Journal of Earth & Environmental Waste Management
ISSN: 3065-8799 | DOI: 10.64030/3065-8799
Rifat Hasan Rabbi
The undergraduate students' knowledge, perception, and practices regarding climate change in the Department of Agricultural Science at Daffodil International University, Bangladesh, were studied. In total, 150 students were surveyed in a cross-sectional study using a structured questionnaire. This paper will highlight the level of understanding that the students have with regard to causes, impacts, and mitigation strategies related to climate change, and their involvement in climate- friendly practices. Results show a high overall awareness of 86% on climate change, while 80.67% perceive manifestations within their communities. Students also showed good knowledge in the causes of climate change, with the burning of fossil fuel at 68.6% and deforestation at 68.0% being the most mentioned causes. On the impact, sea-level rise at 78.6% is most identified, closely followed by desertification at 78.0%. These are practical mitigation measures, and the response was very overwhelming for: reduction of industrial pollution with 82% agreeing, adoption of renewable energy with 81.3% agreeing. The analysis of climate-friendly practices indicated that the highest engagement in tree planting stood at 82.6%, while water conservation was at 82%. There is a weak positive correlation between knowledge about climate change and mitigation practices, as the correlation coefficient was very small (r = 0.057, p = 0.495), signifying that with more knowledge, more action is not necessarily taken. Chi-square tests indicated no statistically significant associations of gender or academic level with knowledge of climate change.