The project began in my research seminar on the Anthropocene for the Science, Technology, Environment, and Public Policy minor. As I read the dim projections for the future of our planet and gained a deeper understanding of the timeline on which drastic species loss, temperature increases, and other symptoms of environmental decline have occurred, I realized that climate change is not a future problem, but a phenomenon that humans have been experiencing for several decades.
I thought back on the only two decades I have lived through and felt what can only be described as grief when remembering how the spring peeper frogs grew quieter every spring and the swarms of fireflies thinned every summer as nearby woods were cleared for neighboring subdivisions. After speaking with friends across Michigan, it was clear that I wasn't alone in having first-hand memories of environmental decline.
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I am working to create a space for members of my generation to reflect on how these experiences impact our attitudes towards climate change solutions and begin to collectively determine how they have shaped our perception of sustainable or natural interaction with a decreasingly wild planet.
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Generation Z: Growing up in the Anthropocene consists of two main components; a survey and focus groups. Ideally, survey participants will make up focus groups to discuss survey findings and further explore the experiences, perspectives, and cultural backgrounds that compose their environmental worldviews. The focus groups will be held virtually and facilitated by concept mapping via the software Padlet. Focus group participants who are interested in being involved further can reach out in early summer for an interview.
email doddemma@msu.edu with any questions/comments
