Navigating the Climate Crisis - The Interconnection of Extreme Weather Events and Life Decisions
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Date
2024-05
Authors
Rosa-O'Hayer, Lyric
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
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.
Description
49 pages
Keywords
extreme weather events, climate crisis, climate anxiety, life decisions, class status, politics, area of study, norms of attention, norms of conversation, norms of emotion, uncertain futures