Patterns In Household-level Engagement With Climate Change

Since the 1970 s, global climate became warming and the public, scientific community and governments became more and more focused on global environmental issues. The climate of China become warming along with the world’s climate change. IPCC report shows that the impact of human activities on climate change cannot be ignored, while the main cause of climate warming is carbon emission. In recent years, percentage of domestic carbon emission on total carbon emission was rising. Researches on recognition of climate change and carbon emission in units of family, refers to exploration of the recognition level of public on climate change and carbon emission, the sense of responsibility and coping behavior under severe climate change situation.This research took the northern agro-pastoral zone, an important energy area of China with cultural diversity, industrial diversity and energy utilization diversity as an example. We investigated 698 families in this area with different backgrounds using questionnaires, obtained responses on patterns of consciousness and coping behavior in household-level. Tables and figures were used to illustrate the consciousness and behavior differences among people with different backgrounds. Chi-square test was used for significance test. This research also clarified public consciousness on carbon emission, and provided suggestions on practical climate policy and comprehensive institutional system establishment which should keep pace with the times. It shows important significance on coping with climate change.The main conclusions are as follows:(1) The overall performance of coping with climate change at household-level in northern agro-pastoral zone showed a high awareness of climate change. Although the action rate is lower than awareness rate, but also more than half.(2) However, some new words related to climate change like “carbon emission”, “CO? emission reduction” and “low-carbon life” were poorly grasped by people. Most people have limited sense of carbon emission reduction and they have no sense that their family lives take a great part of the total carbon emission. They do not link carbon emission with themselves and make little effort to emit less carbon.With regard to factors that affect public recognition on climate change, gender and area have no significant effect. But education, industry, job, urban and rural background have significant effect on public recognition on climate change, especially present highly significant differences in the same factor but different levels. Compared with social welfare, economy, culture and individual development, surveys on immigrant intent showed that climate would not be the control factor that affect whether people will immigrant.(3) For the above conclusions, this paper presents a number of recommendations to guide policy, advocacy, education and management. Initially, shift the highlight of climate policy from raising awareness to promote policy system of family participating action. Besides, due to the fact that public often confuse climate change with environmental issue, the state should continue updating publicity and education, namely establish he education system that adapting the present climate change trend which should keep pace with the times, rather than simply advertize knowledge of environmental protection.