A. Vercammen, S. K. Yatirajula, Mercian Daniel, Sandeep Bhupendra Maharaj, Mike H Campbell, N. Greaves, R. Guinto, J. J. B. Aruta, Criselle Angeline Peñamante, Britt Wray, E. Lawrance
As climate change continues unabated, research is increasingly focused on capturing and quantifying the lesser-known psychological responses and mental health implications of this humanitarian and environmental crisis. There has been a particular interest in the experiences of young people, who are more vulnerable for a range of reasons, including their developmental stage, the high rates of mental health conditions among this population, and their relative lack of agency to address climate threats. The different geographic and sociocultural settings in which people are coming of age afford certain opportunities and present distinct challenges and exposures to climate hazards. Understanding the diversity of lived experiences is vitally important for informing evidence-based, locally led psychosocial support and social and climate policies. In this Project Report we describe the design and implementation of the “Changing Worlds” study, focusing on our experiences and personal reflections as a transdisciplinary collaboration representing the UK, India, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados, the Philippines, and the USA. The project was conceived within the planetary health paradigm, aimed at characterizing and quantifying the impacts of human-mediated environmental systems changes on youth mental health and wellbeing. With input from local youth representatives, we designed and delivered a series of locally adapted surveys asking young people about their mental health and wellbeing, as well as their thoughts, emotions, and perceived agency in relation to the climate crisis and the global COVID-19 pandemic. This project report outlines the principles that guided the study design and describes the conceptual and practical hurdles we navigated as a distributed and interdisciplinary research collaboration working in different institutional, social, and research governance settings. Finally, we highlight lessons learned, specify our recommendations for other collaborative research projects in this space, and touch upon the next steps for our work. This project explicitly balances context sensitivity and the need for quantitative, globally comparable data on how youth are responding to and coping with environmental change, inspiring a new vision for a global community of practice on mental health in climate change.
{"title":"Investigating the Mental Health Impacts of Climate Change in Youth: Design and Implementation of the International Changing Worlds Study","authors":"A. Vercammen, S. K. Yatirajula, Mercian Daniel, Sandeep Bhupendra Maharaj, Mike H Campbell, N. Greaves, R. Guinto, J. J. B. Aruta, Criselle Angeline Peñamante, Britt Wray, E. Lawrance","doi":"10.3390/challe14030034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/challe14030034","url":null,"abstract":"As climate change continues unabated, research is increasingly focused on capturing and quantifying the lesser-known psychological responses and mental health implications of this humanitarian and environmental crisis. There has been a particular interest in the experiences of young people, who are more vulnerable for a range of reasons, including their developmental stage, the high rates of mental health conditions among this population, and their relative lack of agency to address climate threats. The different geographic and sociocultural settings in which people are coming of age afford certain opportunities and present distinct challenges and exposures to climate hazards. Understanding the diversity of lived experiences is vitally important for informing evidence-based, locally led psychosocial support and social and climate policies. In this Project Report we describe the design and implementation of the “Changing Worlds” study, focusing on our experiences and personal reflections as a transdisciplinary collaboration representing the UK, India, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados, the Philippines, and the USA. The project was conceived within the planetary health paradigm, aimed at characterizing and quantifying the impacts of human-mediated environmental systems changes on youth mental health and wellbeing. With input from local youth representatives, we designed and delivered a series of locally adapted surveys asking young people about their mental health and wellbeing, as well as their thoughts, emotions, and perceived agency in relation to the climate crisis and the global COVID-19 pandemic. This project report outlines the principles that guided the study design and describes the conceptual and practical hurdles we navigated as a distributed and interdisciplinary research collaboration working in different institutional, social, and research governance settings. Finally, we highlight lessons learned, specify our recommendations for other collaborative research projects in this space, and touch upon the next steps for our work. This project explicitly balances context sensitivity and the need for quantitative, globally comparable data on how youth are responding to and coping with environmental change, inspiring a new vision for a global community of practice on mental health in climate change.","PeriodicalId":91008,"journal":{"name":"Challenges","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83689547","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
As the number of refugees in the world is increasing and it is known that social inequality negatively impacts mental health, it is important to study integration policies, such as labour market measures. In this article, the strategic interventions of the Swedish Public Employment Service are analysed to determine how the agency’s management handled and implemented the legal changes in the new support document for its case workers. The focus is on the effects of the changes in the legal text that transferred the responsibility for establishment initiatives for newly arrived migrants to the agency and, as a result, changed the conditions for newly arrived refugees’ mental health in the new establishment programme. Eight people representing different management functions at the agency were interviewed. The results show that the intention in the new programme to view newly arrived refugees in the same way as all other unemployed people, rather than as a special category, has meant that less attention is paid to the refugees’ mental health, and the opportunities for the agency’s street-level bureaucrats to help clients have decreased. In the face of predicted growing numbers of people having to abandon their homes due to conflicts and climate changes, governmental strategies such as these needs to be revisited in order for societies worldwide to be better prepared for that challenge.
{"title":"Legal Conditions for Refugees’ Mental Health: Implications of Legislative Changes in Programs for Newly Arrived Refugees in Sweden","authors":"David Gunnarsson, Sofia Larsson, Linda Vikdahl","doi":"10.3390/challe14030032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/challe14030032","url":null,"abstract":"As the number of refugees in the world is increasing and it is known that social inequality negatively impacts mental health, it is important to study integration policies, such as labour market measures. In this article, the strategic interventions of the Swedish Public Employment Service are analysed to determine how the agency’s management handled and implemented the legal changes in the new support document for its case workers. The focus is on the effects of the changes in the legal text that transferred the responsibility for establishment initiatives for newly arrived migrants to the agency and, as a result, changed the conditions for newly arrived refugees’ mental health in the new establishment programme. Eight people representing different management functions at the agency were interviewed. The results show that the intention in the new programme to view newly arrived refugees in the same way as all other unemployed people, rather than as a special category, has meant that less attention is paid to the refugees’ mental health, and the opportunities for the agency’s street-level bureaucrats to help clients have decreased. In the face of predicted growing numbers of people having to abandon their homes due to conflicts and climate changes, governmental strategies such as these needs to be revisited in order for societies worldwide to be better prepared for that challenge.","PeriodicalId":91008,"journal":{"name":"Challenges","volume":"92 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77463465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
R. Kort, J. Pivor, J. Anto, Ann Bergsma, P. Blankestijn, Olette Bollen, Egid M. van Bree, J. Browne, Judith de Bruin, Jasper Buikx, C. Cadeddu, J. Cole, F. Costabile, Aimee de Croon, A. Depoux, Ian Fussell, Bernhard Goodwin, Arte Groenewegen, Milo Grootjen, J. Halonen, R. Hämäläinen, P. ten Have, Martin Herrmann, P. de Heer, G. van Heteren, Jopke Janmaat, M. Jevtić, H. Mulder, Nathalie Lambrecht, V. Lionetti, Camilla Alay Llamas, Maarten Manten, P. Martens, A. Moreno, Francine Müller, C. O’Callaghan-Gordo, Sara Muller, Cecilia Manosa Nyblon, J. Mattijsen, H. Ossebaard, Karlien Pijnenborg, N. Postma, Lisa M. Pörtner, M. Prass, L. Rathod, Alexandre Robert, A. Rochfort, A. Roig, Anja Schoch, Eva-Maria Schwienhorst-Stich, Ralf Klemens Stappen, I. Stegeman, Jorieke van der Stelt, P. Stenvinkel, Rembrandt Sutorius, Valesca Venhof, Martine Veenman, L. Villani, Maike Voss, M. D. de Vries, Laura van der Zande, Andreea Zotinca, Arnau Queralt-Bassa, S. Myers
A new network of over 72 organizations from 12 countries was activated during a convening at ARTIS in Amsterdam on 26–27 September 2022. Representatives are aligned with the transdisciplinary field and social movement of Planetary Health, which analyzes and addresses the impacts of human disruptions to natural systems on human health and all life on Earth. The new European Planetary Health Hub consists of organizations from various sectors, including universities, healthcare, youth, business, and civil society. The Convening, co-organized by the Planetary Health Alliance (PHA), the European Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils Network (EEAC), and Natura Artis Magistra (ARTIS), aimed to develop Planetary Health Working Groups for Education, Policy Engagement, Research, and Movement Building. The Convening resulted in an outline for each of the Working Group’s aims, visions, missions, priorities, and activities, and set the framework for sustaining their activities in the future through the establishment of the European Planetary Health Hub Secretariat in the Netherlands. The Hub members shared lessons learned, built relationships, and developed artwork-inspired perspectives on Planetary Health. In conclusion, the Convening led to the establishment of a strong European foundation to contribute to the transformations needed for sustainable, just, and equitable societies that flourish within the limits of our ecosystems.
{"title":"Outcomes from the First European Planetary Health Hub Convening at ARTIS in Amsterdam","authors":"R. Kort, J. Pivor, J. Anto, Ann Bergsma, P. Blankestijn, Olette Bollen, Egid M. van Bree, J. Browne, Judith de Bruin, Jasper Buikx, C. Cadeddu, J. Cole, F. Costabile, Aimee de Croon, A. Depoux, Ian Fussell, Bernhard Goodwin, Arte Groenewegen, Milo Grootjen, J. Halonen, R. Hämäläinen, P. ten Have, Martin Herrmann, P. de Heer, G. van Heteren, Jopke Janmaat, M. Jevtić, H. Mulder, Nathalie Lambrecht, V. Lionetti, Camilla Alay Llamas, Maarten Manten, P. Martens, A. Moreno, Francine Müller, C. O’Callaghan-Gordo, Sara Muller, Cecilia Manosa Nyblon, J. Mattijsen, H. Ossebaard, Karlien Pijnenborg, N. Postma, Lisa M. Pörtner, M. Prass, L. Rathod, Alexandre Robert, A. Rochfort, A. Roig, Anja Schoch, Eva-Maria Schwienhorst-Stich, Ralf Klemens Stappen, I. Stegeman, Jorieke van der Stelt, P. Stenvinkel, Rembrandt Sutorius, Valesca Venhof, Martine Veenman, L. Villani, Maike Voss, M. D. de Vries, Laura van der Zande, Andreea Zotinca, Arnau Queralt-Bassa, S. Myers","doi":"10.3390/challe14030033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/challe14030033","url":null,"abstract":"A new network of over 72 organizations from 12 countries was activated during a convening at ARTIS in Amsterdam on 26–27 September 2022. Representatives are aligned with the transdisciplinary field and social movement of Planetary Health, which analyzes and addresses the impacts of human disruptions to natural systems on human health and all life on Earth. The new European Planetary Health Hub consists of organizations from various sectors, including universities, healthcare, youth, business, and civil society. The Convening, co-organized by the Planetary Health Alliance (PHA), the European Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils Network (EEAC), and Natura Artis Magistra (ARTIS), aimed to develop Planetary Health Working Groups for Education, Policy Engagement, Research, and Movement Building. The Convening resulted in an outline for each of the Working Group’s aims, visions, missions, priorities, and activities, and set the framework for sustaining their activities in the future through the establishment of the European Planetary Health Hub Secretariat in the Netherlands. The Hub members shared lessons learned, built relationships, and developed artwork-inspired perspectives on Planetary Health. In conclusion, the Convening led to the establishment of a strong European foundation to contribute to the transformations needed for sustainable, just, and equitable societies that flourish within the limits of our ecosystems.","PeriodicalId":91008,"journal":{"name":"Challenges","volume":"330 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80492923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Healthy social connections—belongingness and relatedness to others—are considered to be basic human needs [...]
健康的社会关系——归属感和与他人的关系——被认为是人类的基本需求。
{"title":"Lost Connections: Why the Growing Crisis of Loneliness Matters for Planetary Health","authors":"S. Prescott","doi":"10.3390/challe14030031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/challe14030031","url":null,"abstract":"Healthy social connections—belongingness and relatedness to others—are considered to be basic human needs [...]","PeriodicalId":91008,"journal":{"name":"Challenges","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87769005","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Deinstitutionalization of psychiatric care has been associated with increased homelessness, crime, and suicide, partly owing to insufficient, adequate, and accessible community resources. Therefore, appropriate resource placement is a key deinstitutionalization issue. The study’s aim was to identify residential group homes for people with mental illness in Kochi Prefecture, Japan, and the social resources necessary for social reintegration using a geographic information system (GIS). Everyday living areas (ELAs), as defined by the Japanese Community-Based Integrated Care System for People with Mental Illness (CICSM), were assessed using ELA location simulations. We used GIS to determine the spatial distribution of group homes, visiting nursing stations, psychiatric hospitals, daycare centers, and employment support offices. Following the CICSM definition of ELAs, we identified areas that people with mental illness could reach within 30 min on foot/by bicycle and counted the number of social resources in them. The ELA location simulation results suggest that policymakers should avoid uniform distribution of ELAs according to the CICSM definition. Establishing ELAs in suburban areas requires careful consideration of the available community resources, number of people with mental illness, existing support systems, and feasibility of the location.
{"title":"Evaluation of Everyday Living Areas for Deinstitutionalized Community-Living People with Mental Illness","authors":"Yuri Nakai, Hisao Nakai","doi":"10.3390/challe14030030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/challe14030030","url":null,"abstract":"Deinstitutionalization of psychiatric care has been associated with increased homelessness, crime, and suicide, partly owing to insufficient, adequate, and accessible community resources. Therefore, appropriate resource placement is a key deinstitutionalization issue. The study’s aim was to identify residential group homes for people with mental illness in Kochi Prefecture, Japan, and the social resources necessary for social reintegration using a geographic information system (GIS). Everyday living areas (ELAs), as defined by the Japanese Community-Based Integrated Care System for People with Mental Illness (CICSM), were assessed using ELA location simulations. We used GIS to determine the spatial distribution of group homes, visiting nursing stations, psychiatric hospitals, daycare centers, and employment support offices. Following the CICSM definition of ELAs, we identified areas that people with mental illness could reach within 30 min on foot/by bicycle and counted the number of social resources in them. The ELA location simulation results suggest that policymakers should avoid uniform distribution of ELAs according to the CICSM definition. Establishing ELAs in suburban areas requires careful consideration of the available community resources, number of people with mental illness, existing support systems, and feasibility of the location.","PeriodicalId":91008,"journal":{"name":"Challenges","volume":"44 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82654821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
G. Chipili, A. van Graan, C. Lombard, E. V. Niekerk
Fish is a good source of Animal Source Proteins (ASP). Families from low-income countries with limited access to other animal source proteins can utilize it to improve the nutrition status of infants and young children. The objective of the study was to assess if fish fed during the early complementary feeding period had an effect on improved head circumference (HC) and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) among infants aged 6–7 months. A randomised controlled trial was conducted from April 2019 to January 2020 in the Samfya district, Luapula Province, Zambia. The infants (238) were randomised to either the fish group (intervention) or the sorghum group (control). Every week for a period of 6 months, infants received seven sachets of fish powder and sorghum powder, respectively. Compliance was also monitored during the fish powder distribution. The head circumference measurements were conducted at baseline and once each follow-up month for a period of six months while the MUAC measurements were conducted twice (at baseline and endline). Using statistical software for data science (STATA) (version 16), a linear mixed effect model was used to analyse the data. The results showed that fish improved head circumference for age z score (HCZ) by 0.53 (95% CI: 0.23–0.82), p-value < 0.001, and MUAC by 0.36 (95% CI: 0.13–0.59) p-value < 0.002. Therefore, fish can be used as the main source of protein in complementary foods for infants and young children in low-income communities with limited access to meat.
{"title":"Fish Consumption Improved Head Circumference and Mid-Upper Arm Circumference among Infants in Zambia: A Randomised Controlled Trial","authors":"G. Chipili, A. van Graan, C. Lombard, E. V. Niekerk","doi":"10.3390/challe14020029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/challe14020029","url":null,"abstract":"Fish is a good source of Animal Source Proteins (ASP). Families from low-income countries with limited access to other animal source proteins can utilize it to improve the nutrition status of infants and young children. The objective of the study was to assess if fish fed during the early complementary feeding period had an effect on improved head circumference (HC) and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) among infants aged 6–7 months. A randomised controlled trial was conducted from April 2019 to January 2020 in the Samfya district, Luapula Province, Zambia. The infants (238) were randomised to either the fish group (intervention) or the sorghum group (control). Every week for a period of 6 months, infants received seven sachets of fish powder and sorghum powder, respectively. Compliance was also monitored during the fish powder distribution. The head circumference measurements were conducted at baseline and once each follow-up month for a period of six months while the MUAC measurements were conducted twice (at baseline and endline). Using statistical software for data science (STATA) (version 16), a linear mixed effect model was used to analyse the data. The results showed that fish improved head circumference for age z score (HCZ) by 0.53 (95% CI: 0.23–0.82), p-value < 0.001, and MUAC by 0.36 (95% CI: 0.13–0.59) p-value < 0.002. Therefore, fish can be used as the main source of protein in complementary foods for infants and young children in low-income communities with limited access to meat.","PeriodicalId":91008,"journal":{"name":"Challenges","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81197770","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Henrik Haller, Lesya Pronoza, M. Dyer, Maya Ahlgren, Louise Bergqvist, Ginnette Flores-Carmenate, A. Jonsson
Soil pollution is a threat to food security and ecological and human health. Cd is one of the most common pollutants in agricultural soil and, due its human toxicity, one of the most hazardous. Amaranth is a documented hyperaccumulator of Cd and other pollutants, and it is commonly grown in Asia and South America. A considerable amount of amaranth is grown in suboptimal conditions, including nutrient-poor acidic soils. The objective of this experimental study was to examine the capacity of Amaranthus hypochondriacus to extract Cd from a nutrient-poor, acidic substrate that was spiked with different concentrations of Cd (2 and 20 mg kg−1 dw) during a period of 180 days. The plants grown in the substrate that was spiked with 20 mg Cd kg−1 dw did not develop into mature plants, but the plants grown in substrate that was spiked with 2 mg Cd kg−1 dw extracted a significant amount of Cd from the substrate by accumulating it into the above-ground biomass. The Cd levels varied from 113 to 176 mg kg−1 in the stems at the four measuring points, and from 64 to 94 mg kg−1 in the leaves. The concentrations in the plants increased with time and reached a maximal concentration of 176 ± 45 mg kg−1 dw for stems and 94 ± 41 mg kg−1 dw for leaves after 180 days. The mean bioaccumulation factor in the plants was 86 ± 15 after 90 days, 72 ± 12 after 120 days, 105 ± 37 after 150 days, and 99 ± 31 after 180 days, which confirms the previously reported capacity of Amaranthus hypochondriacus to hyperaccumulate Cd. Amaranthus hypochondriacus may, thus, be used to improve ecological and human health by remediating moderately Cd-polluted soils, even in nutrient-poor acidic soils.
土壤污染对粮食安全、生态和人类健康构成威胁。镉是农业土壤中最常见的污染物之一，由于其对人体的毒性，是最危险的污染物之一。紫红花是镉和其他污染物的高蓄积物，它通常生长在亚洲和南美洲。相当数量的苋菜生长在不理想的条件下，包括营养贫乏的酸性土壤。本实验研究的目的是研究在180天的时间里，苋菜从营养贫乏的酸性底物中提取镉的能力，这些底物分别添加了不同浓度的镉(2和20 mg kg - 1 dw)。在20 mg Cd kg - 1 dw的培养基中生长的植物没有发育成成熟的植物，但在2 mg Cd kg - 1 dw的培养基中生长的植物通过积累到地上生物量中，从基质中提取了大量的Cd。4个测点茎部Cd含量为113 ~ 176 mg kg - 1，叶部Cd含量为64 ~ 94 mg kg - 1。随着时间的推移，其在植株中的浓度逐渐增加，在180 d后，茎部和叶片的浓度分别为176±45 mg kg - 1 dw和94±41 mg kg - 1 dw。90 d后植物的平均生物积累因子为86±15,120 d后为72±12,150 d后为105±37,180 d后为99±31，这证实了此前报道的苋属植物超积累Cd的能力。因此，苋属植物可以通过修复中度Cd污染土壤来改善生态和人类健康，即使在养分贫乏的酸性土壤中也是如此。
{"title":"Phytoremediation of Heavy-Metal-Contaminated Soils: Capacity of Amaranth Plants to Extract Cadmium from Nutrient-Poor, Acidic Substrates","authors":"Henrik Haller, Lesya Pronoza, M. Dyer, Maya Ahlgren, Louise Bergqvist, Ginnette Flores-Carmenate, A. Jonsson","doi":"10.3390/challe14020028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/challe14020028","url":null,"abstract":"Soil pollution is a threat to food security and ecological and human health. Cd is one of the most common pollutants in agricultural soil and, due its human toxicity, one of the most hazardous. Amaranth is a documented hyperaccumulator of Cd and other pollutants, and it is commonly grown in Asia and South America. A considerable amount of amaranth is grown in suboptimal conditions, including nutrient-poor acidic soils. The objective of this experimental study was to examine the capacity of Amaranthus hypochondriacus to extract Cd from a nutrient-poor, acidic substrate that was spiked with different concentrations of Cd (2 and 20 mg kg−1 dw) during a period of 180 days. The plants grown in the substrate that was spiked with 20 mg Cd kg−1 dw did not develop into mature plants, but the plants grown in substrate that was spiked with 2 mg Cd kg−1 dw extracted a significant amount of Cd from the substrate by accumulating it into the above-ground biomass. The Cd levels varied from 113 to 176 mg kg−1 in the stems at the four measuring points, and from 64 to 94 mg kg−1 in the leaves. The concentrations in the plants increased with time and reached a maximal concentration of 176 ± 45 mg kg−1 dw for stems and 94 ± 41 mg kg−1 dw for leaves after 180 days. The mean bioaccumulation factor in the plants was 86 ± 15 after 90 days, 72 ± 12 after 120 days, 105 ± 37 after 150 days, and 99 ± 31 after 180 days, which confirms the previously reported capacity of Amaranthus hypochondriacus to hyperaccumulate Cd. Amaranthus hypochondriacus may, thus, be used to improve ecological and human health by remediating moderately Cd-polluted soils, even in nutrient-poor acidic soils.","PeriodicalId":91008,"journal":{"name":"Challenges","volume":"74 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75742711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bitcoin has been embraced by many individuals with strong right-leaning views on freedom, property rights, and self-sovereignty. Among left-leaning progressives, Bitcoin is often quickly dismissed as irrelevant or a major source of carbon emissions. Bitcoin seems, however, to be full of surprises. A rapidly advancing body of anecdotal evidence suggests that its adoption may affect causes important to progressives, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, accelerating electrification of economies, alleviating poverty, and supporting human rights for people living under political repression, even though scientific confirmation is lagging. In this paper, I highlight how a Pragmatist perspective can be applied to Bitcoin, a technological and financial innovation that may well reshape how humans perceive and use money, preserve wealth, and structure governance. I first cover Bitcoin’s technological and financial fundamentals and some core concepts of Pragmatism, before outlining how Bitcoin might surprise progressives. Pragmatism offers a philosophical and political grounding for left-leaning “progressive Bitcoiners” who prioritize environmental and social well-being and view inclusive deliberative democracy as the preferred form of governance.
{"title":"Bitcoin Is Full of Surprises","authors":"M. Rudd","doi":"10.3390/challe14020027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/challe14020027","url":null,"abstract":"Bitcoin has been embraced by many individuals with strong right-leaning views on freedom, property rights, and self-sovereignty. Among left-leaning progressives, Bitcoin is often quickly dismissed as irrelevant or a major source of carbon emissions. Bitcoin seems, however, to be full of surprises. A rapidly advancing body of anecdotal evidence suggests that its adoption may affect causes important to progressives, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, accelerating electrification of economies, alleviating poverty, and supporting human rights for people living under political repression, even though scientific confirmation is lagging. In this paper, I highlight how a Pragmatist perspective can be applied to Bitcoin, a technological and financial innovation that may well reshape how humans perceive and use money, preserve wealth, and structure governance. I first cover Bitcoin’s technological and financial fundamentals and some core concepts of Pragmatism, before outlining how Bitcoin might surprise progressives. Pragmatism offers a philosophical and political grounding for left-leaning “progressive Bitcoiners” who prioritize environmental and social well-being and view inclusive deliberative democracy as the preferred form of governance.","PeriodicalId":91008,"journal":{"name":"Challenges","volume":"49 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78518967","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
While there is growing optimism for inner transformations to catalyse systemic shifts towards more sustainable ways of being, no study so far has attempted to assess how well current interventions for inner development address core requirements for collective wellbeing. In this article, we apply a novel assessment framework to examine how mindfulness-based interventions address inner and outer sustainability criteria during a global health emergency. This inquiry informs a growing field of study concerned with leveraging inner transformations for systemic shifts towards sustainability progress. Using three prominent online mindfulness-based offerings as a case study, we demonstrate that mindfulness-based interventions have a broad range of potential desirable to detrimental implications for social and biophysical systems. We conclude by discussing how normative conceptions of inner interventions might be contextualised anew to effectively support more viable, just, and inclusive transformations towards long-term viability.
{"title":"How Do Mindfulness Offerings Support Inner–Outer Sustainability Progress? A Sustainability Assessment of Online Mindfulness Interventions","authors":"K. J. Cooper, Robert B. Gibson","doi":"10.3390/challe14020026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/challe14020026","url":null,"abstract":"While there is growing optimism for inner transformations to catalyse systemic shifts towards more sustainable ways of being, no study so far has attempted to assess how well current interventions for inner development address core requirements for collective wellbeing. In this article, we apply a novel assessment framework to examine how mindfulness-based interventions address inner and outer sustainability criteria during a global health emergency. This inquiry informs a growing field of study concerned with leveraging inner transformations for systemic shifts towards sustainability progress. Using three prominent online mindfulness-based offerings as a case study, we demonstrate that mindfulness-based interventions have a broad range of potential desirable to detrimental implications for social and biophysical systems. We conclude by discussing how normative conceptions of inner interventions might be contextualised anew to effectively support more viable, just, and inclusive transformations towards long-term viability.","PeriodicalId":91008,"journal":{"name":"Challenges","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87165356","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Change Starts Within is the welcome title to the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) toolkit. The tools are resources to support the inner growth of individuals and organizations committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This reflection article emerged from reviewing my earlier experiences in inner development while collaborating in the development of the IDGs. Years of continuing inner growth involved going through the liminal stage several times. Evolution is ongoing. Liminality has been conceptualized through different ways of embodying knowing by anthropologists, phenomenologists, psychologists, philosophers, scientists, and spiritual teachers, among others working in transformational processes. Through a lived experience approach, I explore my relationship with the liminal stage. Learning and practicing the “unseen” inner muscle leads to becoming “sensitive” to the subtle qualities. It involves perceiving the world through sensorial qualities, which leads to a conscious action to purposefully commit to what lies along the path to sustainable humanity. At the same time, I notice the limitations for understanding the language of the inner world. The inner world communicates through dynamic manifestations of the lived experience, and when conceptualized in a logical and structured way, it constrains how the animacy of the inner being can be described. The invitation to understand spaces of inner transformation in liminality is to learn to manifest the state of being. The effects of understanding inner development accelerate wisdom and human evolution.
{"title":"Liminality: Change Starts Within","authors":"Vivianna Rodriguez Carreon","doi":"10.3390/challe14020025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/challe14020025","url":null,"abstract":"Change Starts Within is the welcome title to the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) toolkit. The tools are resources to support the inner growth of individuals and organizations committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This reflection article emerged from reviewing my earlier experiences in inner development while collaborating in the development of the IDGs. Years of continuing inner growth involved going through the liminal stage several times. Evolution is ongoing. Liminality has been conceptualized through different ways of embodying knowing by anthropologists, phenomenologists, psychologists, philosophers, scientists, and spiritual teachers, among others working in transformational processes. Through a lived experience approach, I explore my relationship with the liminal stage. Learning and practicing the “unseen” inner muscle leads to becoming “sensitive” to the subtle qualities. It involves perceiving the world through sensorial qualities, which leads to a conscious action to purposefully commit to what lies along the path to sustainable humanity. At the same time, I notice the limitations for understanding the language of the inner world. The inner world communicates through dynamic manifestations of the lived experience, and when conceptualized in a logical and structured way, it constrains how the animacy of the inner being can be described. The invitation to understand spaces of inner transformation in liminality is to learn to manifest the state of being. The effects of understanding inner development accelerate wisdom and human evolution.","PeriodicalId":91008,"journal":{"name":"Challenges","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81635637","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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