Bibliographic details:

Swim, J. K., Aviste, R., Lengieza, M. L., & Fasano, C. J. (2022). OK Boomer: A decade of generational differences in feelings about climate change. Global Environmental Change, 73, 102479.

Abstract:

The emergence of concern about and evidence of climate change has been argued to create a cultural milieu unique to the Millennial generation (born between 1981 and 1996) and iGeneration (aka iGens or Generation Z born after 1997). The present research tested a) claims of unique angst about climate change among younger versus older generations, b) growing generational discrepancies over time in emotions about climate change, c) generational differences for several emotions about climate change, and d) the implications of these emotions for motivating people to discuss climate change with others, potentially aiding coping with climate change and facilitating action to address climate change. Survey data gathered from 2010 to 2019 of a representative sample of United States residents (N = 22,468) document greater increases in worry about climate change and, to a lesser degree, anger and guilt about climate change, within the two youngest generations relative to changes among Generation X, Baby Boomers, and the Silent and Greatest Generations. Although generational differences were small and suggest overstatements of unique effects for younger generations, increases in younger generations’ emotions transform into the two youngest generations reporting the strongest emotions in 2019. Over ten years, these differential shifts in emotions explain more substantial increases in the frequency of discussing climate in the youngest generations.

Webpage: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959378022000176

Bibliographic details:

Lalal, N., Mishal, S., Padhi, A., Sharma, A., Audhkhasi, A., Arora, P., ... & Samar, S. (2022). Eco-Anxiety: Impact on Generation Z’s Mental Health and the Contemporary Significance of Environmental Awareness and Education. International Journal of Policy Sciences and Law, 2(02”), 3313-3331. 

Abstract:

The escalating impacts of climate change and global warming are jeopardizing humanity’s future on earth. Lack of action against the matter has proliferated the occurrence as well as the intensity of natural calamities. Moreover, several species around the world are undergoing a decline in their population, suggesting that the 6th mass extinction is well underway. Owing to such devastating repercussions of climate change and the persistent human interference with nature, environmental concerns are now affecting the mental health of most human beings. “Eco-anxiety”, the persistent worry about the future of earth due to the ongoing climate crisis, global warming, and environmental degradation, is very much prevalent today. This paper dives deep into the matter by predominantly focussing on the impact of climate change on Generation Z’s mental health, as they are the upcoming leaders who will be running the world in the near future. Through shedding light on past events that have brought about the current status quo, the paper discusses a brief timeline of climate change and environmental degradation. The latter part of the paper particularly focuses on how the youth is coping with environmental degradation and climate anxiety, and what significance can environmental awareness and education have on guaranteeing them a safe future have then been analysed. After meticulous evaluation, the authors discuss potential solutions that can help relieve the burden youth feel to take care of our precious environment. The subject matter aims to comply with three of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) put forth by the United Nations, namely: SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), and SDG 13 (Climate Action)

Webpage: https://ijpsl.in/index.php/volume-2-issue-2/

Other: https://ijpsl.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Eco-Anxiety-Impact-on-Generation-Zs-Mental-Health-and-the-Contemporary-Significance-of-Environmental-Awareness-and-Education-merged.pdf

Bibliographic details:

Giachino, C., Bollani, L., Truant, E., & Bonadonna, A. (2022). Urban area and nature-based solution: Is this an attractive solution for Generation Z?. Land Use Policy, 112, 105828.

Abstract:

Finding solutions for the careful management of our natural heritage is fundamental to sustaining humanity on the planet. In this sense, nature-based solutions (NBS), which are useful initiatives aimed at addressing socio-environmental challenges to achieve a relatively more natural environment, can be a fundamental tool for reaching this goal in an urban context. However, there is no evidence that having NBS in urban cities could attract the young generations. The present study investigates Generation Z’s interest in NBS and explores the possibility of them considering a city that offers NBS as a possible tourism destination. This study uses different NBS initiatives implemented in the metropolitan area of Turin. Using quantitative approaches to qualitative responses, that is, multiple correspondence analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis, a hierarchical cluster structure was designed and gradually explored to identify main groups of respondents and subsequently deeper partitions. The results show that Generation Z perceives NBS initiatives as important for safeguarding and enhancing the cultural and natural heritage of the urban areas involved, which can improve their touristic and leisure value. This study is particularly relevant since it can help institutions to consider a new approach to stimulating proximity tourism in urban cities and their surroundings, by valorizing NBS as a possible attraction for Generation Z.

Webpage: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837721005512

Dr. Ravit Alfandari conducted her PhD studies at the Department of Social Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), UK and her post-doctoral training at the School of Social Work and the School of Business Administration at the University of Haifa, Israel. She has teaching experience in Israel (at Hadassah Academic College and Ariel University) and the UK (at LSE and Ulster University, Northern Ireland). Today, she holds a lecturer position at the University of Haifa's School of Social Work. She is also a research fellow at the Centre for Research and Study of the Family and the Centre for the Study of Organizations & Human Resources Management, at the University of Haifa. Ravit, is a qualified social worker with solid experience in direct service delivery, programs development and conducting research related to vulnerable children and families. Her empirical investigation focuses on decision-making and risk assessment in the field of child protection. She is a Core Member at COST Action network, multisectoral responses to child abuse and neglect in Europe (Euro-CAN).

After earning her MA in Public Policy from Hebrew University, Danielle completed a doctorate at the University of Texas at Dallas in the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences. Her doctorate focused on the way differences in medical examiner and coroner systems impact mortality statistics in the US. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the National Research and Knowledge Center for Emergency Readiness, at the University of Haifa. Her research interests include emergencies, public health, and research design.

Bibliographic details:

Feitelson, E., Plaut, P., Salzberger, E., Shmueli, D., Altshuler, A., Amir, S., & Ben-Gal, M. (2022). Learning from Others’ Disasters? A Comparative Study of SARS/MERS and COVID-19 Responses in Five Polities. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 74, 102913.

Abstract:

The ability to successfully manage disasters is a function of the extent to which lessons are learned from prior experience. We focus on the extent to which lessons from SARS/MERS have been learned and implemented during the first wave of COVID-19, and the extent to which the source affects governance learning: from a polity's own experience in previous episodes of the same disaster type; from the experience of other polities with regard to the same disaster type; or by cross-hazard learning - transferring lessons learned from experience with other types of disasters. To assess which types of governance learning occurred we analyze the experience of four East Asian polities that were previously affected by SARS/MERS: South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong-Kong. Their experience is compared with that of Israel. Having faced other emergencies but not a pandemic, Israel could have potentially learned from its experience with other emergencies, or from the experience of others with regard to pandemics before the onset of COVID-19. We find that governance learning occurred in the polities that experienced either SARS or MERS, but not cross-hazard or cross-polity learning. The consequences in the 5 polities at the end of the first six months of Covid-19, reflected by the numbers of infected and deaths, on one hand, and by the level of disruption to normal life, on the other, verifies these findings. Research insights point to the importance of modifying governance structures to establish effective emergency institutions and necessary legislation as critical preparation for future unknown emergencies.

Webpage: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.102913

 Bibliographic details:

Feitelson, E., Plaut, P., Salzberger, E., Shmueli, D., Altshuler, A., Ben-Gal, M., Israel, F., Rein-Sapir, Y. & Zaychik, D. (2022). The Effects of COVID-19 on Wellbeing: Evidence from Israel. Sustainability, 14(7), 3750.

Abstract:

Many aspects of wellbeing have been studied in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, studies that measure a comprehensive, multi-faceted conceptualization of wellbeing are rare. Using a broad conceptualization of wellbeing, based on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) wellbeing indicators and a theoretical model of wellbeing developed previously, this study empirically assesses the wellbeing effects of COVID-19 in Israel. A representative sample of the adult population in Israel was surveyed and structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the impacts of the pandemic on a number of wellbeing indicators. Relationships among indicators were also analyzed. The study’s findings highlight the importance of social interactions, economics, mental health, and leisure on wellbeing. The study can be used by policymakers to fully understand the impact of various COVID-19 response policies on the wellbeing of the population.

Webpage: https://doi.org/10.3390/su14073750

Bibliographic details:

Cheek, W., & Chmutina, K. (2022). Measuring Resilience in the Assumed City. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 1-13.

Abstract:

The malleable nature of both the idea of a city and the idea of resilience raises an important question—why measure? Resilience is assumed to be located in the physical infrastructure of specific places or as a quality of the people located there. For disasters, we are often trying to conceptualize, measure, or render legible resilience in physical structures. But what is it that we are trying to measure, and is the idea of a city reflected in these measurements? If cities are organized around something other than resilience, is resilience their natural by-product? What is necessitating the need for increased—and measured—resilience? Using interpretive policy analysis, we explored five well known disaster resilience frameworks (UNDRR’s Making Cities Resilient Campaign, UN-Habitat’s City Resilience Profiling Programme, The World Bank and GFDRR’s Resilient Cities Program, Arup and The Rockefeller Foundation’s City Resilience Index, and The Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities) to identify the working definition of “city” and of “resilience.” We conclude that if the demand for cities to become more resilient is an acknowledgment of the risk produced by globalized urbanization, then the call itself is an indictment of the current state of our cities.

Webpage: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13753-022-00410-9

Bibliographic details

Newman Cohen, Avigail  & Fishhendler, Itay. (2022). An archetype for insurance thresholds for extreme natural events in the agricultural sector. Climate Risk Management, 100434.

Abstract

‏The use of insurance against disasters triggered by natural hazards has become a common mechanism in the agricultural sector. Typical insurance policies, including those in the agricultural sector, specify an event or threshold beyond which insured payments are triggered. However, there is an absence of studies situating agricultural insurance against natural disasters in the wider insurance framework or depicting the range and evolution of thresholds for extreme events in the agricultural sector. As a result, there is no conceptual framework for understanding how a threshold is selected in real life situations. This study comes to address this gap by developing an archetype for threshold selection under conditions of climate mitigation and adaptation uncertainty. To this end, the study first unpacks the concept of insurance thresholds and identifies its evolution over time as well as its main building blocks: insurance realm, primary thresholds, and risk indicators. It then assembles these building blocks into three generic trajectories (climate exposure, location exposure, and sensitivity), each driven by different external and internal variables. Finally, it lays the foundation for treating the topic of insurance threshold as a research agenda.

Webpage: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212096322000419