while 22% were

uncertain (Figure 1).

Figure 2: Response of Different Colleges to Different Resilience Categories

According to the Gaia Foundation [11], “Resilience is an inherent quality of all healthy living systems. It is a state

of dynamic equilibrium which enables systems to grow and evolve while keeping their coherence”. The foundation also

stated that resilience also shows the capacity of a system to absorb disturbances. It may also refer to the ability to

reorganize to retain the same essential function, structure, and identity. Resilience is essential to adapt to climate change.

Based on the results (Figure 2), majority of the respondents (70.92%) agreed on resilience practices related to health

(wearing light clothes and applying or using materials that tend to reduce the effect climate change) while 85.18% agreed

on practices related to soil and biodiversity conservation. These practices include tree planting and patronizing organic

products. However, for water conservation category, only 23.47% agreed on practicing resilience related to personal

hygiene, use of rain-harvester, and planting drought- resistant crops. Based on the ordinal scale used, students have fair

awareness on resilience practices when it comes to health-related issues, high awareness for soil and biodiversity


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conservation and low awareness related to water conservation practices. In applying resilience practices, the country will

have the capacity to diminish impacts and respond to climate change.

Figure 3: Response of Different Colleges to Disaster-Preparedness Questions

Preparedness on upcoming disasters was evaluated by asking questions related to the following: paying attention

to daily local weather reports, conserving water before a storm, obtaining knowledge from the Local Government Unit

(LGU) about the vulnerability of their area to storm-surge as well as gathering information on possible

relocation/evacuation routes and centers, keeping emergency kits, having emergency plans, and participating in clean drive

activities after the occurrence of a storm.

Based on Table 2, 77.7 % of the students do not have any knowledge on resilience. This was reflected on their

response to disaster-preparedness (Figure 3) wherein only 58.59 % of the respondents are prepared, 22.41% lacked

preparedness while 19 % are uncertain. In general, data revealed low level of disaster-preparedness among respondents.

The United Nations Environment Programme [13] states that mitigation mainly refers to efforts to reduce or

prevent emission of greenhouse gases. It may involve new technologies and renewable sources of energies

or changing management practices or consumer behavior. Based on Table 2, 68.5 % of the students lacked knowledge on

mitigation. Results showed low engagement in mitigation practices related to air quality. However, transportation-related

practices and use of electricity also affect air quality since both categories use fossil fuels. Practices related to air quality

control include participation to tree planting and Earth–hour activity, not smoking, not using firecrackers, and using

alternative forms of energy. Based on Figure 4, students showed fair (68.43%) participation in mitigation practices related

to food choices or agricultural practices such as not having left-over food, buying products with less packaging,

patronizing organic products, and infrequent eating of meat-products. According to The Energy and Resources Institute

[10], another important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere is methane. Domesticated animals such as dairy cows, goats,

pigs, buffaloes, camels, horses, and sheep contribute about ¼ of all methane emissions. “These animals produce methane

during the cud-chewing process. It is also released from rice or paddy fields that are flooded during the sowing and

maturing periods. When soil is covered with water it becomes anaerobic or lacking in oxygen. Under such conditions,

methane-producing bacteria and other organisms decompose organic matter in the soil to form methane”. It is also emitted

from landfills and other waste dumps, during the process of oil drilling, coal mining and also from leaking gas pipelines.


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When it comes to proper waste disposal, students exhibited fair engagement (66.50%) that includes practices like

segregating wastes, recycling, and bringing own bag for shopping. The four categories (food choices, transportation,

electricity and waste disposal) under mitigation practices are inter-connected and affects over-all air quality.

Figure 4: Result of Students Engagement in Mitigation Practices

Many people do not pay attention to environmental issues due to lack of knowledge and understanding on how the

problem will affect them or their life style. Measures to address climate change is not just the responsibility of the

government or any organization but an obligation of every person. Therefore, this problem should be addressed through the

education system. The Philippines is trying to respond through Senate Bill no. 2885. This act should be known as “Climate

Change Education Act of 2011” that mandates the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to include three units subject

for the study of climate change as part of the curricula for all courses in the tertiary education and other purposes [7].

However, the said Senate bill is still pending since 2011.

To widen students’ understanding on climate change and its connection to various social, economic and

environmental factors, a course outline on climate change education for tertiary students was devised.

Proposed Course Outline for Climate Change Education for Tertiary Students

Climate Change Education

Course Description

The course is designed to clear misconceptions on climate change principles. Application of holistic approachwill increase the degree of understanding and awareness on the nature of climate change, its mechanism, its concepts,


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and the principles that govern its occurrence.

Course Objective

The objective of the course is to equip students on climate change key concepts and principles that would in

effect motivate them to take an active role in climate change resilience and mitigation.

Topics

I.

Difference between Weather and Climate

II. Layers of the Atmosphere

III.

Carbon Dioxide Trends

IV. Activities that Affect Air Quality

A.

Natural Causes

B. Anthropogenic

1. Pollution:

CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons)

GHGs ( Greenhouse gases)

2.

Other Causes of Greenhouse Emissions:

2.1 Transportation

2.2 Waste Disposal

2.3 Use of Electricity

2.5 Food Choices

2.5 Agricultural Practices

V.

Difference between Greenhouse Effect and Enhanced Greenhouse Effect

VI.

Difference between Global Warming and Climate Change

VII. Indicators of Climate Change

A.

Extreme Weather DisturbancesB. Decrease Biodiversity and Food Security

C. Migration of Species and Change in Phenology

D. Rise in Sea Level

E. Health Concerns

F.

Others

VIII. Climate Change Mitigation

A.

Definition of Mitigation


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B.

Mitigation Practices

IX. Climate Change Resilience

A. Adaptation and Resilience

B. Resilience Practices

X.

Policies Related to Climate Change

The main objective of the framework is to provide necessary requisites to improve knowledge gains and correct

misconceptions to levels of learning and thinking skills that will promote effective translation of knowledge into

meaningful decision making, behavior and practices. The curricular framework should integrate subjects such as Science

and Technology, Social Studies, Language, Health, and Business /Finance/Economics. The curriculum is expected to

develop skills such as collaboration, thinking, graphing, inquiry, problem solving, critical thinking, and language skills. A

suggested general curricular framework format for each topic in the course outline is presented below:

Suggested Curricular Framework Format for Each Topic in the Course Outline

CONCLUSIONS

College students lack sufficient understanding on relevant key concepts and principles on climate change. Most of

them cannot recognize indicators of climate change due to some misconceptions. Essentially, participation to resilience and

mitigation practices requires a lifestyle change that must emanate from a sound perspective.

REFERENCES

1.

AGRAFIOTI, I. 2015. ENSAA - Young Europeans Discuss Sustainable Development Retrieved 5 January 2015 from

www.ensaa.eu/index.php/climate-change/97-defining-climate-change.html

2.

AMEDIE, F.A. 2013.Impacts of Climate Change on Plant Growth, Ecosystem Services, Biodiversity, and Potential Adaptation

Measure. Master Thesis in Atmospheric Science with orientation towards Environmental Science. Department of Biological

and Environmental Science. University of Gothenburg Retrieved 15 June 2015 from

http://bioenv.gu.se/digitalAssets/1432/1432197_fantahun.pdf

3.

CLIMATE CHANGE: CONNECTIONS AND SOLUTIONS AN INTERDISCIPLINARY CURRICULUM. 2013. Facing the

Future. Seattle, WA. Retrieved 9 April 2015 from

https://www.facingthefuture.org/Curriculum/PreviewandBuyCurriculum/tabid/550/CategoryID/

4. CLUSTER 5-EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT (6 December 2013). "Commission on Audit Annual Audit Reports for SUCs,


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2012-2013" . Commission on Audit. Retrieved 30 September 2014 from coa.gov.ph

5.

CRESTWELL, J.W. (2005) Educational Research-Planning, Conducting and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative

Research. 2nd

Ed. Pearson Education International. New Jersey

6.

DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT.2012. Public Perceptions on Climate Change in Northern Ireland, Ireland

Retrieved 2 February 2015 from ww.doeni.gov.uk/public_perception_on_climate_change_report_2012.

7.

MARCOS, F. JR. 2011.Senate Bill no.2885. Fifteenth Congress of the Republic of the Philippines Retrieved 22 January 2015

from http://www.bongbongmarcos.com/wp-content/uploads/senate-bill/senate-bill-no-2885-climate-change-education-act-of-

2011/SBN-2885.pdf.

8. MOSTE.2015.Indigenous and Local Knowledge and Practices for Climate Resilience in Nepal. Mainstreaming Climate

Change Risk Management in Development, Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment, Kathmandu, Nepal Retrieved

10 January 2015 from https://www.cbd.int/financial/micro/nepal-resilience.pdf

9.

QUICK, B. 2015.Ways to Increase Public Awareness About Environmental Problems. Retrieved 20 May 20, 2015 from

http://classroom.synonym.com/ways-increase-public-awareness-environmental-problems-2590.html

10.

TERI (THE ENERGY AND RESOURCES INSTITUTE) 2007. Causes of Climate Change. Edugreen, India Retrieved 7 January

2015 from http://edugreen.teri.res.in/index.htm

11.

THE GAIA FOUNDATION. 2015.Causes of Climate Change, London Retrieved 2 January 2015 from

http://www.gaiafoundation.org/climate-change-resilience

12.

UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (UNEP). 2007. Public Environmental Awareness and Education

Retrieved 25 May 2015 from www.unep.org/.../Public_Awareness/.../Public_Environmental_Awarenes...WORLDBANK.

Report-World bank.2009. Retrieved 25 May 2015 from

www.worldbank.org/.../Worldbank/.../Philippines/Final%20ExReport.pdf

13.

UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME(UNEP). 2015. Climate Change Mitigation Retrieved 6 January 2015

from www.unep.org/climatechange/mitigation/


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