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This perspective paper investigates the dynamic interplay between wealth, materialism, environmental degradation, and mental health amid escalating challenges of climate change. The paper critically examines how affluence, often a buffer against climate impacts, paradoxically leads to higher consumption and carbon footprints, exacerbating environmental problems. A societal emphasis on materialism contributes to an estrangement from nature, with significant implications for mental health and environmental sustainability. The paper proposes a fundamental shift in addressing these intertwined challenges through reintegration with nature. The paper recommends integrating urban planning, education, mental health, and community engagement strategies to build a sustainable, mentally resilient society more integrated with nature. This approach, supported by future research directions, aims to create a more balanced, environmentally conscious, and mentally healthy world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many scientists have studied the relationship between society and the environment. The New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) has been repeatedly used for the analysis of public environmental attitudes, as the public pays increased attention to the environmental issues, sustainability, or the climate crisis. Our paper deals with the use of the NEP to study and identify public environmental attitudes in the Slovak Republic. We discovered a deviation of our results from the NEP, as we identified altered environmental attitudes, which we find acceptable, as environmental attitudes are a delicate set of values encompassing different, yet interrelated facets. According to our results, we were able to classify our respondents into those with technocentric, ecocentric, and resiliocentric attitudes, while up to 70% of respondents hold the ecocentric attitude. These findings could be influenced by the fact that no significant changes in the population’s lifestyle have been required up to now. The NEP has proven to be an important predictive tool in assessing public environmental attitudes to determine readiness for environmental transformation. Nevertheless, we recommend using a combination of analysis that includes evaluating the impact of demographic factors to achieve higher-quality results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is the greatest threat humanity faces, and puts at risk the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. Climate change education must equip children and young people with the knowledge, skills and resilience to live in an uncertain future, sustainably take relevant climate action and work in climate careers. As attention on climate change education grows, this is a critical moment for the mental health community to ensure mental health and wellbeing considerations are embedded. Critically, appropriate integration of mental health can enable these very necessary goals of equipping children and young people to live and work in a future where climate change looms large. This paper explores why promoting good mental health and wellbeing and building psychological resilience can help achieve climate change education outcomes, and why not doing so risks harming children and young people's mental health. It also explores how integrating discussions about emotions, mental health, and coping strategies within climate change education can be a route into wider discussions about mental health, to support children and young people in the context of rising mental health needs. Learning from an existing approach to promoting good mental health and wellbeing in schools (the 'whole school approach') provides the opportunity to explore one avenue through which such an integrated approach could be implemented in practice. Identifying appropriate mechanisms to integrate mental health into climate change education will require co-design and research with educators and young people, and addressing systemic barriers facing the schools sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This perspective paper investigates the dynamic interplay between wealth, materialism, environmental degradation, and mental health amid escalating challenges of climate change. The paper critically examines how affluence, often a buffer against climate impacts, paradoxically leads to higher consumption and carbon footprints, exacerbating environmental problems. A societal emphasis on materialism contributes to an estrangement from nature, with significant implications for mental health and environmental sustainability. The paper proposes a fundamental shift in addressing these intertwined challenges through reintegration with nature. The paper recommends integrating urban planning, education, mental health, and community engagement strategies to build a sustainable, mentally resilient society more integrated with nature. This approach, supported by future research directions, aims to create a more balanced, environmentally conscious, and mentally healthy world.

This research article examines the relationship between individuals' pro-environmental behaviors and their subjective wellbeing. Through a meta-analysis of existing research, the authors find strong evidence supporting a positive association between engaging in pro-environmental behaviors and experiencing subjective wellbeing. This information is valuable for library patrons interested in understanding the personal benefits of taking environmentally friendly actions. [Extracted from the article]

This article explores the impact of climate change on children's mental health, specifically focusing on the increased rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression in children exposed to climate-related disasters. It emphasizes the need for a comprehensive approach to climate change education that includes mental health considerations and addresses social inequalities. The article suggests actions such as empowering education, bridging the gap in climate change education, building resilience, investing in accessible mental health care, and fostering open communication about climate change with children. It also highlights the role of communities, schools, and environmental organizations in supporting children's mental health and fostering a sense of connection to nature. By involving children in environmental projects and giving them a voice, schools and communities can help them feel empowered and hopeful, ultimately benefiting their mental well-being and contributing to a brighter future for the planet. [Extracted from the article]

While much research has examined the correlates of climate change beliefs from an alarmist perspective, less work has systematically measured climate change skepticism. This study aims to create a comprehensive tool capturing climate skeptics’ beliefs and test its association with individual difference variables. 502 European adults completed a 22-item questionnaire on climate change (CC) skepticism as well as measures of ambiguity tolerance, belief in a just world (BJW), dark-side personality traits, and self-esteem. Principal components analysis revealed a four dimension structure of CC. Political ideology was the most consistent and significant predictor across the climate change skepticism factors. Dark-side traits, also played a role. Future research should further validate this measure and explore how climate change information could be tailored to different audiences. Understanding the nuances and causes of climate skepticism can enable more effective communication to promote sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Poor mental wellbeing is a challenge for societies across the world, as is the increasing threat of climate change, and emerging evidence suggests these challenges are interrelated. Green and social prescribing of non)clinical interventions hold promise as a cost-effective and widely accessible way to improve wellbeing, and interest is growing in whether pro-ecological communal activities have mutual benefits for both people and the planet. Objectives: Communal pro-ecological activities are growing in popularity, and research is gathering pace into whether participation influences mental wellbeing. The present systematic review scopes the existing evidence base to explore what is being done, what is being found, and what additional research is required. Methods: Electronic databases (PsychNET, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) were searched for studies that involved groups of people undertaking pro-ecological activities, where components of mental wellbeing were assessed. Eligibility criteria were purposely broad, including all study designs and participants across the lifespan. Results: Thirty-seven eligible studies were identified. Nearly half of the studies used mixed-method designs, and most studies used surveys or interviews to evaluate outcomes. Most pro-ecological activities involved planting vegetation, and habitat creation, maintenance, or restoration. Methodological quality varied considerably. Among the perceived therapeutic mechanisms reported, the social elements of the interventions were prominent. Discussion: Coherent synthesis of the current evidence base is challenging given the heterogeneous range of methods, samples, and interventions within the studies. However, the results here demonstrate promise that with future research and better methodological rigor, pro-ecological group-based interventions hold the potential to improve mental wellbeing and influence sustainable behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Junior high school students are tomorrow's key protagonists in the ecological transition. They need enlightened education to face the uncertainty and challenges of climate change. The development of climate change education programs requires a clear understanding of how young people perceive the issue. This study deals with social representations. Its aim was to understand how social background and interest in science are linked to the way young people perceive the concept of the ecological transition. Four hundred twentynine junior high school students took part in this study. Data were collected and subjected to prototypical analysis and factorial correspondence analysis. Three main findings emerged from the analysis: (1) the participants had significant knowledge of the ecological transition, (2) their awareness of the social aspects of climate change was limited, and (3) their representations of the ecological transition were linked to their interest in science and their parents' social background. To conclude, these results underline the importance of educating all social classes about effective solutions for the ecological transition. Our findings also highlight the need to consider existing representations and prior knowledge when designing educational programs on climate change issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to concerns about climate anxiety and distress, researchers and practitioners in both education and psychology have been investigating the importance of engaging climate hope in Climate Change Education (CCE). Synthesizing recent multidisciplinary research, alongside insights from the development of educational programs, this article proposes a new theoretical model for pedagogies of hope in CCE. The Hope Wheel presents three foundational elements: handrails for educators to hold on to while constructively engaging with climate change (honesty, awareness, spaceholding, action), guardrails for educators to be sensitive to when implementing the handrails (climate anxiety, mis-/disinformation, false hope), and lenses to encourage educators to explore connections between complex societal and planetary challenges (complexity, justice, perspectives, creativity, and empathy). This working model aims to support educators by distilling current learnings from the literature into a visual guide. It depicts essential elements to include, as well as avoid, in order to engage honest, hope-oriented CCE for transformative learning in the face of the climate crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the emotional experience of climate change has been studied extensively from fields like psychology, theology, sociology, and philosophy. It is crucial to analyze these results for possible vulnerability with regard to wellbeing. While climate justice research raises awareness of the current (social) situation of the participants in relation to the experience of climate change, the research on climate emotions seems to overlook the participant's former social situation - their family of origin. Previous studies on injustice have shown however that it is precisely the way people were educated on emotion work that has a significant impact on their experiences and sense of control in the situation. Given the importance of this sense of control for mental well-being, I argue consequently that social origin is a vulnerability for well-being in the (emotional) experience of climate change, perpetuating climate injustice, based on this combination of studies from different epochs. Therefore, in the interest to protect well-being on a warming planet, it is crucial to raise awareness of the impact of social origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an increasing research interest in emotional responses to climate change and their role in climate action and psycho-social impacts of climate change. At the same time, emotional experience of climate change is multidimensional and influenced by a variety of factors, including the local cultural context. Here, we contribute to the scientific debate about this topic with original qualitycontrolled data from the general populations in Norway (N = 491) and Ireland (N = 485). We investigate the cross-cultural validity and the nomological span of eight distinct emotional responses to climate change - climate anger, climate contempt, climate enthusiasm, climate powerlessness, climate guilt, climate isolation, climate anxiety, and climate sorrow - measured using the recently introduced Inventory of Climate Emotions. We first validate the 8-factor structure of the Norwegian and English language versions of the ICE. Subsequently, we demonstrate a high degree of cross-cultural measurement invariance for these eight climate emotions. Finally, we explore the relationships between these emotional responses and a range of theoretically relevant variables. In this final step, we show that climate emotions are differentially linked to climate change perceptions, support for mitigation policies, socio-demographic factors, feelings of loneliness and alienation, environmental activism, and the willingness to prioritize the natural environment over one's immediate selfinterests. Some of these links are also differentiated by the cultural context. This research presents further evidence for the structural, cross-cultural, and concurrent validity of climate emotions as postulated in the ICE framework. Moreover, it provides tools in the form of validated Norwegian and English language versions of the ICE, the complete R code for the validation analysis, as well as an informed basis for cross-cultural research on emotional responses to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past two decades, the facets related to environmental crises (in the plural) have grown increasingly intricate. What began as environmentalists' apprehension over nature degradation and the encouragement of citizendriven initiatives has evolved. The current shift in emphasis and prevailing message strives to foster a culture where citizens refrain from independent initiatives. Instead, the directive is to heed the guidance of the knowledgeable (scientists, politicians, corporations, interest groups, etc.), as substantiated by our investigative findings, which align, in part, with existing literature. Conversely, our exploration into environmental communication, notably the insights gleaned from longitudinal research concerning pro-environmental knowledge, attitudes, and actions, reveals a decline in citizens' effective inclinations toward embracing pro-environmental behaviors. Meanwhile, the escalation of the climate crisis is fueling heightened levels of echo-anxiety and solastalgia. This trajectory is closely intertwined with a growing global disillusionment within society - not just regarding the future - instilling a sense of disillusionment concerning pro-environmental messages and slogans disseminated by governing bodies and corporations. This has led to a state resembling learned helplessness, as articulated by Seligman, or what we prefer to term "induced" helplessness, rather than fostering conditions conducive to empowerment. This article comprehensively examines various reports and our inquiries, revealing how communication management and its constituents lie at the heart of forging novel narratives, fresh cognitive dissonances, and emerging social representations. Notably emphasized is the pivotal role played by information and communication technologies (ICT), particularly through dissemination on widely-used social networks. Since the 2010s, these platforms have assumed a paramount role in shaping socialization processes, surpassing educational institutions and conventional mass media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In the assessment of health organizations, results-based indicators are mainly used, with no consideration of internal work dynamics. This type of assessment forfeits much of the rich, useful information needed to make decisions on improving the organization. In order to address this, a rigorous procedure based on mixed methods is laid out here on gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data associated with the implementation process. Methods: A 55-year-old doctor was selected at random from among the staff who volunteered to be interviewed at the emergency department at a public hospital located in southern Spain for an interview. Qualitative data obtained from the in-depth interview (indirect observation) were progressively systematized (liquefied and quantitized) based on a theoretical framework until a code matrix was obtained, without losing or distorting any information. Afterwards, data quality was controlled using Cohen's kappa (κ) coefficient. A quantitative polar coordinate analysis was then carried out using the free software HOISAN (v. 1.6.3.3) to obtain robust results, vectorizing the relationships between codes and specifying whenever such relationships were statistically significant (and if they resulted in behavior activation or inhibition). Finally, a supplementary quantitative and qualitative assessment was carried out.Results and discussion: The proposed method was applied to the needs assessment of teams in order to evaluate that work climate in the hospital's emergency department Health Services of a hospital. Data quality control yielded an adequate result (κ = 0.82). Significant activation and inhibition of behaviors occurred, both prospectively and retrospectively. For instance, We seek to understand the needs of our clients and We readily adapt to new circumstances showed a significant activation (vector length = 3.43, p < 0.01) both prospectively (Zsum = 0.48) and retrospectively (Zsum = 3.4).An adequate method to obtain detailed information about group dynamics in a work environment is presented, based on an in-depth interview. Practical applications for implementations to improve the functioning of organizations are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is the greatest threat humanity faces, and puts at risk the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. Climate change education must equip children and young people with the knowledge, skills and resilience to live in an uncertain future, sustainably take relevant climate action and work in climate careers. As attention on climate change education grows, this is a critical moment for the mental health community to ensure mental health and wellbeing considerations are embedded. Critically, appropriate integration of mental health can enable these very necessary goals of equipping children and young people to live and work in a future where climate change looms large. This paper explores why promoting good mental health and wellbeing and building psychological resilience can help achieve climate change education outcomes, and why not doing so risks harming children and young people’s mental health. It also explores how integrating discussions about emotions, mental health, and coping strategies within climate change education can be a route into wider discussions about mental health, to support children and young people in the context of rising mental health needs. Learning from an existing approach to promoting good mental health and wellbeing in schools (the ‘whole school approach’) provides the opportunity to explore one avenue through which such an integrated approach could be implemented in practice. Identifying appropriate mechanisms to integrate mental health into climate change education will require co-design and research with educators and young people, and addressing systemic barriers facing the schools sector.