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What preferences, perceptions, and expectations do children have about current (and future) electric vehicles and conventional cars? The values, worldviews, and patterns of energy (and mobility) consumption that adults come to hold, and perform, become molded and perhaps cemented in childhood. However, given the particular sensitivities in conducting social science research involving children, recent comparative examinations of the perceptions and preferences of kids and cars remains rare. In this article, we offer the first international assessment of how 587 surveyed schoolchildren between 9 and 13 years of age across 15 schools in rural to intermediate regions in Denmark and the Netherlands think about electric mobility, and in examining their perceptions, automobility and transport more broadly. In general, we find that the children surveyed rank the environmental impact of cars just below personal safety and we can conclude that they are aware of innovations such as electric vehicles and their main benefits. Most important, children overwhelmingly seem to agree on the future direction of car-based transport but one with cars that are safer, more energy efficient and alternatively fueled. • Assesses how 587 surveyed schoolchildren between 9 and 13 years of age across 15 schools think about electric mobility • Examines children's' perceptions of automobility and transport more broadly • Finds that the children surveyed rank the environmental impact of cars just below personal safety • Concludes that they are aware of innovations such as electric vehicles and their main benefits • Children overwhelmingly seem to agree on the future direction of car-based transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2020, COVID-19 mitigation measures, including lockdowns and travel bans to curtail disease transmission, inadvertently led to an "Anthropause" – a unique global pause to anthropogenic activities. While there was a spike in ecological studies measuring Anthropause effects on environmental indicators, people's experiences of the Anthropause or its potential to inspire change were hardly considered. Hence, we aimed to measure people's appreciation of the environmental outcomes of the Anthropause, ecophilosophical contemplations about the pandemic, and experiences of lockdown-triggered biophilia (human's innate love for and draw towards nature) and test the hypothesis that these experiences would be consistently more prominent among the already environmentally inclined. To that end, we developed and tested three measures on a representative sample of 993 New Zealanders. Anthropause Appreciation received the highest overall mean ratings, followed by Lockdown-Biophilia and Eco-Contemplation. Pre-existing pro-environmental dispositions and behaviours did not consistently influence our three measures as expected. Demographic variables had little influence, while experiences of financial and mental health impacts due to COVID-19 had no influence. We interpreted the limited influence of explanatory variables as indicative of a degree of uniformity in people's experiences. High appreciation of Anthropause benefits suggests that the public may be supportive of policies and ways of living that can lead to similar outcomes post-pandemic – offering environmental policymakers and communicators a basis for action. Ecophilosophical contemplations and biophilic draw among the public suggest an awareness of the significance of the human-nature relationship – offering a symbolic global keystone for communicating and advocating conservation and the many values of pauses in life to connect with nature. Building women's environmental leadership capabilities and the ongoing greening of Christianity may be essential steps for global post-pandemic environmental behaviour transformations. • We measured COVID-19-related environmental experiences in a representative sample. • The ecological benefits of the Anthropause were highly valued by society. • There was moderate eco-contemplation and biophilia during the COVID-19 lockdown. • Environmental predisposition and demographics had limited influence. • These unique COVID-19-related environmental experiences offer a basis for change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green buildings are designed to have low environmental impacts and improved occupant health and well-being. Improvements to the built environment including ventilation, lighting, and materials have resulted in improved indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in green buildings, but the evidence around occupant health is currently centered around environmental perceptions and self-reported health. To investigate the objective impact of green buildings on health, we tracked IEQ, self-reported health, and heart rate in 30 participants from green and conventional buildings for two weeks. 24 participants were then selected to be relocated to the Syracuse Center of Excellence, a LEED platinum building, for six workdays. While they were there, ventilation, CO 2 , and volatile organic compound (VOC) levels were changed on different days to match the IEQ of conventional, green, and green+ (green with increased ventilation) buildings. Participants reported improved air quality, odors, thermal comfort, ergonomics, noise and lighting and fewer health symptoms in green buildings prior to relocation. After relocation, participants consistently reported fewer symptoms during the green building conditions compared to the conventional one, yet symptom counts were more closely associated with environmental perceptions than with measured IEQ. On average, participants had 4.7 times the odds of reporting a lack of air movement, 43% more symptoms (p-value = 0.019) and a 2 bpm higher heart rate (p-value < 0.001) for a 1000 ppm increase in indoor CO 2 concentration. These findings suggest that occupant health in green and conventional buildings is driven by both environmental perceptions and physiological pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: High human pressures on Pakistan׳s Himalayan forests necessitate effective preservation of representative natural areas. Adjacent to Machiara National Park (MNP, 138km2, established in 1996) live >55,000 farmers who traditionally used park areas for grazing livestock and extracting forest products. Baseline information was needed for improved conservation plans of MNP and development extension to communities. A household survey was conducted with the objective to profile the farmer communities (demographic structure, livelihoods), appraise their forest resource uses and dependencies, and discern their perceptions on resource conditions and trends. Annual population growth was ≥2.3%; most households were poor by regional standards. High livestock densities (>2 animalsha−1) lead to pasture degradation in sensitive areas, especially outside MNP. Between 2004 and 2010 populations of sheep and goat (often using marginal pastures inside MNP), buffalo (mostly stall-fed), and equines (for transport) had markedly increased. In contrast, cattle numbers had decreased, as nutritious pastures became limited. Responses indicated slowly declining fodder supplies. Availability of timber, fuelwood and medicinal plants had diminished to critical levels; to collect these resources respondents had to walk 3–5 times as far in 2010 (~5–6km) as compared to 1980 (~1–2km). Measures which may alleviate human pressures on MNP natural resources include promotion of veterinary services and alternative energy sources, and establishment of afforestations, especially on steep lands unsuitable for pasturing. Legal enforcement should be improved, but better participation and environmental education may enhance management effectiveness and acceptance of park rules. Demographics need attention as population growth rates are unsustainable. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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Abstract: Public knowledge of global warming depends on the translation of climate science from specialist communities to citizens, and from scientific language to the vernacular; yet, no two cultures or languages being perfectly commensurable, this process of translation necessarily entails a transformation of the climate change concept. I explore this transformation, and the unexpected consequences it spells for local acceptance and understanding of climate science, through a case study in the Marshall Islands, a low-lying nation endangered by sea level rise and other climate change impacts. Various framings of this threat have been communicated to Marshall Islanders via local media, NGO, and government outlets. ‘Climate’ is here translated as Marshallese mejatoto, the closest equivalent in this Austronesian language. Yet mejatoto refers not only to climate/weather but also to the environment or cosmos in general, including the social sphere, a result of the Marshallese conceptual conflation of ‘nature’ and ‘culture.’ As a result, locals point to processes as disparate, and un-‘climatic,’ as a solar eclipse, accelerating time, and weakening tradition as examples of, and evidence for, climate change. In a society already vigorously possessed of narratives of change, this ‘promiscuous corroboration’ makes the prediction of climate change extremely easy to trust. While this ‘mistranslation’ carries with it certain dangers, when viewed instead as a reinterpretation it is rife with opportunity. Climate change communicators both abroad and at home must therefore carefully consider the transformations introduced by various translations of ‘climate change,’ yet also appreciate ‘mistranslation’ for its ability to render concepts meaningful to local actors and to stimulate citizen–scientist dialogue. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We assessed environmental and perceptual correlates of walking and walkability for fifth graders from three communities attending two schools: A new urban/LEED-ND pilot community, mixed, and standard suburban community. Irvine-Minnesota Inventory (IMI) walkability audits showed that new urban blocks provided more traffic safety, pleasurability, crime safety, density, and diversity. New urban routes offered greater traffic safety, accessibility, pleasurability, crime safety, and diversity, but suburban routes had greater housing density, net of controls (parental education, rooms in the home, home ownership, parent preference for child to walk to school). Parents and children perceived new urban routes to be more walkable and children walked more when they lived on more walkable routes. The suburban hierarchical street design exposed children to varied traffic safety conditions by funneling their walks from cul-de-sacs to arterials. The new urban routes to a centrally located school passed by pleasant open spaces, suggesting how community organization can create better walking conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This pilot study tested a child-guided protocol integrating qualitative field techniques with spatial analysis tools to explore children's neighborhood perceptions and use. Sixteen children aged 7-9 in London, Canada led researchers and city planners on guided walks of their school neighborhood to document and discuss places of significance to them. Children were equipped with digital cameras and maps to record neighborhood features, while adult facilitators recorded the ongoing dialogue and tracked the routes taken with GPS units. Children's photographs from the walks supported a group photo-elicitation exercise that further probed and clarified the children's community perspectives. Location data from the GPS and narratives allowed for the analysis of children's comments and photographs within a geographic information system (GIS). Thematic and spatial analysis of narratives and photographs revealed significant but complex patterns of neighborhood perception and use, suggesting that this child-led protocol is an effective tool for engaging children in community assessment and for revealing their local lived experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work integrated environmental education, science, technology and research in a fifth grade science curriculum in two elementary public suburban schools in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Results are presented of these collaborative teams between a graduate fellow and a fifth grade science teacher. The teams developed educational and scientific strategies using a constructivism approach that promoted cooperative learning, students' active participation and the integration of the school community. A month-long lesson on waste management and water resources was developed based on students' research on community environmental perceptions. Students' academic achievement in science was significantly improved by the implemented strategies, seen as a 50% increase in the number of excellent (A) and good (B) grades. Through this work, the students completed scientific research projects of environmental significance for their communities and presented them at the school's science fair and environmental day. The implementation of constructivism strategies along the integration of technology, and hands-on and minds-on activities promoted students' interest in environment and science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Past research on environmental perceptions has, for the most part, treated responses as independently distributed across a given study area. However, a random sampling of respondents may not necessarily produce a randomly distributed pattern of views on the natural environment. This article explores the degree to which perceptions of water quality are spatially correlated across two watersheds in San Antonio, Texas. Using spatial analysis techniques, we describe and map the mosaic of perceptions of water quality in Salado and Leon creeks running through the heart of the metropolitan area. Specifically, we test the degree to which responses are spatially autocorrelated across the watersheds, and then provide explanation as to why clustering of perceptions occurs in specific locations. Results demonstrate that environmental perceptions are in fact spatially dependent across the landscape and that geographic networks of issue-based activism contribute to the formation of localized “hot spots” of similar responses. Finally, we discuss how the results provide direction for more effective approaches to watershed planning and policy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Stakeholders' understanding of water quality influences how they approach water policy problems and their support for potential solutions. This study explores how resource policy in the United States accounts for different water quality meanings held by recreational users. In-person surveys were conducted along the shoreline in Rhode Island (USA) to examine how recreational users make sense of coastal water quality. Findings indicate that recreational users' understanding of water quality is constructed from an array of environmental conditions (e.g., chl a , phosphates) and attitudinal factors (e.g., perceived problems associated with sewage, algae, or trash), and the meanings ascribed to water quality extend beyond the biophysical indicators typically employed by water resource managers. Potential management strategies based on these findings include expanding current definitions of water quality and monitoring a broader suite of factors, conducting research that captures nuanced meanings of water quality held by different users, and developing outreach programs that clarify the potential impacts of water quality components on human health and well-being. • Recreational users' conception of water quality is constructed from an array of diverse factors. • Meanings ascribed to water quality extend beyond the biophysical indicators employed by managers. • Personal observations, beliefs, cultural values, & aesthetics influence perceived water quality. • Macroalgae were the most influential of all perceived water quality problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of environmental pollution extend beyond the issue of health. Using Chinese survey and administrative data, this study sheds new light on the political costs of environmental pollution. We show that citizens' trust in government officials declines significantly with higher levels of measured pollution, perceptions of increased pollution, and a greater degree of willingness to support environmental protection. Political trust is particularly low when measured as well as perceived pollution are severe. However, the effect of greater willingness to support environmental protection on the erosion of political trust is independent of measured pollution. Our findings suggest that there is a tipping point at which legitimacy acquired primarily through economic achievements could be undermined by environmental degradation, which is a byproduct of economic achievements. It is imperative for the Chinese government to achieve a balance between fast-paced growth and environmental sustainability, to pay attention to the potential political consequences of environmental issues, and to permit more public dialogues and deliberations on the topic of environmental governance. • Environmental pollution is shown to be politically costly in China. • Political trust declines with greater pollution, both measured and perceived. • Environmental perceptions interact with measured pollution in affecting political trust. • Political trust declines with greater willingness to support environmental protection. • Willingness to support environmental protection is independent of measured pollution in affecting political trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has substantiated the positive role of social cohesion on physical health and psychological well-being, and there is increasing interest in how public urban green spaces ("green spaces" hereafter) promote social cohesion. This review synthesized existing empirical evidence to ascertain the impact of green spaces on social cohesion. 51 published studies met the inclusion criteria were reviewed. Physical characteristics, perceptions, and use patterns of green spaces were found directly influencing social cohesion. Findings also suggested that physical characteristics of green spaces intermingle with environmental perceptions and use patterns to further complicate the impact on social cohesion. A model was proposed to conceptualize the complex relationships between green spaces and social cohesion. The review identified current gaps in the literature which futher research is needed. It also informs interventions for promoting public health and well-being by enhancing social cohesion in urban natural environments. • This review synthesizes current literature about the impact of public urban green spaces on social cohesion. • Physical characteristics, perceptions, and use patterns of green spaces have possible direct impact on social cohesion. • Physical characteristics intermingle with perceptions and use patterns to further complicate the impact on social cohesion. • A model is proposed to conceptualize complex relationships between green spaces and social cohesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]