As teachers face barriers to communicating climate science, new ways of communicating and teaching are needed. This study explored new ways to educate about climate change while addressing the literature gap for how sound can communicate information about climate change and be used to increase learning and engagement. The purpose was to learn to…

Climate change is a pressing global issue that has a short window for action and mitigation. In this study, I utilized protection motivation theory (PMT) to examine relationships among tertiary-level instructors' perceptions of climate change risks and their inclusion of climate change education (CCE) in their curricula. The purpose of this study…

The threat of climate change makes it increasingly important for biologists and the public to understand how organisms respond to temperature. The Metabolic Theory of Ecology (MTE) predicts that temperature should affect organism performance, with implications for species interactions and ecosystems that span disciplines including mathematics,…

The Climate Crisis is an urgent and inescapable reality students are thrust into. Learners must be prepared adequately for their futures, not only for their sakes but also because collective and transformative change is required. Transformative sustainability education provides one pathway to this transformation and focuses on radically altering…

Climate change is a defining challenge that is impacting the globe, associated with harsher weather, increasing temperatures, and increased landfills. The problem addressed in this dissertation research study is understanding how to engage individuals to adopt environmental attitudes. Environmental education is known to support…

The purpose of this exploratory collective case study is to understand how climate change education can meet the learning needs of emergency management professionals to prepare and adapt to the impacts of climate change on communities throughout the United States. The primary research question guiding the study was: How do emergency managers…

Anthropogenic climate change and recreational use of coral reefs has led to the degradation of essential ecosystems globally. Over half of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed causing a loss in biodiversity due to overfishing, sea level rise, intensifying storm activity, and habitat destruction from human activity, making reefs one of the…

The Sonoran Desert is a magical place full of beauty and wonder. With an increase each year in the number of new families calling Arizona their home, so also comes an increase in pre-conceived notions of the dangers of the Sonoran Desert. Dangers such as plants, animals, and weather conditions can cause fears in families. Though these fears are…

Despite the acceleration of climate change, figuring out ways to productively talk about it remains difficult in some places. So where do we begin? As rhetoricians, we believe that studying discourse provides insight. Herndl and Brown describe environmental discourse as a historically developed cultural form maintained by rhetorical activity (9).…

Community colleges serve an access mission built on affordable tuition and an open-door admissions policy and deliver support to students and communities by providing post-secondary education, credentials, and workforce training. Several student groups, including first-generation and low-income students, find community colleges as a viable, and…

Although 70% of Americans accept the reality of climate change (Leiserowitz et al., 2021), a lack of concerted societal action has not yet moved the issue to the top tier of the political agenda. This apparent "value-action gap" has been ascribed to, among other factors, maladaptive emotions in response to climate change's threat that…

Giant kelp ("Macrocystis pyrifera") forests are icons of marine beauty, acting as critical marine ecosystems with great ecological and economic value. Kelp forests are hot spots for biodiversity and provide myriad ecosystem services such as nursery habitat for commercial fisheries, nutrient cycling, wave attenuation, as well as…

Scientists have warned about climate change since the 1950's. Anthropomorphic conditions, such as patterns of personal consumption, have amplified the impacts of climatic shifts. Educational campaigns that promote sustainable consumption could potentially mitigate the environmental impacts of overconsumption. While this pattern seems to be…

One way to engage in career exploration and gain expertise in a specific field is through a college education. Some studies have sought to discuss the external factors that play a role in a student's career decision making prior to and after entering college, but none of these studies discuss the role a social movement plays in a college student's…

Global climate change (GCC) presents unprecedented global concerns, notably food supply limitations, unsustainable use of natural resources, and widespread environmental degradation. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports a 0.85 °C increase in global average temperatures between 1880 and 2018 and a 50% increase in global carbon…