Climate change has emerged as one of the most pressing global challenges, requiring immediate attention, policy responses, and educational interventions that foster awareness and action among young people. Future teachers must be prepared to mediate climate risks through education that combines curriculum with formal and non-formal education through community-engaged experiences. This paper explores the knowledge, awareness and opinions of ITEP students regarding climate change and climate change education. A survey was administered to a convenience sample of 50 ITEP students in Srinagar, Garhwal, Uttarakhand, comprising an open-ended and closed-ended questionnaire to gain both quantitative and qualitative insights. The findings reveal that female ITEP students tend to have slightly higher climate change awareness than male students, and that students with any formal exposure (even at the chapter level) report higher awareness than those without such exposure. The results show that students prefer non-formal approaches (NGO/community activities/field visits/ curated media) alongside classroom teaching, highlighting the need for a blended form of learning. Additionally, all students demonstrate a positive willingness to participate in climate or environmental activities; they are highly motivated to act and are willing to work with NGOs, as well as participate in community-based learning. Collectively, the evidence suggests designing targeted, credit-bearing interventions, particularly for groups with lower exposure, and strengthening university-NGO partnerships to make climate education more engaging, contextual, and action-oriented.
Nivedita Shah (Thu,) studied this question.