Assessing Awareness and Attitudes of Emergency and Disaster Management Students Regarding Climate Change and Environmental Issues

Abstract

Technological progress and human activities are causing damage to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, leading to environmental problems such as rising air temperatures, melting glaciers, heavy rainfall, and droughts. Therefore, it is necessary to raise awareness of climate change and to understand how nature can be protected. This study examined the attitudes and behaviors of emergency and disaster management students regarding climate change and environmental issues. Awareness of these issues is of great importance for future disaster managers, who will need to address their consequences directly in professional practice. A total of 112 students from the department of emergency and disaster management at the Beyşehir Ali Akkanat University of Applied Sciences, part of Selçuk University, took part in the study. The quantitative data was collected through face-to-face interviews using a questionnaire. The students’ responses were analyzed using a Pearson correlation analysis. The results showed that the students’ awareness of the link between the causes and consequences of climate change was statistically significant. However, no significant correlation was found between the students’ general attitude towards environmental issues and their overall perception of climate change.