Coping with Climate Change: Exploring Key Predictors

Abstract

Recent times have seen the occurrence of severe weather events at much higher rates with ever-increasing severity. These severe weather events have been attributed to global climate change. Thus, the climate change phenomenon is now a reality and poses a significant threat to society. Therefore, necessitating effective coping strategies. Motivated by Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour, this study examines the determinacy of attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, concern about climate change, and observed climate change, towards an individual’s ability to cope with climate change. Also, the study investigates involvement with environmental organisations for moderating effect. The online survey was distributed to university students, a group with some climate change knowledge, and a total of 160 responses were collected. Results indicate that concern about climate change, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control significantly influence their ability to cope with climate change. However, attitude towards climate change and having observed climate change did not emerge as significant predictors. Furthermore, the involvement of environmental organizations has a moderating effect on the relationship between the predictors and coping abilities. This suggests that environmental activism may amplify the impact of certain predictors on coping capabilities. This study advances our understanding of individual reactions to climate change by identifying the factors that influence coping ability. The findings lead to potential initiatives to improve our capacities to address the effects of climate change and develop community resilience. These findings have consequences for policymakers, researchers, and environmentalists who want to encourage good coping techniques and increase society's climate resilience.