Climate Change in Secondary Education: The Social Representation of Portuguese Students

Various United Nations agencies emphasize the crucial role of education in addressing the climate challenge, as it plays a key function in promoting a nuanced understanding of the issue, facilitating the adoption of adaptation and mitigation measures. This study focuses on unraveling how secondary education students in Portugal (N = 141) conceptualize climate change and it examines the potential impact of education on shaping their perceptions, utilizing the free association technique. The findings reveal that students perceive climate change as a global environmental concern, closely tied to meteorological phenomena, with identified risks and threats predominantly affecting the bio-sphere. The students' academic background appears to influence specific aspects of their representation, and the analysis identifies social, cultural, and political factors at play that shape their perspectives.