Research reveals how the Unicamp community views climate change.

The questionnaire was answered by 1.258 people, including teachers, students, researchers and technical-administrative staff.

Research reveals how the Unicamp community views climate change.

The questionnaire was answered by 1.258 people, including teachers, students, researchers and technical-administrative staff.

A survey conducted with the Unicamp community recorded these people's perceptions of climate change, in addition to investigating the role attributed to the University in confronting the crisis. Among professors, undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, technical-administrative staff and collaborating professors, 1.258 individuals responded to the questionnaire between October and December 2024. According to the results obtained, 95,8% of the participants foresee the worsening of the scenario in the coming years, 76,3% say it is possible to combat it and 72,4% are interested in participating in the endeavor. The survey also investigated the effect of the climate emergency on mental health, showing that most people (51,8%) associate this crisis with episodes of psychological distress.

Entitled “The Perception of the Unicamp Community on Climate Change and the Role of the University,” the research is the result of an initiative by three professors – Gabriela Celani, from the School of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Urbanism (Fecfau), Neri de Barros Almeida, from the History Department of the Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences (IFCH), and Sandro Tonso, from the School of Technology (FT). Members of the Advisory Committee on Ecological Change and Environmental Justice (Cameja) – an entity associated with the University’s Executive Board of Human Rights (DEDH) – the three invited Professor Milena Serafim, a specialist in science and technology policy and current director of the School of Applied Sciences (FCA), to participate in the project. Denis Alves, a graduate student in the Department of Science and Technology Policy of the Institute of Geosciences (IG), also joined the group.

The main purpose of the initiative is to support Unicamp managers in addressing issues related to the climate emergency and in addressing issues that touch on this crisis. The data collected and the analyses performed can now be used in different tasks, such as directing institutional resources and creating policies focused on teaching, research, university outreach and university management. “By measuring community perception, we seek to identify how these phenomena and their impacts are perceived in order to determine in which areas the University should focus more efforts,” said Serafim.

The questionnaire, developed from models created by the University of Brasília (UnB) and the North American institutions Princeton University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), also included contributions from researchers Luiz Marques, collaborating professor in the Department of History at IFCH and author of the book Capitalism and Environmental Collapse , and Tania Maron, coordinator of the mental health promotion area of ​​the Executive Directorate for Student Support and Retention (Deape) at Unicamp.

Based on the analysis of the data, the researchers outlined three profiles of respondents, each with different perceptions of the situation, explained Alves. The largest group, called moderate, includes those who believe that the crisis can be overcome, but understand that there are obstacles in the way. “The second profile, called institutionalist, includes those who truly believe that governments, companies and other institutions have the power to solve the problem, as well as the time to complete the challenge. Those who fit the skeptical profile think that there is no more chance of taking action – at the University, they are a minority,” said the doctoral student.

The next step, to prepare a report for the Unicamp Rectorate, will involve presenting recommendations regarding monitoring of the university community. The group hopes to transform the research into a systematized process so that there is continuous monitoring of how people view the topics investigated. “The ideal would be for all public universities to carry out this monitoring and have an environment for processing the data online. These institutions will be increasingly impacted by climate change both because science will be increasingly required by this crisis and because an in-depth view of the issue will be more demanded of their graduates, as professionals and citizens,” Almeida noted.

Rethinking teaching

Participation in the survey varied significantly among the different segments of the university community. The engagement of professors and technical-administrative staff exceeded the expectations of the organizers, reaching 13% and 9% respectively. On the other hand, participation was considerably low among undergraduate (0,5%) and graduate (1,2%) students. “This contrasts sharply with other surveys according to which the age group most concerned about climate change is precisely that of our students, especially undergraduates,” stated Celani. For Almeida, the lack of interest among students is worrying. “The data show that the University needs to motivate its members more to understand the problem and its solutions.”

Although the survey reveals a community with a broad understanding of climate challenges and awareness of Unicamp’s responsibility in this matter, less than 33% of respondents turn to the University for training in the area and information on the subject. According to Tonso, this finding serves as a warning for the need for the institution to rethink its approach to the climate crisis in all its spheres, especially in education. “This survey highlights our responsibility. It is time for all Unicamp courses, especially undergraduate courses, to include climate issues in their programs. This is particularly urgent in undergraduate courses,” he said.

The interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary approach to climate change is a consensus among professors, who advocate its adoption in the four dimensions of the institution – teaching, research, university extension and management. “It is the role of the University to promote teaching and learning processes – formal and informal – that are based on cross-disciplinarity”, emphasized Serafim. “It is not possible to produce the vision needed to face the socio-environmental and climate crisis without a systematic policy. If we do not mix engineers with sociologists, artists with doctors, we will not provide adequate conditions for these people to face a challenge that is not only a physical challenge, but also a political, economic, social and cultural problem”, concluded the architect.