Empowering Youth for a Sustainable Future: Climate Change Awareness and Education in Higher Secondary Schools of Kerala, India

Sreelu Sreepadi; Jayarajan Kunnampalli

doi:10.69606/geography.v4i2.488

Authors

Sreelu Sreepadi HSST Geography, GHSS Kayanna, Kozhikode, India https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0749-5070
Jayarajan Kunnampalli Department of Geography, Govt College Chittur, Palakkad, Kerala, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5532-4390

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.69606/geography.v4i2.488

Keywords:

climate change education, climate literacy, environmental awareness, multivariate analysis, weather station

Abstract

Climate change education is crucial for sustainable development and informed environmental decision-making, particularly in highly climate-sensitive contexts such as Kerala, India. Formalizing education to strengthen student awareness is important. Nonetheless, experiential and data-driven approaches are not yet adequately integrated into school systems. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of climate change education programs in enhancing awareness, understanding, and engagement among higher secondary school students in Kerala. The study used a random sampling method mixed with methodologies from all 14 districts. Between December 2023 and May 2024, data were collected from 240 government schools with weather stations, using a structured questionnaire that elicited responses from 1,514 students, and were supported by multivariate analysis. The findings identified three key dimensions: perceived climate change impacts and disaster experience, climate change awareness and education, and the influence of weather station data on student engagement. The perception levels among students with direct experience of the disaster were significantly higher than those of students with no exposure. The three components accounted for 31.48%, 21.89%, and 18.59% variance, respectively. Noticing changes in the weather (0.99), knowledge of the climate (0.96), and climate education (0.95) exhibited high factor loadings. Classroom use of weather station data was more effective in engaging students and helping them understand than informal use. The study concludes that incorporating localized climate data into the curriculum enhances students’ climate literacy. The need for improved monitoring infrastructure and technology-based education to support more effective climate education and sustainable youth participation is emphasized.

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