The role of climate change education on individual lifetime carbon emissions

communication in the design of their projects. The focus group responses suggest that inter- disciplinary education including aspects of communication can give students the skills and experience necessary to create change in their own communities. The outcome of the themes that emerged from the focus groups are broadly aligned with the methodology outlined in the course design (Section 3) and as described in the conjecture map (Fig 1) In particular, students noted a personal connection with climate change (owner- ship variable), and they demonstrated specific ways either through personal actions or through communication that they could take action (empowerment variable). The entry level variable, which describes a sensitivity or empathy for the environment, was present in some of the focus group remarks, but did not emerge as a central theme. 5. Educational approach We describe a number of key design elements that stood out as critical to the success of the education program we developed and that have sustained student engagement over many years. These include a) connecting climate science to students’ lives, b) providing students with experience creating change in a community of their choice and c) creating a culture devoted to stewardship and action. We found that these elements of the course helped students to connect with the subject in ways that extended into their personal and professional lives, and are broadly aligned with some of the predictor variables that we used to design the course.

These elements were not isolated from each other, or from other important elements of the course, including a solid focus on climate science, climate solutions and environmental com- munication. These elements are in line with the models suggested by other researchers, includ- ing personal relevance and empowerment [16]; [23]. We now review each of these elements in more detail to provide insights into how these ideas may be applied to other educational settings. 5.1. Connecting science to students’ lives Various activities in the course were designed to help connect climate change with students’ lives and align with the ownership variable discussed in Fig 1. One project asked students to reflect on how climate change would affect their personal and professional lives. Another proj- ect had students track their personal energy use, and then implement a plan to reduce their energy use in their home using data from their home smart meters. These elements appeared to have some lasting impact, as various focus group participants reflected on how the course materials affected their personal and professional lives. In addition to the actions that were identified in the survey data, open-ended feedback also revealed that the course affected other major decisions, such as where to live and how many children to have. In fact, two of the participants mentioned their decisions to adopt a child or not to have children were influenced by the course. This implies that at least for some of the students, the course content and the implications of climate change affected their personal

lives deeply. It appears that some of the high-impact actions identified by [30], such as having fewer children, did resonate with the COMM 168 students. In a recent study by [23], a systematic review of the climate change education literature identified themes common in successful programs. One of the primary themes identified was a focus on making climate change personally relevant and meaningful for learners. It is noted that this is also a common practice in environmental education and science education, but as we found in our own work here, it can be made especially meaningful given the personal con- nection that climate change can have to students’ lives. The role of climate change education on individual lifetime carbon emissions PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0206266 February 4, 2020 13 / 23