The threat of climate change to biodiversity is well established, yet increased awareness does not always translate into meaningful action. As future leaders and decision-makers, today’s students will play a pivotal role in shaping responses to climate and biodiversity crises. The study aims to evaluate undergraduate students’ awareness of climate change-related biodiversity adaptation and mitigation at the University of Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
This study used a cross-sectional design. The study assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices of 607 students interviewed at the University of Lubumbashi, using descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression.
While 57% of students demonstrated positive attitudes and 48% showed good knowledge about climate change, 84% reported low levels of pro-environmental behavior, revealing a significant gap between awareness and action. Students who had taken an environment-related course where climate change impacts were discussed exhibited higher levels of knowledge and more positive attitudes. However, no demographic factor significantly influenced pro-environmental practices. The findings speak directly to broader questions of anticipatory governance and capacity building for sustainable futures in vulnerable regions.
The use of a cross-sectional survey method inherently limits the study’s ability to assess change over time. This approach provides a snapshot of students’ current awareness regarding the impacts of climate change on biodiversity; however, it does not capture how these variables may evolve with continued education, life experiences or exposure to climate-related events.
Classroom engagement with climate change issues significantly influences students’ perceptions of ecological risk and their sense of environmental responsibility. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions – such as climate change education, institutional support and policy reforms – to bridge the knowledge-action gap and strengthen efforts toward biodiversity conservation and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 14 and 15).
