Young People and the Environment: Exploring Factors that Influence Young People's Environmentally Caring Behaviours in Indonesia

Abstract

Within the space of a few decades, young people's understandings and experiences of nature have changed radically. Today, many young people are aware of the global threats to the environment - but their physical contact, their intimacy with nature, is diminishing, leading it is argued to a "nature deficit disorder". In order to minimise the risk of nature deficit disorder, this study seeks to understand how behaviour change models, innovative environmental education approaches, and an ethic of care may influence young people's environmentally caring behaviours. The main research question is: What are the factors that influence young people's environmentally caring behaviours in Indonesia? This question is addressed through three sub-research questions: 1) What can we learn from behaviour change models about young people's environmentally caring behaviours?, 2) How do environmental education approaches influence young people's environmentally caring behaviours?, and 3) What added value do ethic of care principles bring to better understanding young people's environmentally caring behaviour?