The project
Understanding emotional responses of children and families towards their changing marine environment
The sea is undeniable emotional, the sea is peopled (Bennett, 2019), and people are the sea.
Since thousands of years, people live by the sea and live with it. They use it, they need it, they adore it. Feeling something when it comes to our marine environment is as natural as breathing.
In this project, the emotional sphere of experiencing environmental change will be explored - said short, how you feel when you think about climate change. Coastal inhabitants do have a relationship with and a connection to the marine place where they live. The phenomenon of the so-called place attachment gives evidence that people are attached to their environment. For example of the chosen locations:
The Wadden Sea is not just an ecosystem, it is the mud and sand on your feet, it is the coming and going tides, it is the smell of the mud and the salt, it is the sound of seagulls, and it is the fresh breeze on a windy day (and we have a lot of wind!). The experience of the Wadden Sea is more than just an ecosystem, it is a place, it is a feeling of home. In Germany, we say Heimat as something that gives us safety and affiliation, it gives us our place to be.
The Great Barrier Reef is some kind of different. You cannot just go on the beach and see the Reef, you have to take a boat trip to actually see it. But it is more than just seeing the Reef, you can experience its pure existence just by knowing it is out there. It is the interaction between the waves and the sand, it is the fresh breeze of salty air, it is the sand on your feet and in your hair. Then, when you are actually at the Reef, it is not just a unique ecosystem of corals, but so much more. The Reef is home for thousands of different species - plants, corals, fish, crustaceans, molluscs, marine mammals, and so much more. The diversity of marine life on the Reef is not fully explored yet, so it is the unknown that gives you a feeling of mystery, and personal connection. The GBR is not just an ecosystem, it also is a place of home, a place of identity. It gives us the feeling of affiliation and uniqueness. Australians are proud to have the GBR, and to be part of it.
What is this project about?
The topic of the project is very unique. Not much has been done in research on emotions towards environmental and climate change among children. There are some studies about the emotional sphere in natural sciences and environmental and marine governance, but children are often under-researched and under-recognised in their experiences of emotions towards the environment.
This project aims to look at children and how they feel. Climate change does affect them directly and indirectly. They share the disproportionate burden of climate change on their small shoulders, even though they are not responsible for our environmental and climate crises. The older generations, adults, have caused this mess on Earth, but our children have to carry the consequences.
In this project, I want to understand how does this make children feel. Furthermore, I want to know how parents feel about children experiencing ecological emotions and worries about their futures.
Climate change has many facets, and human emotions are a big part of it. It is the experience of emotions that leads people to actions.
This study aims to not only lead children and their families to action, but to go some steps further: I want politicians to act and to recognise children and families in their political decision-making processes, and in their plans to "save the Earth".
Case studies
Two case study locations have been chosen for the project: The Wadden Sea in Lower Saxony, Germany, and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
As "coast kid" (in German: Küstenkind) I was born at the region of the Wadden Sea in Germany. I grew up with a deep connection to this place and to the sea.
Through my studies I came to the field of marine science. For this, I have spent some time in Australia. I deeply fell in love with the country and the marine life around it, especially the GBR. I had my first dives at the Reef and I cannot really explain it, but it caught me and my heart.
The project
Here you can find details of the project, the time schedule and organisation, and of participation possibilities.
About the locations
Here you can find description of the locations Wadden Sea and Great Barrier Reef and important facts of the regions.
Climate change
Here you can find some information about climate change, sustainability and what you can do on small-scale.
About me
Who am I? Where am I from? How did I get here? And where do I want to go? All about the PhD student and her plans.
Participation information for Workshop Great Barrier Reef
Here you can find all relevant information and data about the workshop at the Great Barrier Reef.
Photos
Here you can find all the beauty of the Wadden Sea and the Great Barrier Reef captured in photographs. And some more expressions of the project, the workshops and much more.
PhD project by Sharlene Fechter at the University of Queensland.
Photos © Sharlene Fechter