Thesis:
‘Explore and Understand How Young People in Aotearoa New Zealand Think and Feel about Climate Change’
The proposed research aims to explore and understand young people's emotional and cognitive responses to climate change in Aotearoa NZ, with a specific focus on the underrepresented voice of rangatahi Māori. Despite international evidence indicating a rapid rise in climate-related distress among young people, little is known about the specific impacts within Aotearoa NZ. This project seeks to fill this gap by gathering data on the effects of climate change on the mental health, and social and emotional wellbeing of young people, exploring how these are influenced by diverse worldviews and lived realities. The research aims to identify effective strategies that support the mental, social and emotional well-being of young people facing climate risks in transformative and culturally responsive ways. The pathways to impact include informing policies and interventions that ultimately foster resilience, adaptive capacity and well-being in young people in the face of climate change.
Supervisors: Professor Don Hine, Professor Bronwyn Hayward, Dr Lindsey Te Ata o Tū MacDonald (Ngāi Tūāhuriri, Ngāi Tahu) and Dr Claudia Schneider
