Dear Colleagues,

Environmental issues are at the center of social concerns because of their effects on human health and well-being. The relationship between individuals and their environment is becoming an object of interest for the sciences, and particularly for psychology. What are the perspectives for understanding the relationships between human behaviour and the environment? How can we deal with current ecological issues, in particular the need to adapt to climate change? The starting point of our approach is the fact that human experience is simply dependent on the environment in which it takes place, that is, not only the material conditions but also the social norms of occupation and the historical evolution of our human society. The climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity have become the most important environmental issues of our time. It is essential to promote the restoration of natural ecosystems as a means of mitigating the causes of climate change and as a defence system against the effects of climate change. There is a consensus around the fact that the destruction of ecosystems further weakens human societies and worsens living conditions in the future.

In this context, psychology—specifically environmental psychology—can provide a solid understanding of the cognitive, affective and behavioural processes around climate-change-adaptive strategies. By taking into account the social and spatial dimensions in the analysis of the individual–environment relationship, environmental psychology provides a new perspective on human action in relation to environmental issues. It provides a better understanding of decision-making processes and of the actions underlying the development of adaptation strategies, as well as an understanding of the factors that prevent or promote ecological behaviour and particularly behaviour that protects our biodiversity. Finally, environmental psychology also provides new knowledge on the effects of natural environments on well-being, health and social cohesion.

Indeed, the need to adapt our behaviours and our cities to these challenges is increasingly apparent. The need to reduce the impact of human activity on the climate is one of the main pillars in facing the current climate and environmental challenges. In this sense, we take an interest in environmental concerns and the implementation of eco-responsible behaviour. A number of psychological dimensions have been identified in the environmental psychology literature to explain the implementation of pro-environment behaviours. Firstly, there are the observed so-called ecological behaviours, frugality and austerity behaviours or altruism and solidarity behaviours. Then, there are the predictors of these behaviours, such as future orientation, environmental norms, environmental emotions (ex. eco-anxiety), environmental beliefs (ex. climate scepticism) and feelings of competence/efficiency. Finally, some research focuses on the psychological repercussions of these pro-ecological behaviours in terms of happiness, psychological restoration, spirituality or well-being. We are particularly interested in the role played by a fundamental psychological dimension, that is, connection with Nature, as a variable that facilitates a particular experience with the environment, generating concern about its state and providing an increase in psychological well-being. Indeed, research shows that a strong connection with Nature is associated with greater engagement in ecological behaviour.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Oscar Navarro
Prof. Dr. César Tapia Fonllem
Prof. Dr. Karine Weiss
Guest Editors

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• pro-environmental behaviours
• frugality
• environmental norms
• environmental beliefs
• connection with Nature
• decision making
• sustainable behaviour
• environmental concerns
• eco-anxiety
• climate scepticism