Envisioning preferred environmental futures: exploring relationships between future-related views and environmental attitudes

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to explore undergraduate students’ views about environmental futures that are preferred or desirable for them, and to further examine relationships between specific future-related views and general environmental attitudes. 96 students from one reputable public university in Taiwan participated in a survey that included a draw-and-explain task and a questionnaire. The analysis of students’ drawings and annotations revealed a number of topics that characterised their preferred environmental futures; green technology and elements of natural environment were the most prominent topics. Correlations revealed that (1) students who believe that their preferred environmental futures will happen tend to hold a positive view about techno-science as an influencing factor; (2) students who are more positive about techno-science tend to be less concerned about the environment. These findings re-emphasise the need for environmental and science teaching to integrate a critical futures perspective that aims to help students move away from technological fatalism and simply adjusting to the future towards a deeper understanding of sustainable futures and a sense of empowerment.