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Getting to the Heart of Climate Change Through Stories

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Universities and Climate Change

Part of the book series: Climate Change Management ((CCM))

Abstract

The stories students tell about climate change will have a profound effect upon their lives. Those stories reflect broader cultural values and environmental discourses. Therefore it is important that students think critically about the stories they learn and develop their own personal climate stories. Will students respond reactively or proactively to this issue? By seeing themselves as protagonists in the story of climate change, can students become more motivated to act upon this issue? Using the concept of ecological identity helps students to redefine their personal stories and possibly resolve a key modern paradox: the pursuit of personal security undermines planetary security. Ultimately, these ecological stories must come from the heart.

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Acknowledgments

I wish to thank the spring 2009 students of GGR 29, Human Dimensions of Climate Change, for allowing their words to be included in this chapter.

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Correspondence to Scott Carlin .

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© 2010 Springer Berlin Heidelberg

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Carlin, S. (2010). Getting to the Heart of Climate Change Through Stories. In: Leal Filho, W. (eds) Universities and Climate Change. Climate Change Management. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-10751-1_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-10751-1_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-10750-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-10751-1

  • eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)

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