The role of climate change education on individual lifetime carbon emissions

participants recognized the pervasiveness of climate change. As Tara, a focus group participant, noted, “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. . ..Since it is in every aspect of our life pretty much, that auto- matically makes it relevant to all those different aspects.” Other participants agreed and described daily actions that centered on transportation, waste and food choices. Melissa noted, “I think about it all the time. . .. Definitely how I think about and go about my days, making decisions, even just from using plastic.” And Elaine commented about buying a car after she paid off her student loans “I ended up choosing a Prius C for a lot of reasons. At the time it was pricey, but it just seemed energy efficient. It had what I was looking for while still being helpful for the environment.” These responses exemplify a common theme in the group—the knowl- edge of climate change gained in the course prompted them to think about the impact of their actions. The focus group participants noted that they go out of their way to take action because they feel as if they are making a difference. Billy noted, “When everyone does something to mitigate climate change, it will have a huge impact.” Tara concurred, “Almost everything I do can affect the climate somehow. If you start realizing how everything ties together, then pretty much

everything you do, every choice you make can affect it in some way.” She continued, “I think every small step does make a difference. . .. 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.” Participants sug- gested that the interdisciplinary focus of the course allowed them to see the connections between their actions and broader climate forcings. Fig 5. Relationship between statement response and total carbon emission reductions, where agree means strongly agree + agree, while disagree/ neutral means strongly disagree + disagree + neutral. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0206266.g005 The role of climate change education on individual lifetime carbon emissions PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0206266 February 4, 2020 11 / 23