Environmental Education of Students Pursuing Higher Education: Probing on Climate Change Awareness

Several studies argued that the inclination of individuals to participate in activities aiming at environmental conservation emanates from their degree of awareness of the existing problem. Hence, this study examined the level of awareness of students of Batanes State College, Philippines, towards climate change and compare their knowledge to the individual backgrounds. The researchers used a survey questionnaire as the primary tool for gathering data. Mean and percentage were used to describe the profile of the respondents and their awareness of climate change while Chi-Square Test was used to determine the significant difference in the awareness of the respondents in terms of their profile. The results showed that the students demonstrated a moderate level of awareness of the occurrences, causes and consequences of climate change. When compared against their personal backgrounds, the result revealed that there is no significant difference in their level of climate change awareness. This moderate level of awareness towards climate change, despite the harsh weather conditions frequently experienced in Batanes, calls for intensifying the school’s efforts in raising awareness of the occurrence, consequences, and causes of climate change. Consequently, these actions will eventually improve the attitude and behaviour of the students to take active participation in the protection of the environment.