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The main natural risk in the Mediterranean region is flooding. Therefore, in Spain, explaining this issue in Primary Education classrooms of Social Sciences should be a priority and is established as such in the current curriculum. The aims of this study are to carry out an analysis of the contents on flood risk included in the Social Science textbooks (3rd cycle; 5th and 6th) of Primary Education of the leading publishers used in Spain (Anaya, Bromera, Santillana, SM and Vicens Vives), in terms of: (1) the meaning of this phenomenon; (2) the causes and consequences of floods; and (3) an analysis of the images (catastrophism and territory location) that are included in the textbooks to explain these events. The results indicate that there is no complete definition of flood risk provided in these textbooks; the information is mainly related to the physical factor (atmospheric event). There is no specific mention of how human beings affect risk (vulnerability and exposure factor). With respect to the causes of floods, the analysis finds confusion in the explanations from the different textbooks and publishers, and the images that are included are sensationalist, highlighting the catastrophism without indicating to which territory it refers.

One topic that is currently playing a major role in education is climate change, given its implications for raising awareness and training in present and future society. The objectives of this research are to analyse the knowledge of Spanish school children (Primary, Secondary Education and Baccalaureate) studying Social Sciences and/or Geography in terms of climate change, the causes and consequences that they identify and the effects that they perceive in their daily lives. For a sample of 1328 students surveyed between the academic year 2020–2021 and 2022–2023, the results indicate that the majority believe that climate is changing (75.0%) and the main origin of this phenomenon is pollution (46.5%). With respect to the consequences, they principally identify the increase and changes in temperatures (54.3%), and with regards the perceived effects, more than half (60.0%) perceive an increase and change in the temperature. In conclusion, the study determines what students know about this global phenomenon and whether it coincides with their experiences. This is of utmost importance due to implications it has for the education system and training the youngest cohorts about climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global warming process is altering the atmospheric dynamics at mid-latitudes, fostering an increase in the frequency of extreme events. Of these events, floods are those that cause the greatest loss of human life and economic damage in Spain. Education is a key element in preventing these hazards. The objective of this study is to analyze the training, knowledge, and perception that school children (Primary and Secondary education, Baccalaureate) in the Region of Valencia (Spain) have of floods. The research was based on a questionnaire that was administered in different schools and in which 926 students participated. The main results show that only 36.1% have received training in these phenomena, and more than half (54.2%) do not know whether floods are explained in the textbooks. With respect to the perception of these risks, half of the respondents indicate that climate change is increasing the damage caused by floods, and 57.6% believe that it will accelerate them in the future. The study advances the knowledge necessary to establish learning contents and guidelines at the basic levels of education on natural hazards and disaster prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the content on natural hazards has been attracting significant interest from the educational field due to the awareness-raising and training efforts carried out among the younger cohorts. The objective of this research is to analyze the images that are inserted in the school textbooks of Social Sciences (3rd cycle of Primary Education) that refer to natural hazards, the type of risk, the degree of catastrophism, and the territorial context to which they are assigned to explain these phenomena in Spain. Based on a review of the main publishers used in Spain (Anaya, Bromera, Santillana, SM, Vicens Vives), the results obtained show that, out of 640 images identified, most of them refer to droughts (38.2%) and floods (29.4%). Regarding the degree of catastrophism, 67.6% are presented with this purpose, and as for the territorial context, in the majority (79.4%) the geographical location is not known. In summary, risk education in the initial training stages is essential in the current climate change context for the formation of more informed and safer societies. However, the messages to be communicated must be based on scientific rigor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Many Mediterranean areas have recently witnessed a proliferation of new urban and tourist-related features following low-density residential patterns that contrast with the traditional high-density urban typologies of Mediterranean cities. The aim of this research is to investigate the links between residential tourism and water consumption through swimming pools, which constitute one key element of the new urban landscapes in the coast of Alicante (southeastern Spain). We have digitized pools in nine municipalities of coastal Alicante and calculated the average depth and estimated water losses due to evaporation. Results show that swimming pools are widely available in tourist residential enclaves but that they tend to display different characteristics according to factors such as the history of the urbanization process and relative wealth of the different areas. We have detected a clear contrast between the large individual pools of the richer northern municipalities and the smaller individual pools and community pools in the newly developed but less well-off urban enclaves of the southern coast. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]