ASSESSING CLIMATE CHANGE AWARENESS AND MITIGATION KNOWLEDGE AMONG UNDERGRADUATES IN PUBLIC TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study assessed the level, factors, sources and channels of information of sentience of Climate Change (CC) on undergraduates in public tertiary institutions in Oyo State, Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design was adopted; a purposive sampling strategy was used to select 350 respondents from four tertiary institutions. Analysis involved descriptive statistics, frequency counts, graphs, mean rating and cross-tabulation. 175 male and 63 female undergraduates were aware about rise in temperature, 168 male and 68 female undergraduates noticed change in the pattern of rainfall. On general note, 181 male 58 female undergraduates reported that the climate is changing, 172 male and 62 female undergraduates were conscious of the adverse effects of CC. Surprisingly, 88 male and 27 female undergraduates were not aware of mitigation measures of CC. Personal experience, public source and general education influenced the level of undergraduates’ awareness about CC.The commonest information sources were: their lecturer, document, book, mate, internet site, telephone, journal, pamphlet and television. It was recommended that there should be clear information, students should be well-informed and there should be intensification and inclusion of CC education in schools’ curricula. Resuscitation and setting up of geographical gardens in schools, training and re-training of teachers and residents should be conscious of adverse effects of CC