Conversar con jóvenes: el impacto de las emociones que surgen con el tema del cambio climático como guía para la educación ambiental

This paper describes and analyzes the impact of the emotions generated by climate change in students from various majors at the University of Costa Rica, Guápiles Campus and how these influence their decision to take action about that. A qualitative methodology was used, including 234 surveys using single random sampling, exploratory sessions, and discussions to identify emotions related to climate change. The findings showed that youths experience emotions, such as fear, anguish, and despair, but these do not lead to apathy. On the other hand, students strongly desire to learn and act by raising questions about how to mitigate the problem and the effectiveness of their individual actions against emissions from large corporations. It is concluded that it is essential to include emotional responses in climate change education instead of trying to generate hope artificially. It is recommended to create action agendas tailored to different sectors, addressing mitigation, adaptation, and climate justice, emphasizing the need for collaboration between local and international efforts to tackle this global challenge.