Climate Change Consciousness among Tertiary Students: Implications to Curriculum Development

Climate change per se is not evident among people but the seasonal events one experiences may lead to understandclimate change. This descriptive-quantitative research considered the degree of awareness on climate change among the tertiary students of the Catanduanes State University – Panganiban Campus in terms of climate change causes; climate change effects; and; climate change possible mitigation.Also, the research identified the demographic profile of the student- respondents concerning age, sex, year level, and academic program. The results revealed that the average student-respondents out of 271 have a modest degree of awareness and attitude on climate change that could still be improved by intensifying institutional programs and activities regarding climate change. About the profiles: age, sex, and academic-program, they do little to determine either the degree of awareness or attitude related to climate change among the student-respondents because of the findings ‘no significant difference’. While the year-level of education expresses that when one gets a higher level of education, the degree of awareness and attitude on climate change also gets higher. With the gathered data, the study recommends additional academic and non-academic activities may be required for tertiary students to be more aware of the issues on climate change and do activities that would help mitigate the impact on their respective communities. Other activities include, proper waste disposal campaign, planting trees and mangroves, and networking with other agencies for human and financial support and policymaking. Lastly, public information drive and extension services programs can be initiated to promote positive response towards climate change.

Keywords: climate change, higher education, curriculum development