By Emma Miller

A few weeks ago, I walked out of my class in Knapp Hall in a pair of jeans and said out loud “wow I wish I wore shorts!” Not even our sheltered bubble on the hill can blind us to the paralyzing reality of global warming. Surely our liberal arts education has allowed us to at least believe it’s real, but how much do Denisonians care about the topic?

127 collected climate-related opinion data in its October 2024 poll, which focused on students’ concerns about climate change and their general knowledge of environmental issues. Participants were asked about their views on climate change as an urgent issue, as well as their understanding of climate action on campus and familiarity with related terminology.

As shown in my previous findings of 127’s results, Denison students see climate change as the biggest foreign policy issue facing the U.S. right now, far more than any other concern. When asked to rate their level of concern about climate change on a scale from 0 to 10 (where 0 is not concerned at all and 10 is extremely concerned), the plurality chose a 10.

Phew, I’m glad I’m not the only one who finds it a bit unsettling to be able to wear a t-shirt during our walk to A-Quad in February! It’s good that we’re all aware of the obvious, but how much do we truly know about the concepts driving the conversation?

The figure below reports how aware students report being about three terms common in discussion about environmental progress. Majorities know what carbon neutrality, net zero, and geothermal energy mean and have heard the term in use, but that leaves serious minorities who perhaps have heard of them, but don’t know what they mean.

For the most part, our Denison education has paid off…most of us have a solid grasp of basic climate-related terminology. Our education may be even shaping our understanding of the issue. Students who not only recognize the term carbon neutral but also understand its meaning tend to see climate change as a much bigger threat compared to those who don’t know the meaning. In fact, they’re significantly more likely to be concerned than those who haven’t even heard of the term at all.

Though, while most students are clearly worried about climate change, the same level of concern may not translate when it comes to solutions on campus. When asked about how much Denisonians care about Denison’s environmental sustainability or our recycling efforts (0=not at all concerned, 10=greatly concerned), many students were slightly less worried.

While nearly 90% of students rated their concern about climate change as a 5 or higher, less than 75% felt the same way about sustainability or recycling on campus. In fact, about 1 in 10 students don’t view recycling or Denison’s environmental sustainability efforts as generally important at all.

Even more striking, many students who consider climate change a top issue aren’t familiar with the campus climate initiatives currently in place, or those that could soon be implemented. When participants were asked if they have heard of potential initiatives on campus, the majority responded with “no” to every question.

I asked Bianca Drouin, a senior Environmental Science major at Denison, about these initiatives and why she thought students are so unaware of them. “People would have to seek it out,” she said, noting that many students, especially those less engaged with environmental issues, might miss these efforts. While the university has made strides in sustainability, such as its partnership with Evergreen, solar arrays, and LEED lighting, much of this information isn’t widely shared with students.

Climate change is an unavoidable, daunting reality that looms over us. But change doesn’t come from hope alone; it requires action from all of us, and it must start here on campus.

Emma Miller is a senior at Denison, spending most of her time trying to pass her Hip Hop 101 class. You can often find her in the Thorson Dance Studio, room 271 in Eisner, practicing break dance moves.