Emotional responses to the ecological crisis : insights from Malta

Abstract

The ecological crisis is a global phenomenon with profound implications for individual well-being, yet its specific impacts on mental health within the Maltese context remain understudied. This mixedmethods study investigated the emotional, cognitive, and behavioural experiences of 243 Maltese adults in response to the ecological crisis and climate change. Through a quantitative survey, participants reported on their levels of anxiety about seven environmental events and six personal impacts. Additionally, they responded to an openended qualitative question soliciting their immediate associations with climate change. Findings revealed that more than half of the participants often or almost always felt anxious about deforestation, ocean pollution, resource depletion, and their personal waste production. Emerging from content analysis of the open-ended question, participants predominantly associated climate change with environmental phenomena like "global warming" and "extreme weather", while emotional responses, such as "hopelessness" and "anxiety", were less frequently cited. Despite limitations in generalisability, this study underscores the importance of recognising the mental health implications of the ecological crisis and climate change. While participants demonstrated awareness of environmental events and personal impacts, there is a need for a more explicit link between environmental changes and emotional responses to inspire hope and resilience, and spur action in the face of environmental challenges in Malta and beyond.