Environmental problems are exponentially growing more common, entering the transnational and global arenas of resource management, conservation, and policymaking. Carbon Dioxide emissions, along with emissions from other damaging gases, are contributing to alarming rises in global temperature. In 2018, the United Nations declared that Carbon emissions must be reduced by 45% by 2030 in order to avoid a 1.5˚C increase in global temperature relative to pre-industrial levels (IPCC, 2018). Soil erosion and desertification are compromising the security of food systems and the livelihood of many farmworkers. In fact, climate change exacerbates soil erosion which contributes to more surface runoff, poorer vegetation coverage, and overall land degradation (JDP, 2013). Overconsumption and waste are resulting in significant resource strain and depletion. With food resources alone, the United States is predicted to waste around 30% to 40% of the food supply (USDA). Overall, these instances contribute to a whopping fifteen out of twenty-four existing ecosystem types facing immense environmental threats and subsequent degradation (MA, 2005).
These issues, while easily dismissed as isolated problems, are interrelated and exert disproportionate impacts on different geographic areas, demographics, and communities. Every living being on the planet, especially the human species, will inevitably be impacted by climate change and environmental issues. Ample existing scholarship declares that environmental stewardship may serve as a feasible solution for climate change. Environmental stewardship is a broad term but can be simplified as actions aimed at environmental protection taken at any scope ranging from individual and local to governmental and global (Bennett et al, 2018, p. 597).
This research investigates the relationship between spending meaningful and educational time in nature and resulting environmental stewardship. A brief discussion of environmental stewardship is presented, following with a detailed overview of the research design. It is concluded that, despite the difficulty scaling this research outward, there may be a positive correlation between hands-on environmental learning and resulting environmental stewardship. It is concluded that further replication and investigation is necessary.
