Honors Theses (Environmental Science)

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Browsing Honors Theses (Environmental Science) by Subject "uncertain futures"

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    Navigating the Climate Crisis - The Interconnection of Extreme Weather Events and Life Decisions
    (University of Oregon, 2024-05) Rosa-O'Hayer, Lyric
    The climate crisis is no secret, and extreme weather events - a clear, visual manifestation of the climate crisis - are known to bring destruction in their wake. However, it is unclear how extensive of an impact they have on people. This research aims to answer the questions; how has the presence or experience of extreme weather events influenced college student's mental health and life decisions? Does this experience have a bigger impact than their knowledge of climate change? To answer this, a series of surveys (45 responses) and in-depth interviews (11) with environmental studies college students in Oregon was conducted, asking about their knowledge of climate change, experience with extreme weather events, feelings of climate anxiety, and how these impact their life decisions. Life decisions include but are not limited to whether to have kids, where to live, what to study, and career choice. Overall respondents expressed their belief in climate change and its impact on the severity of extreme weather events, and this knowledge impacted their politics, where to live, and what to study. This also led to the finding that experiencing exti·eme weather events can impact life decisions and mental health, but there are vaiying degrees of impact depending on the severity of the event, dictated by class status and knowledge of climate change. With this knowledge, there is the opportunity to advocate for better policies and initiatives ai·ound resources for post-exti·eme weather event care, as well as increased attention to preventative methods.