Awareness, media, and mitigation actions for climate change: a study among the students of higher education in Tripura

Abstract

Scientific research has revealed that global warming is getting irreversible with the passage of time and it is largely a human-induced phenomenon. India is one of the top three emitters of carbon dioxide in the world. However, the general public in India is unaware of what actually causes anthropogenic (human-induced) climate change. This study is undertaken to assess the level of climate change awareness and willingness to adopt mitigation actions by the students (N = 657) of higher education in Tripura, a small state in North East India, bordering Bangladesh on three sides. In addition, the study also attempts to draw whether there exist any correlations between the level of media usage with the level of climate change awareness and the level of climate change awareness with the level of willingness to adopt climate change mitigation actions. The results show that students of higher education in Tripura have a high level of climate change awareness, and the primary sources for climate change-related information are the Internet, TV, and newspapers. The scientists were the most trusted sources of climate change-related information followed by the mass media. The findings also establish that the students are willing to adopt climate change mitigation actions, even if it costs them something extra. The students who are willing (7.6%) and extremely willing (65.4%) to embrace climate change mitigation actions constituted more than 70% of the total respondents of the survey. The paper concludes that the level of willingness to adopt climate change mitigation actions was found to be significantly correlated with the level of awareness of the consequences of climate change when media are key actors in the dissemination of information; however, the level of understanding about solutions for climate change is not correlated with the level of awareness about the causes of climate change.

Keywords:

• Awareness
• climate change
• global warming
• mass media
• mitigation actions
• students of higher education
• Tripura

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Deepak Upadhyaya

Deepak Upadhyaya is an assistant professor at Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Tripura University, Tripura (India). He has completed his PhD in Mass Communication and Journalism from Tezpur University and specialisations include Advertising and Public Relations, Development Communication, International Communication, and Print Media.

Hashim Hamza Puthiyakath

Hashim Hamza Puthiyakath is a media researcher with a particular interest in the social and cultural implications of technology. He is specialised in studying the adoption and diffusion of digital media, with a focus on understanding how these technologies are transforming society and culture. His works provide a unique perspective on the ever-changing technological landscape, illuminate the dynamic ways in which technology and society interact and evolve, and provide a critical framework for understanding the impact of new media on individuals, communities, and society as a whole.

Sunil Kalai

Sunil Kalai is an assistant professor at Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Tripura University, Tripura (India). He completed MSc in Visual Communication and his specialisations include Television Production, Advertising, Principles of Mass Communication, and Media Management.

Manash P Goswami

Manash P Goswami works as an Associate Professor in the Department of Media and Communication, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur. He has published more than three dozen research papers and research articles in Scopus indexed journals. His research works primarily focuses on art, culture, traditions, cinema and new media. He regularly writes features for several leading newspapers, magazines and websites. In his writings, he usually presents kaleidoscopic views of the art, culture, traditions and values of India.