*This research was supported by grants from the National Science Council in Taiwan (NSC 100-3113-S-324-001)

Global warming is a serious environmental problem nowadays. It does not only bring extreme weather changes, but also cause economic loss. For sustainable development, many countries, including Taiwan, have implemented many policies intended to mitigate global warming, and to reduce carbon emission, including increased use of renewable energy and increased energy efficiency. However, research indicated that the overall effects were not obvious. The 2007–2008 Gallup Polls surveyed 127 countries, and found over a third of the world's population was unaware of global warming. By 2010, the Galllup surveyed 111 countries, and found that there was a substantial decrease in the number of Americans and Europeans who viewed global warming as a serious threat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming).  In 2009 Taiwan was included in ranking of Cimate Change Performance Index (CCPI) by Germanwatch regarding emission trend, level, and climate policy. Among 57 countries, Taiwan ranked 29, the following year, Taiwan ranked 44, and in 2012, Taiwan ranked 50, indicating that overall performance was very poor (Burck, Bals, & Bohnenberger, 2012). Surveys indicated that people in Taiwan might not understand mitigation of global warming, energy saving and carbon emission reduction well. Yeh (2009) found that most parents and school-age children did not understand the relations between “global warming” and “energy saving and carbon emission reduction”. About 87% did not think they could do anything to improve climate changes resulted from global warming. Scholars suggested the most efficient way to implement energy saving and carbon emission reduction is to start energy education on school-age children.  When children have energy education at elementary schools, it is likely to have lasting effects on children in the future, and on their parents. This is the first year study of a 3-year longitudinal study of the effect of energy education on children and their parents, the major research question is to study whether energy education affects children as well as their parents.

This study was intended to survey children’s and parents’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards energy saving and carbon emission reduction in Taiwan elementary schools, and their relations to each other. There were three major objectives.

1. To describe children’s and parents’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards energy saving and carbon emission reduction in Taiwan elementary schools.

2. To identify child, family, and school factors associated with children’s and parents’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards energy saving and carbon emission reduction.

3. To examine the relations between children’s and parents’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards energy saving and carbon emission reduction.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming http://www.energypark.org.tw/ Burck, J., Bals, C., & Bohnenberger, K. (2012). The Cimate Change Performance Index: Results 2012. Germanwatch. http://www.germanwatch.org/klima/ccpi.pdf Yeh (2009). 葉蓉樺。(2009)。科學博物館學習研究：促進教師以探究觀點進行博物館教學之研習。科學教育研究與發展。53, 1-23。 *This research was supported by grants from the National Science Council in Taiwan (NSC 100-3113-S-324 -001).