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.