Students’ Perception on Causes and Consequences of Climate Change in Public Universities of Ethiopia

  • Arega Bazezew Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Bahir-Dar University, Ethiopia
  • Mulugeta Neka Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Bahir-Dar University, Ethiopia
  • Meherte Belay Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Bahir-Dar University, Ethiopia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.20372/ejss.v5i2.318
Keywords: Climate variability, Information sources, Causes, Consequences, Solutions, Ethiopia

Abstract

Climate change is impacting socioeconomic and biophysical environments at both Global and local scales. This paper presents the results of the assessment study of student perception on the information sources, occurrences, causes, impacts and solutions of climate change in the public universities of Ethiopia. A questionnaire survey was conducted on a total of 357 university students attending undergraduate and postgraduate courses to generate the required data. The data gathered in this way was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results indicated that over 57% of the students get climate change information from different sources. The main climate change information sources identified by the students include television, radio, friends, internet, government reports and school teachers. Among these, teachers are the major (82%) of the studied students. Over 60% of the students reported that they do not have sufficient knowledge about climate change. Giving special concern to climate change information, obeying the laws of nature, limited interference in nature, developing awareness among the public and adopting safe industrial environments are suggested solutions to minimize the hazards of climate change. It is suggested that state agencies should design ways to deliver climate information to the wider public so as to develop awareness on the causes and consequences of climate change among the public. Local agencies and land users need also to adhere with the natural laws and adapt proper interferences in the local natural environment.

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Published
2020-02-27
How to Cite
Bazezew, A., Neka, M., & Belay, M. (2020). Students’ Perception on Causes and Consequences of Climate Change in Public Universities of Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.20372/ejss.v5i2.318
Issue
Vol. 5 No. 2 (2019)
Section
Articles

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