Global Climate Change and Environmental Care in the Perception of Adolescents: A Possible Analysis

Abstract

Scientific evidence of the occurrence of Global Climate Change (GCC) is increasing and becoming more widely acknowledged; it may be considered a human-environmental problem, with psychological and social dimensions, in regard to both its causes and consequences. This study aimed to investigate adolescents’ perception of GCC in association with self-reported practices of environmental care. A questionnaire, with open questions, was applied to 323 adolescents from schools of the city of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The data was subjected to thematic content and statistical analysis, in order to check for associations between variables. The perception of GCC was considered confusing; participants perceived it as a generic environmental problem, tangled with other problems, such as pollution related to the accumulation of garbage. Regarding environmental care, 46% said that they are engaged in such practices, with only minor variations of the mentioned type of actions. The most frequently cited practice was relative to waste control. Participants who reported that they engage in waste control actions, as well as selective trash collection and recycling, were the ones that mentioned causes for GCC the most, which suggests that the perception of GCC is associated with the theme of waste. In addition, the adolescents who mostly indicated people or institutions responsible for the occurrence of GCC were those who reported engaging in seedling planting, saving electricity and awareness campaigns, suggesting the existence of associations between responsibility attribution for GCC and environmental care. The exploration of such concepts aims to assist environmental education initiatives, in trying to expand the scope of adolescents’ practices beyond waste matters, despite its recognized importance, as diversity of behaviors may also be stimulated in order to include other types of GCC mitigation actions at local levels.