#GLOBALEE CASE STUDY
Raising Awareness, Changing Attitudes and Behaviors on Climate Change Among Catholic Latinos in a Catholic Church Community thru Environmental Education
A lack of knowledge and awareness about climate change contributes to low levels of personal involvement and commitment to mitigating its effects. To address this issue, an environmental education project was developed within a New York City Catholic Church, The Church of the Ascension. This initiative aimed to educate and engage Catholic Spanish-speaking Latino immigrants in understanding climate change and taking meaningful action to combat it.
The project utilized multiple forms of participation—embodied learning, socially situated learning, and action learning—to ensure effective engagement. To build trust, the program incorporated key figures such as a Catholic priest, an environmental professional from the NYC Department of Environmental Conservation, and an environmentalist from the Global Catholic Climate Movement. The content was derived from two primary sources: Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ and the Bible, providing both theological and scientific perspectives on environmental stewardship.
Overview of Climate Change
Over the past sixty years, scientific research has consistently demonstrated that Earth’s temperature is rising at an unprecedented rate due to human activity. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2014) states:
"Human influence on the climate system is clear, and recent anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases are the highest in history. Recent climate changes have had widespread impacts on human and natural systems."
Human-induced climate change has led to severe environmental consequences, including the melting of polar ice caps, stronger and more frequent hurricanes, prolonged droughts, catastrophic flooding, rising sea levels, and shifts in seasonal temperatures and precipitation patterns (IPCC, 2014). If carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are not reduced by at least 40–70% from current levels, human civilization, as we know it, is at risk of collapse.
Despite the scientific consensus and the urgency of the problem, public engagement remains insufficient. A study by the Pew Research Center (2015) titled Climate Change Seen as Top Global Threat found that only 42% of people in the U.S. and Europe consider climate change to be the most significant global threat. This lack of concern is largely due to psychological barriers, insufficient education, and a limited understanding of individual carbon footprints.
Recognizing these challenges, this project sought to foster local engagement by changing attitudes and behaviors within the Latino Catholic community. The initiative encouraged participants to reduce fossil fuel consumption, recycle, and raise awareness about climate change within their families. Additionally, the program motivated individuals to join or establish local organizations advocating for environmental protection. The project was structured around three key disciplines: Non-Formal-Transformative Environmental Education, Environmental Communication, and Environmental Psychology.
Non-Formal and Transformative Environmental Education
The project employed a non-formal environmental education framework, incorporating five essential components:
- Raising Awareness – Educating participants about the existence and causes of climate change.
- Transmitting Knowledge – Providing scientific and theological insights to deepen understanding.
- Building Skills – Teaching practical methods for identifying and addressing environmental problems.
- Fostering Positive Attitudes – Encouraging concern and responsibility for environmental stewardship.
- Motivating Action – Inspiring community engagement in environmental initiatives.
A transformative environmental education approach was adopted, emphasizing ethics, values, empathy, and care. Participants were encouraged to view environmental responsibility as an integral part of their Catholic faith, urging them to make sustainable lifestyle changes and become advocates for ecological conservation.
Environmental Communication
Effective communication was a cornerstone of this project, ensuring that messages resonated with the target audience—Catholic Latino immigrants. By leveraging trusted figures such as priests, Catholic environmental educators, and a professional from the NYC Department of Environmental Conservation, the program fostered credibility and engagement.
Through sermons, interactive discussions, and workshops, participants were presented with relatable narratives that linked climate change to their daily lives, faith, and community well-being. This strategic communication approach reinforced the moral and practical imperatives of environmental stewardship.
Environmental Psychology: Minding the Self
To foster behavioral change, the project utilized principles from environmental psychology, particularly the "minding the self" perspective. Rather than framing climate change as a distant, abstract issue, it was presented in a positive light, emphasizing its connection to faith and personal well-being. Participants were encouraged to see nature as a divine gift that nourishes both the soul and body, reinforcing their commitment to protecting it.
Approach
The project’s objectives were as follows:
- Raise Awareness – Highlight the causes and consequences of climate change.
- Disseminate Knowledge – Educate participants on how human activities contribute to climate change.
- Develop Skills – Equip participants with tools to identify and address environmental challenges.
- Promote Positive Attitudes – Cultivate concern for ecological well-being based on faith-based and scientific principles.
- Encourage Participation – Inspire community involvement in environmental advocacy and initiatives.
A transformative learning approach was employed, integrating emotional and spiritual elements. Preaching and prayers emphasized the theological responsibility of caring for God’s creation. Participants were then introduced to scientific data and the current state of climate change using Laudato Si’ and empirical research.
Climate change communication strategies were applied, particularly in framing environmental issues through the lenses of public health and economic justice. Additionally, the concept of environmental governance was explored, with an emphasis on the different levels of community participation. The training concluded with practical guidance on how participants could take direct action to protect the environment.
The Catholic Church’s Role in Environmental Stewardship
The Catholic Church has long addressed environmental issues through its doctrine of Catholic Social Teaching, which examines themes such as poverty, economic justice, and social responsibility. Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si’, marked a significant milestone in the Church’s environmental advocacy. This document urges individuals, governments, businesses, and global organizations to recognize their moral obligation to care for the planet and take decisive action against climate change.
Outcomes and Impact
The project yielded significant positive outcomes:
- Behavioral Commitment – Participants expressed a strong commitment to adopting environmentally friendly behaviors, such as recycling and using energy-efficient lighting.
- Community Mobilization – A local environmental action group was formed to sustain long-term engagement.
- Increased Awareness – A pre- and post-training survey revealed that while 95% of participants had a basic understanding of climate change beforehand, their knowledge and motivation to take action significantly increased after the training.
- Enhanced Participation – Every participant expressed willingness to join a community effort or environmental initiative.
This project effectively addressed climate change from a grassroots perspective, empowering a historically underrepresented community to become active participants in environmental conservation. By integrating faith-based teachings with scientific knowledge, the initiative successfully cultivated a sense of responsibility and urgency, ultimately contributing to the global fight against climate change.
Conclusion
Reflections and Lessons Learned
This experience was incredibly valuable. Bringing together members of our faith community to discuss climate change had a profound impact, sparking interest beyond our parish—other churches are now seeking our guidance to implement similar initiatives.
One of the most significant aspects of this project was framing climate change and environmental responsibility from a faith-based perspective. This approach resonated deeply with the audience, reinforcing the moral and spiritual duty to care for God's creation. It also inspired leadership within our parish, with our pastor now actively exploring ways to involve more members and implement sustainable practices to reduce the church’s carbon footprint.
Moving forward, I believe that conducting this environmental education project in a natural setting—surrounded by trees, birds, animals, or rivers—would enhance the experience even further. Immersing participants in nature would create a stronger emotional and spiritual connection, reinforcing the urgency and importance of environmental stewardship.
Anexo
Knowledge Questionnaire
References
Cooper, S. (n.d.). Jack Mezirow: Transformative learning. Life Circles. Retrieved from http://www.lifecircles-inc.com/Learningtheories/humanist/mezirow.html
Francis, P. (2015). Laudato Si’. Vatican. Retrieved from http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-Laudato-si.html
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (2014). Summary for policymakers. In Climate change 2014: Impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. Part A: Global and sectoral aspects (pp. 1–32). Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Retrieved from http://www.ipcc.ch/
Læssøe, J. (2016). Participation [Video lecture]. Canvas. Retrieved from https://canvas.instructure.com/courses/989200/pages/f-participation?module_item_id=8492086
Maibach, E. W., Roser-Renouf, C., & Leiserowitz, A. (2010). Reframing climate change as a public health issue: An exploratory study of public reactions. BMC Public Health, 10, 299. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-10-299
Monroe, M. C., & Krasny, M. E. (Eds.). (2015). Across the spectrum: Resources for environmental educators. North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). Retrieved from https://naaee.org/sites/default/files/eepro/resource/files/acrossthespectrum_su15_final_spreads.pdf
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. (2015). Overview of the encyclical Laudato Si’. Vatican News. Retrieved from http://www.news.va/en/news/overview-of-the-encyclical-laudato-si
Pew Research Center. (2015, July). Climate change seen as top global threat. Retrieved from http://www.pewglobal.org/files/2015/07/Pew-Research-Center-Global-Threats-Report-FINAL-July-14-2015.pdf
Stern, M. J., & Coleman, K. J. (2015). The multi-dimensionality of trust: Applications in collaborative natural resource management. Society & Natural Resources, 28(2), 117–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2014.945062
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