How College Students Respond to Climate Change in Troubled Times: Four Takeaways from Project Information Literacy’s Latest Study

Abstract

Information literacy educates individuals for life as free human beings who have the capacity to influence the world. But at a time where there is less agreement about what is true, what can be trusted, and where information has originated, it’s more challenging than ever for the public to reach consensus about how to respond to big, complex problems such as climate change.

How can students learn to take informed action when their ability to comprehend and respond to threats posed by the climate crisis is jeopardized by anxiety, frustration, and despair? How can librarians connect with students and faculty alike when the stakes are so high and society’s ability to confront the crisis seems so inadequate?