Latino Intergenerational Communication and Attitudes Regarding Climate Change

Heightened environmental concerns of Latinx communities have been identified by various surveys, contradicting a common misconception that marginalized communities are disinterested in environmental issues. Using the state of Texas as a case study, Mexican-American climate perceptions are analyzed through semi-structured interviews with twenty individuals in Spanish and English. The themes of generation, acculturation, familism, and household finances are found to be prevalent in this segment of Latinx respondents, as ways of articulating perspectives related to climate change. We show how these topics emerge in response to standard questions about climate change, indicating a distinct climate change discourse. This leads to suggestions of specific interventions in how scholars and policy-makers can engage with Latinx climate discourse.

多项调查已发现拉丁裔（Latinx）社区对环境的关切日益增强，这与边缘化社区对环境问题漠不关心的普遍误解形成了矛盾。本研究以德克萨斯州为案例，通过对20名受访者（使用西班牙语和英语）进行半结构化访谈，分析了墨西哥裔美国人的气候认知。研究发现，代际、文化适应（acculturation）、家庭主义（familism）和家庭财务等主题在这部分拉丁裔受访者中普遍存在，这些主题是他们表达气候变化相关观点的方式。我们展示了这些主题如何在回应气候变化相关标准问题时浮现，揭示出一种独特的气候变化话语体系。这为学者和政策制定者如何参与拉丁裔气候话语体系提供了具体干预建议。