Ecological Perspective on Sustainable Human Well-Being

1. Introduction

In an era characterized by unprecedented environmental challenges, human behavior exerts an increasingly significant impact on the Earth’s ecosystems. Recent changes, unparalleled in the past few centuries to millennia [1], have been both rapid and increasingly intense. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Report 2023 asserts that the 2030 Agenda represents the most explicit blueprint for humanity’s highest aspirations. However, due to the effects of war, conflicts, and public health crises, such goals risk becoming unattainable [2].

As highlighted in the United Nations’ report, sustainable development and human well-being are influenced by multiple factors, including public events, the ecological environment, and social stability and development. A study encompassing 30 countries found that common illnesses, life events, and environmental threats significantly affect individuals’ mental health [3]. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the public’s psychological well-being faced tremendous challenges, with prolonged social isolation leading to increased levels of anxiety [4]. In such contexts, people are more focused on addressing resource shortages and managing infection risks, leaving little energy to engage in sustainable behaviors. At the societal level, panic and rejection further contribute to the stigmatization of already infected or high-risk groups, exacerbating social divisions. The individuals stigmatized due to diseases such as COVID-19 and AIDS experience significant mental health challenges, including stress, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination not only exacerbate these mental health issues but also require additional efforts and resource investment [5,6]. Consequently, these factors become barriers to the development and maintenance of sustainable human well-being [7]. Lastly, from an ecological environmental perspective, the multifaceted and interrelated risks caused by extreme weather events, the spread of infectious diseases, and insecure food, water, and economic resources impose heavy burdens on the most vulnerable communities. Through its interactions with various concurrent and interacting health risks, climate change threatens the advancements achieved over the years in public health and sustainable development [8].

In summary, individuals’ perceptions and cognitions, and the resulting social factors and social attitudes, impact well-being. This Special Issue focuses on exploring the influencing factors and mechanisms of human sustainable well-being from an ecological perspective. Through multidimensional and multidisciplinary perspectives, it systematically examines the complex relationships between human behavior and environmental changes, providing insights to enhance sustainable well-being. The following paragraphs offer a brief overview of these articles. It should be noted that this Editorial does not provide a detailed analysis or interpretation of each article but instead presents a logically structured summary intended to inspire further exploration.

2. Article Overview

Table 1. Analysis of the contributions published in this Special Issue.

No.	Author	Title	Purpose	Views
1	Kurt and Akdur	Under What Conditions Does Climate Change Worry Contribute to Climate Action in Turkey: What Moderates This Relationship?	This study examines how concern about climate change correlates with climate action, analyzing factors that drive individual behavioral changes. Its aim is to offer empirical data for crafting effective public policies and improving climate adaptation strategies.	1976
2	Yang R et al.	Research on Cognition and Adaptation to Climate Risks among Inland Northwest Chinese Residents	This study explores how Xi’an residents adapt to climate change, examining the mechanisms behind their behaviors. The goal is to develop evidence-based strategies to enhance residents’ quality of life and resilience to climate change.	1611
3	Huang B et al.	Thermal Comfort and Restorative Benefits of Waterfront Green Spaces for College Students in Hot and Humid Regions	This study uses empirical research to understand how thermal conditions in waterfront green spaces influence university students’ physiological and psychological recovery. The results guide urban designers in enhancing microclimates for sustainable health benefits.	1266
4	Mason et al.	Environmental Justice and Social Work: A Study across Practice Settings in Three U.S. States	This study surveys U.S. interstate social workers to evaluate how environmental disputes affect their work hours and challenges. The goal is to use these data to improve social work education and resource allocation. It aims to use these data to inform the development of social work education and resource allocation.	2642
5	Hou	Sustainable and Collaborative Health Promotion in Urban Communities: Practical Implementation and Outcomes Based on Community Capital	This study aims to investigate how community capital supports urban health promotion and sustainable development by enabling urban communities to utilize resources more efficiently, enhancing residents’ quality of life, and achieving the objectives of health and sustainability.	873
6	Li L et al.	The Impact of Virtual Immersive Public Art on the Restorative Experience of Urban Residents	This research explores how virtual immersive public art influences urban residents’ psychological recovery. Using theoretical and empirical approaches, it shows how this art can improve urban living quality and offers planning recommendations.	4141

summarizes the submissions in this Special Issue. The following four articles mainly explore the relationships between climate change, the natural ecological environment, and human behavior.

In their article, Kurt and Akdur explore how climate change worry translates into action, analyzing data from 1136 respondents in seven regions in Türkiye. Using frequency analysis, moderating variable analysis, and logistic regression, they pinpoint climate change concern as a key driver for mitigation efforts. The study confirms that concern about climate change significantly motivates action. Climate change knowledge acts as a moderator in this dynamic, where knowledge alone does not directly spur action; instead, it requires the catalyst of concern. The research also considers variables like types of climate action, personal experiences, and mental health, revealing that personal experiences and gender influence how concern leads to action. People are more likely to engage in actions they perceive as controllable and immediate. The authors suggest fostering a long-term social norm to encourage sustained personal climate action.

Yang et al.’s article delves into how climate risk perceptions influence individual cognition and adaptive behaviors, based on a survey of 719 participants in Xi’an, China. The findings show that many attribute climate change to natural causes, with perceptions varying by age and education. Over half of the respondents acknowledge the significant impact of extreme weather on daily life, yet nearly half feel unprepared to handle these risks, affecting their mental well-being. Regression analyses highlight that age and education shape beliefs about climate change and risk perception. Gender, age, and education also determine sensitivity to climate risks, while gender and income influence adaptive capacity and public adaptation measures. The authors recommend using big data analytics and adaptive infrastructure to reduce climate risks and enhance adaptation strategies.

In the third article of this Special Issue, Huang et al. investigate the impact of waterfront green spaces on physical and mental health amid rising extreme temperatures. Surveying 640 university students in Guangzhou, the study uses both questionnaires and physiological measurements to assess thermal comfort and recovery in different waterfront settings. Their results indicate that high temperatures hinder psychological recovery, but natural elements in waterfront spaces promote relaxation and reduce heart rates. The study also finds that various waterfront environments have distinct effects on recovery: expansive water views enhance attention, while increased vegetation improves thermal comfort. However, larger waterfront areas may cause discomfort due to radiant heat. The authors emphasize the need for balanced blue-green space design to optimize health outcomes and recommend applying these insights to campus planning for better student well-being.

In the subsequent article, Mason et al. conducted an online survey with 337 U.S. social workers to explore environmental issues in social work practice. Their study highlights the growing prominence of issues like food scarcity, extreme weather, and pollution in social work. Despite a strong interest in environmental justice resources and training, most participants lack effective coping strategies. The study also reveals that social workers in rural areas tend to have more comprehensive disaster preparedness, with greater experience and strategy development, which improves as years of practice increase. The authors advocate for strengthening environmental justice education and fostering collaboration among scholars to enhance preparedness for environmental challenges, ensuring sustainable social welfare and effective environmental equity implementation.

The four aforementioned articles primarily explore the relationships between climate change, the natural environment, and human behavior, delving into the underlying mechanisms and influencing factors. In contrast, the subsequent two articles examine the connections between urban development, community resources, and sustainable well-being.

Hou explores how community capital can be leveraged to enhance urban health and foster sustainable community development. Analyzing 112 valid samples from 60 communities in Taipei, their study reveals that more than half of residents acknowledge the importance of sustainable development. Among the five main types of community asset applications, the alignment of educational resources and the efficient utilization of community spaces are identified as key strategies for improving community health. Regression analysis shows that community capital has a significant positive impact on sustainable development, with community construction strategies exerting an even stronger influence on fostering long-term sustainability. These findings underscore the importance of both community capital and construction in shaping sustainable communities. The authors recommend future efforts focus on establishing regional alliance frameworks, optimizing resource utilization systems, and enhancing interprofessional collaboration to support community sustainability.

The final article in this Special Issue examines the role of virtual immersive public art installations in enhancing the psychological well-being of urban residents. Li et al. conducted structured questionnaire surveys among residents aged 18–59 who attended exhibitions. Through correlation and regression analyses of 161 valid responses, the study found that virtual immersive public art has a significant positive effect on the psychological recovery of urban residents. Virtual art environments, through multi-sensory interactions, enhance emotional regulation and psychological recovery. Furthermore, different interaction themes and formats exert varying impacts on psychological recovery, with innovative theme designs more effectively eliciting emotional resonance. The study paves the way for future urban planning and design by offering practical and effective strategies and recommendations to enhance the psychological well-being of urban residents.

3. Conclusions and Future Directions

With the continuous enrichment and expansion of human activities on a global scale, more and more scholars are focusing on the relationships between climate change, natural ecology, and human sustainable well-being [9,10]. Inspired by ecosystem theory and environmental justice, an increasing number of scholars in the field of social work are shifting their research focus from a human-centered to ecocentric approach. Building upon the principles of social justice, they have introduced environmental justice [11], which has gradually evolved into emerging research areas such as green [12] and sustainable social work [13]. Ultimately, they are practices of social justice [14], originating from the perspective of sustainable development and emphasizing human development and well-being.

Against this backdrop, this Special Issue comprises six studies from around the world, delving deeply into the factors, adaptation models, and underlying mechanisms closely related to sustainable human development. However, it is important to acknowledge that, although the studies in this issue offer rich insights from multiple perspectives, there remain several areas worthy of further exploration. All the studies in this issue employ cross-sectional data, a research design that, while capable of revealing associations between variables, has significant limitations in establishing causal relationships. Additionally, the research predominantly focuses on behaviors and adaptations at the individual and community levels, lacking policy analysis and consideration of the overall environmental system from a macro perspective. This, to some extent, restricts understandings of how broader socio-economic factors influence environmental interactions and sustainable well-being. Therefore, future research methodologies should consider incorporating longitudinal data and macro-level analyses to more profoundly uncover the dynamic relationships between human behavior and policy interventions in the face of environmental challenges. In terms of research themes, further linking the promotion of the ecological environment with the development of human sustainable well-being as a research focal point could provide scientific foundations for green social work practice. Shifting the focus of social development from “economic development” to “sustainable development” is crucial for achieving environmental justice, eliminating social injustices, promoting the equitable distribution of ecological well-being, and attaining the ultimate goal of sustainable human development.