The complex relationship between carbon literacy and pro-environmental actions among engineering students
Sherry Ann Ram1, Heather L MacLean1,2,3, Deborah Tihanyi2,4
1University of Toronto, Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, 35 St George St, Toronto, ON, M8Z 3Y6, Canada.
Heliyon
|November 30, 2023
Summary
Understanding carbon footprints is key. While engineering students show awareness of high-impact actions, the link between carbon literacy and reduced emissions remains weak, especially for moderate and low-impact choices.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Climate Change Mitigation
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Lifestyle choices significantly influence per capita greenhouse gas emissions.
- Key contributors include transportation, diets, and residential energy use.
- The impact of carbon literacy on pro-environmental behavior and effective action prioritization is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between carbon literacy and pro-environmental actions.
- To assess greenhouse gas emission reduction strategies among undergraduate engineering students.
- To understand how awareness of action impact influences personal carbon footprints.
Main Methods:
- Survey administered to undergraduate engineering students at the University of Toronto.
- Assessed participants' carbon literacy regarding various pro-environmental actions.
- Calculated personal carbon footprints based on reported actions.
- Analyzed correlations between carbon literacy, perceived action impact, and actual carbon footprint.
Main Results:
- Participants' average carbon footprint was 4.8 tCO2, below national averages but above the global target.
- Carbon literacy was highest for high-impact actions (transportation, diet) and lower for air travel.
- Perceived high impact of an action correlated with lower associated carbon footprints, regardless of accuracy.
- A weak overall relationship was found between pro-environmental action and carbon literacy.
Conclusions:
- Carbon literacy has a slight negative correlation with personal carbon footprint for high-impact actions.
- For moderate and low-impact actions, a positive correlation exists between carbon literacy and personal carbon footprint.
- Awareness of action impact, even if inaccurate, can lead to reduced emissions for high-impact activities.
Related Concept Videos
01:16Potential-Energy Criterion for Equilibrium
550
Potential energy or potential function plays an essential role in determining the stability of a mechanical system. If a system is subjected to both gravitational and elastic forces, the potential function of the system can be expressed as the algebraic sum of gravitational and elastic potential energy. If the system is in equilibrium and is displaced by a small amount, then the work done on the system equals the negative of the change in the system's potential energy from the initial to...
550
01:17Rolling Resistance: Problem Solving
343
Rolling resistance, also known as rolling friction, is the force that resists the motion of a rolling object, such as a wheel, tire, or ball, when it moves over a surface. It is caused by the deformation of the object and the surface in contact with each other, as well as other factors like internal friction, hysteresis, and energy losses within the materials. Rolling resistance opposes the object's motion, requiring additional energy to overcome it and maintain movement. In practical...
343
01:14The Carbon Cycle
37.9K
Carbon is the basis of all organic matter on Earth, and is recycled through the ecosystem in two primary processes: one in which carbon is exchanged among living organisms, and one in which carbon is cycled over long periods of time through fossilized organic remains, weathering of rocks, and volcanic activity. Human activities, including increased agricultural practices and the burning of fossil fuels, has greatly affected the balance of the natural carbon cycle.
37.9K
01:21Dimensions of Health and Illness
7.4K
The factors influencing the health-illness continuum can be internal or external and may or may not be under conscious control. They are related to the following eight human dimensions, and each dimension is interrelated to one other.
7.4K
01:37Social Loafing
34.8K
Another way in which a group presence can affect performance is social loafing—the exertion of less effort by a person working together with a group. Social loafing occurs when our individual performance cannot be evaluated separately from the group. Thus, group performance declines on easy tasks (Karau & Williams, 1993). Essentially individual group members loaf and let other group members pick up the slack. Because each individual’s efforts cannot be evaluated,...
34.8K
01:06Thermodynamic Systems
5.1K
A thermodynamic system is a set of objects whose thermodynamic properties are of interest. The system is considered to be embedded in its surroundings or the environment. The system and its environment can exchange heat and do work on each other through a boundary that separates them. However, the immediate surroundings of the system interact with it directly and therefore have a much stronger influence on its behavior and properties.
Consider an example of tea boiling in a kettle. The...
Consider an example of tea boiling in a kettle. The...
5.1K