Around 200 DCG students, from Broomfield Hall, the Roundhouse, and the Joseph Wright Centre, expressed their feelings about climate change at the Climate Cafes.
The key findings were that 87% of students expressed a negative emotion towards climate change and 22% of students feel eco-anxious.
Mollie Cox (pictured), Environmental and Sustainability Officer for Derby College, commented: “It was really good to hear the views of the DCG students on climate change, although many showed they are very concerned.
“They clearly demonstrated a keen interest in the subject and also many proposed potential solutions to the problem.”
The Climate Cafes were ran in the college soon after The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 28, was held to bring the world together to agree on ways to address the climate crisis.
Students’ sentiments were reflected recently, in the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) published report that detailed children and young people’s first-hand experiences and understanding of climate change, revealing a staggering rise in eco-anxiety among younger generations.
The survey results showed that 49% of UK participants aged 16 to 25 were either very worried or extremely worried about climate change and globally, 75% of international respondents in the same survey considered the future frightening.
