Raising Awareness of Air Pollution Using a Primary School Intervention

Public Administration Case Study: Synthesis and Conclusion

Today, public administrators at every level are confronted with multiple challenges, including the increasing polarization of the body politic as well as existential threats such as global warming due to relentless climate change. Although a consensus exists among the scientific community concerning the reality of climate change, there remains some debate over its precise causes and what can be done to mitigate these trends. Notwithstanding this debate, there is also a growing recognition that fossil fuel emissions are a major cause of climate change, making the need for increased public awareness a major public administration objective. To this end, the purpose of this paper is to review a relevant public administration case study in order to provide an explanation concerning how these challenges impact ethics, statesmanship and governance of public administrators. In addition, these challenges are examined using a biblical/covenantal model of statesmanship, leadership and organizational behavior. Finally, a synthesis of the research and key findings are presented in the conclusion.

Review and Discussion

The objective of a public administration case study by Aydin-Güç et al. (2018) was to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation and administration of the community-based air pollution awareness course that was specifically designed to help primary school educators teach 122 fourth-grade students about the causes of air pollution and what steps can be taken at the local level to address them in meaningful ways. Citing the severe human costs that are associated with increasing levels of air pollution, Aydin-Güç et al. (2018) emphasize that young people have a vested interest in developing effective responses to the challenges of air pollution in their area, and teaching them about these issues early on represents a timely and valuable public administration enterprise.

In addition, another important element of this initiative was that it helped raise awareness concerning the adverse effects and causes of air pollution of the 32 fourth-grade adult teachers who were involved. These researchers used a mixed methods strategy that included a series of quantitative custom air pollution awareness questionnaires as well as qualitative structured interviews and focus groups. The need for this type of initiative is made clear by these researchers who point out, “Improving the educational level and raising environmental awareness are essential for reducing air pollution. It is also evident that the knowledge levels of students and teachers about the air pollution are low, and they lack a scientific point of view” (p. 36).

Based on their findings, Aydin-Güç et al. (2018) conclude that there was significant improvement in the level of air pollution effects and sources among the students and teachers, and that these types of initiatives warrant further investigation. This initiative underscored the importance of addressing climate change by teaching young people about the causes of air pollution and the ethical dilemmas that are involved in reducing fossil fuel emissions between public administration governance and private sector business interests. This initiative also demonstrated leadership in this area, as well as exemplifying the morally optimal decisions that result from true statesmanship. Likewise, this initiative is highly congruent with a biblical/ covenantal approach to developing solutions to public administration challenges (Fischer & Schultz, 2016). In this regard, Numbers 35:33 (ESV) commands that, “You shall not pollute the land in which you live.”

Conclusion

The human generations that have populated the earth since the mid-19th century have bequeathed a sad environmental legacy to future generations. Indeed, many environmentalists caution that the tipping point may have already been reached and humankind is doomed. Against this gloomy backdrop, it is apparent that Americans must do everything possible, including educating young people about these issues, to reverse these trends to the maximum extent possible in order to delay and perhaps even reverse the existential threat of climate change for future generations.