Factors shaping students' perception of climate change in the western Himalayas, Jammu & Kashmir, India

The Himalayas are considered highly vulnerable to climate change, and hence making adaptation strategies for the area to cope with the effects of climate change is crucial. These strategies should be developed and implemented with grassroots participation at local to regional levels. For informed participation, the local inhabitants need to be conscious of climate change and its implications. Hence, we explored the level of awareness among school students and their participation in actions and advocacy concerning climate change. We assumed that in Rajouri, being a small city with traditional values and worldview, the students' responses would largely reflect that of their immediate surroundings. We examined the variations in the responses of the students with respect to the type of schools (private versus public), location (urban versus rural), education level (secondary versus higher secondary), and gender. A questionnaire survey on awareness, advocacy, and action received 717 responses, of which 27% showed high awareness of climate change, 60% were highly proactive to advocacy and 88% were willing to be involved in actions concerning their environment. However, students who were found to be aware of climate change through the formal education system were not involved in adaptation and mitigation actions. We assume that no direct or indirect involvement possibly indicates a need of motivation in the curricular system. Hence suggest more attention be given to climate change in formal education with appropriate changes in curricula and pedagogy, with opportunity for hands-on exposure, to inspire the students to be more proactive in adaptation and mitigation efforts. That would facilitate the future generation to take active participation in developing appropriate adaptation strategies towards climate change. •We explored climate change awareness among school students and their participation in advocacy and actions in J&K, India.•Results revealed a high level of awareness among students and their willingness to involve in climate-friendly activities.•Students largely were not engaged in climate-friendly activities indicating poor practical exposure in curricula.•We suggest including hands-on exposure to climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts through formal education.