First-time voters in Maharashtra consider climate action a key poll issue

Climate action ranks as the secondmost crucial factor influencing the choice of political candidates or parties among firsttime voters in Maharashtra according to a recent surveyThe survey titled Perception of FirstTime Voters aged 1822 years on Climate Education in India revealed that 522 per cent of respondents advocate for climate education as the governments most effective strategy to combat the climate crisis A significant portion of participants expressed a need for more comprehensive climate education to bridge the gap between awareness and actionable knowledgeThe survey was conducted in a collaboration between Asar Social Impact Advisors the Climate Educators Network CEN and CMSR ConsultantsIt surveyed 1600 firsttime voters from states including Maharashtra Delhi Tamil Nadu and West Bengal A total of 400 respondents from Mumbai and Pune participated in the surveyThe surveys findings underscore the urgency and importance of integrating climate education into our curricula tailoring it to meet local contexts and students needs thereby fostering a generation equipped to tackle the climate crisis proactivelyOn the quality of environmental education in schools and colleges responses varied across different regions In Delhi the prevailing sentiment among respondents 58 per cent was that the quality of environmental education is average with 25 per cent considering it poor Conversely in Maharashtra and West Bengal a majority of respondents 47 per cent and 58 per cent respectively rated environmental education as goodIn Tamil Nadu 39 per cent of the respondents perceived their environmental education positively as good while another 25 per cent described it as averageOn coverage of climate change topics across locations topics like global warming greenhouse gas emissions renewable energy and biodiversity loss were commonly addressed in the school curriculum However the majority of the participants expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of depth and solutionoriented approachDespite some detailed discussions on specific aspects like greenhouse gases and mitigation strategies there was a common sentiment of inadequate coverage or indepth discussions about climate change and no practical solutions to address environmental challengesParticipants also emphasised the need for practical solutions in climate education and topics like sustainable development goals and waste segregation to be integrated into the curriculum They called for climate education to be free from political bias and made it mandatory suggesting adjustments to the credit scoring system to reflect its importanceThere was a notable lack of awareness about climate change causes and consequences highlighting the need for more knowledge dissemination The need for comprehensive and indepth coverage on topics like global warming medical waste management acid rain and ozone depletion was emphasizedThere were suggestions for a deeper exploration and analysis of the hazardous nature of industrial pollution and including detailed information on how climate change can be mitigated and reversed within the curriculumWhile a significant portion of respondents felt adequately informed about the causes and consequences of climate change through their education qualitative findings revealed that many felt the knowledge imparted was insufficientIn Maharashtra West Bengal and Tamil Nadu a significant majority of respondents comprising 93 per cent 89 per cent and 82 per cent respectively reported learning new and significant aspects of climate change in school However in Delhi only 23 per cent of respondents stated the sameRespondents also suggested various strategies for the government to effectively tackle the climate crisis The top strategy mentioned by respondents of West Bengal 87 per cent and Delhi 74 per cent was enhancing sustainable transportation infrastructureLikewise 80 per cent and 72 per cent respondents from West Bengal and Delhi respectively suggested implementing stricter regulations on carbon emissions to tackle the climate crisisMaximum respondents from Tamil Nadu 55 per cent and Maharashtra 52 per cent believed that an effective strategy would be to conduct climate education and awareness programsPrioritizing the development and utilization of renewable energy sources was suggested by 80 per cent respondents from West Bengal followed by 70 per cent 50 per cent and 45 per cent respondents from Delhi Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra respectivelyParticipants also stressed the importance of political commitment to addressing climate change issues indicating a growing awareness among voters regarding environmental sustainability and its influence on political decisionsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without 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