Through an experiential, field-based investigative opportunity in the anthropology of climate change, this project introduced college and university students from the United States and Guinea-Bissau through active research encounters. This article examines one part of the larger project, perceptions of natural environment futures via 287 drawings collected by three United States-based undergraduate students from 145 college and university students and alumni (ages 18–53) in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, West Africa. Guinea-Bissau is a climate change hotspot. This study’s specific focus was on how participants represent natural environmental change over time. Participants were asked to produce two drawings, one depicting their natural environment hundreds of years in the past (pre-European contact) and one representing their natural environment twenty years in the future. Using content analysis, descriptive statistics, Chi-squared test, and McNemar’s test, the study finds that (1a) participants’ depictions of the future contain statistically significantly more pollution, scarcity, deforestation, desertification, and less biodiversity than those in the past, and (1b) these depictions of environmental change hazards highly correlate; (2) participants draw the natural environment statistically significantly more in the past than in the future; (3a) women are statistically significantly more likely than men to draw environmental management in the past and future, and (3b) men are statistically significantly more likely than women to draw commercialization in the past and future; and (4) environmental sciences and teaching professionals are statistically significantly more likely than business professionals to draw environmental management in the past and future. The study found no differences in perceptions of the natural environment based on age, place of birth, or religion. Results indicate that people perceive real differences between their past and future natural environments, especially related to future environmental change hazards. Furthermore, gender and professional differences in participant drawings of environmental management suggest that women and non-business professionals are likely ecoallies. This concept is important from an applied perspective because through this research project, United States- and Guinea-Bissau-based undergraduate students and alumni are able to recognize in each other their shared advocacy capacities, acknowledge the systematic nature of the climate change problem, and establish a common cause around sustainable environmental management.

中文翻译：

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通过在西非几内亚比绍感知的自然环境未来识别和合作生态

通过气候变化人类学的体验式实地调查机会，该项目通过积极的研究交流介绍了来自美国和几内亚比绍的大学生。本文通过三名美国本科生和西非几内亚比绍比绍的 145 名大学生和校友（年龄 18-53 岁）收集的 287 幅画来研究更大项目的一部分，即对自然环境未来的看法. 几内亚比绍是气候变化热点。这项研究的具体重点是参与者如何代表自然环境随时间的变化。参与者被要求制作两张图纸，一幅描绘了他们数百年前的自然环境（前欧洲接触），一幅描绘了他们未来 20 年的自然环境。使用内容分析、描述性统计、卡方检验和 McNemar 检验，该研究发现 (1a) 参与者对未来的描述在统计上比过去包含更多的污染、稀缺、森林砍伐、荒漠化和更少的生物多样性， (1b) 这些对环境变化危害的描述高度相关；(2) 参与者在统计上比未来更多地绘制自然环境；(3a) 在统计上，女性在过去和未来从事环境管理的可能性显着高于男性，(3b) 在过去和未来，男性比女性更有可能实现商业化；(4) 环境科学和教学专业人士在统计上比商业专业人士更有可能在过去和未来绘制环境管理。该研究发现，基于年龄、出生地或宗教信仰的自然环境感知没有差异。结果表明，人们感知到他们过去和未来自然环境之间的真实差异，尤其是与未来环境变化危害相关的差异。此外，环境管理参与者图纸中的性别和专业差异表明，女性和非商业专业人士可能是生态主义者。从应用的角度来看，这个概念很重要，因为通过这个研究项目，