Radon in high concentrations has been proven to be one of the world’s leading causes of lung cancer. Climate change is an ongoing problem that affects the environment and human beings; however, there is not yet a widely known relationship between radon exposure and climate change. Our research aims to find a correlation between climate change and risk of radon exposure. We are reviewing how radon exposure potentially increases through the lens of greenhouse gas emissions, melting ice caps, and human habits based on increased global warming effects. In our literary review, we are comparing how radon is measured, finding the limitations of each technique and which technique is best suited to measuring radon in air, soil, and water. We are also working with our collaborators overseas to understand the radon concentrations in soil in Hebron, Palestine. We will investigate our hypothesis that radon exposure will increase with climate change.

Climate change is a growing threat to communities worldwide, with extreme weather events like droughts and wildfires causing food insecurity and affecting the lives of millions of people. Despite the availability of research that describes the consequences of climate change, there is a lack of urgency in the response to this crisis. To understand the barriers that inhibit action on climate change, a study was conducted on 206 STEM students at the University of Washington. The study surveyed the students to identify factual and conceptual barriers to addressing climate change. We distributed questionnaires through social media and undergraduate classes. I analyzed survey responses to compare and contrast the concern levels for ecocentric and anthropocentric consequences of climate change. The findings of the study indicate that environmental education was not associated with more climate change knowledge, and students were more concerned with ecocentric impacts and anthropocentric consequences that directly impact basic human needs like water, food, and shelter. We aim to develop a teaching tool that addresses the conceptual barriers identified in their research. The results of the study emphasize the need to shift the focus towards addressing the immediate impacts of climate change that affect human well-being. The lack of urgency in the response to the climate crisis highlights the need for more education and action to mitigate the effects of climate change.