Climate Change and the Green New Deal: Diverse Perspectives Surrounding Climate Justice in Connecticut

Keywords: climate justice, climate justice movement, Green New Deal, sustainability, climate crisis
Session Type: Virtual Guided Poster
Day: Thursday
Session Start / End Time: 4/8/2021 04:40 PM (Pacific Time (US & Canada)) - 4/8/2021 05:55 PM (Pacific Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 53

Abstract

The climate justice movement is continuously expanding its reach, as newfound information on the climate crisis is becoming part of mainstream discourse. This increase in grassroots organization is certain to have profound impacts on individual perspectives towards sustainability. This paper presents research from questionnaires collected from university students in Connecticut that identify attitudes towards the Green New Deal and how this shapes responses to the climate justice movement and signifies the diversity of perspectives on climate justice. Specifically, this paper explores the implications of this research for the implementation of environmental policy, as a general understanding of individual reactions to the climate justice movement will undoubtedly disclose possibilities for government implementations of sustainability. Research findings indicate a variety of perspectives that reveal untapped potential for a multitude of climate justice solutions. These results lay the groundwork for community-based, citizen-approved solutions that recognize the importance of public opinion. This research identifies how these shifts in attitudes could spill over to individual sustainability actions and potential increasing support for the Green New Deal. Understanding how climate justice activism since 2018 has become one of the largest environmental social movements in history and has shaped individual outlooks will be the leading step in transforming widespread fossil fuel dependency into a sustainable and equitable future for all.