Over the past decade, climate change has gone from a distant concern to a lived reality, especially for students in California.
At San José State University, students are beginning to notice the changing weather patterns not as mere statistics but real disruptions to their health, habits and routines. According to the United Nations, climate change refers to long-term changes in temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric patterns caused by human activities, particularly fossil fuels.
The Earth’s average temperature has increased by at least 1.9 degrees Fahrenheit since the late 19th century, with most of that warming occurring since 1975, according to a NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies temperature analysis.
In California, this has translated into intense droughts and heatwaves, more frequent wildfires, and shifts in seasonal rainfall, according to a Jan. 8 CalMatters article.
For Sabrina Mohamed, a second-year nursing student and daily commuter, these shifts add a layer of stress that affects her everyday experience.
“It’s like my brain is tired all the time,” Mohamed added. “I’m not even doing anything different, but I feel so drained just trying to keep up with everything. It’s hot, then it’s windy, then the skies are gray and I still have to go to lab and study. No one really talks about how tiring it is, mentally.”
Mohamed noted that some mornings start off freezing and foggy, only for the temperature to spike to 85 degrees by the afternoon.
A clear example of the intense weather was in January 2025, when the Palisades and Eaton Fires burned nearly 40,000 acres, destroyed thousands of homes and forced thousands of people to evacuate across Southern California, according to a Jan. 16 aritcle published by the LA Times.
In recent years, cities like San José have seen temperature spikes in spring and fall months, according to a IQAir webpage.
Costanza Rampini, a SJSU associate professor of environmental studies and graduate program coordinator, has seen how climate change is beginning to interfere with students’ everyday lives.
“Extreme weather can affect students in a number of ways,” Rampini said. “Students with specific health conditions are more vulnerable to extreme weather and poor air quality, especially extreme heat, and are more at risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. This will affect their academic performance but also their daily life in general.”
Rampini’s research centers around how people adapt to environmental changes, especially in areas vulnerable to flooding and extreme weather, both globally and right here in California, according to her biography on an SJSU webpage
Weather that fluctuates dramatically within a week, or even a single day, can affect sleep, sedentary behavior, and physical activity, according to a International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity research article.
“Students who work on research projects that require collecting data outdoors, student athletes who train outside, or students who do intramural sports that are outdoors,” Rampini said. “Will need to be careful and limit their time outdoors as a result of extreme weather and poor air quality.”
Air quality is a particular concern. In 2020 and 2021, Bay Area residents experienced weeks of unhealthy air quality index (AQI) levels, according to a Sept. 20, 2023 San Francisco Chronicle article.
Kailey Dhanota, a first-year political science student, said that the constant shifts in weather have started to affect how she navigates her day-to-day routine.
“Some days I wake up and the air just feels heavy,” said Dhanota. “It’s not something I used to think about, but now it’s part of my routine; checking the weather, checking the air. It’s exhausting.”
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issues frequent advisories during wildfire season, often recommending that vulnerable populations, like those with asthma or other respiratory conditions, to stay indoors and use air filtration systems.
“I’m constantly second-guessing what to wear, what to bring, and how much energy I’ll have by the time I get to campus,” Mohamed said.
During heat waves or smoke events, many cities open public cooling centers and clean air shelters; usually at libraries, community centers, or schools. Knowing where the nearest center is, and when it’s open, can make a real difference, according to the National Library of Medicine
SJSU students and faculty were recommended to limit outdoor activity and occasionally shift events indoors or online, as suggested by the SJSU Emergency Management in an air quality report update.
“It’s just exhausting. It’s just the back and forth that makes everything feel so tiring,” Mohamed said.
In addition to physical discomfort and academic disruption, the emotional toll of climate change is becoming more widely recognized.
Climate-related worry and anxiousness, known as "eco-anxiety," is rising among young people, according to a March 1, 2021 article from the American Psychological Association.
“I think more people are paying attention now, not just because of news, but because we’re literally living through it. It’s not abstract anymore,” Dhanota said.
A global study published in The Lancet Planetary Health in 2021 explored how climate change is affecting the mental health of young people across 10,000 individuals across ten countries between the ages of 16 to 25.
Based on those findings researchers found that 59% of the respondents were very or extremely worried about climate change.
As climate impacts become more common, Rampini encourages students to stay both prepared and politically active.
“ Being informed and participating in local elections, like the county and city, and making sure (students) vote for people who have a strong track record when it comes to climate change issues and emergency preparedness is also important,” Mohamed said.
Mohamed said she tries not to overthink it, but the changes feel impossible to ignore.
“It’s honestly hard to stay positive sometimes. Like, we’re all trying to build a future, but the world feels kind of unpredictable right now,” she said.
