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Challenges — Journal of Planetary Health

Challenges — Journal of Planetary Health is a transdisciplinary, peer-reviewed, open access journal focused on planetary health and the interconnected Grand Challenges affecting human wellbeing and flourishing of all life on Earth. Published quarterly online by MDPI, it accelerates cross-sectoral solutions for sustainable, just, and regenerative futures by integrating insights from the natural, social and health sciences, and the humanities. The journal welcomes contributions that address the social, economic, political, and spiritual dimensions of global challenges, as well as biophysical threats to planetary boundaries. The Nova Network is affiliated with Challenges — Journal of Planetary Health, and the journal supports the global agenda of the Planetary Health Alliance (PHA).

Open Access— free for readers, with article processing charges (APC) paid by authors or their institutions.
High Visibility: indexed within RePEc, Gale, EBSCO, ProQuest, and other databases.
Rapid Publication: manuscripts are peer-reviewed and a first decision is provided to authors approximately 29.3 days after submission; acceptance to publication is undertaken in 4.6 days (median values for papers published in this journal in the first half of 2025).
Recognition of Reviewers: reviewers who provide timely, thorough peer-review reports receive vouchers entitling them to a discount on the APC of their next publication in any MDPI journal, in appreciation of the work done.

Imprint Information Journal Flyer Open Access ISSN: 2078-1547

Latest Articles

16 pages, 295 KB

Open AccessEssay

A Manifesto for Ecological Healing: Valuing Traditional Knowledge in Mozambique

by Edgar Manuel Cambaza

Challenges 2025, 16(3), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16030040 (registering DOI) - 26 Aug 2025

Mozambican traditional healing is a longstanding, community-embedded practice grounded in local knowledge systems and biodiversity. Despite its resilience, it has been persistently marginalized—from colonial impositions to enduring legal ambiguities—while Western medicine, rooted in Hippocratic, Galenic, and Cartesian paradigms, has become the normative model. [...] Read more.

Mozambican traditional healing is a longstanding, community-embedded practice grounded in local knowledge systems and biodiversity. Despite its resilience, it has been persistently marginalized—from colonial impositions to enduring legal ambiguities—while Western medicine, rooted in Hippocratic, Galenic, and Cartesian paradigms, has become the normative model. This article explores the ethical, legal, and consequentialist dimensions of emancipating traditional healing, analyzing four policy options: prohibition, indifference, protection, and encouragement. Emancipation is presented not as subordination to biomedical standards but as a process of epistemic justice, affirming cultural sovereignty and community agency. Core values such as justice, equity, and respect for plural worldviews underpin the discussion. Traditional healers are often spiritually mandated and serve over 80% of the population, particularly in underserved areas, yet remain institutionally undervalued. Promoting respectful dialogue among stakeholders is crucial to avoid reductive adaptations and foster inclusive, sustainable health systems. Recognizing traditional healing as a legitimate and complementary system not only strengthens Mozambique’s National Health System (SNS) but also contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to health, inclusion, and cultural rights. This article argues that empowering traditional healing is both a moral imperative and a strategic investment in planetary health and human flourishing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Ethics, Values, Culture and Spirituality)

17 pages, 268 KB

Open AccessReview

Inner Dimensions of Regeneration: Mental Models, Mindsets and Cultures

by Hannah Gosnell and Ethan Gordon

Challenges 2025, 16(3), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16030039 - 15 Aug 2025

A growing body of scholarship recognizes the importance of understanding the inner dimensions of transformations to sustainability at individual, collective, and system levels and their influence on the behavior of individuals and groups and the types of institutions that prevail. This review summarizes [...] Read more.

A growing body of scholarship recognizes the importance of understanding the inner dimensions of transformations to sustainability at individual, collective, and system levels and their influence on the behavior of individuals and groups and the types of institutions that prevail. This review summarizes and synthesizes scholarship on the inner dimensions of regeneration, a subject of growing interest in the sustainability science literature. Regeneration refers to a process of rebuilding or renewing an asset, resource, ecosystem, individual, family, organization, community, or place. It enables the expression of nature’s capacity for self-organization and empowers social-ecological systems to revive themselves through positive reinforcing cycles. The review seeks to improve understanding of the characteristics and meanings of regenerative mental models, mindsets, and cultures. It begins with definitions, then describes methods, summarizes results, and discusses what regenerative mental models and mindsets look like when they become part of culture and are scaled to larger social-ecological systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Relationship between Sustainability and Inner Development: Towards More Integrative Worldviews, Paradigms, and Actions)

13 pages, 224 KB

Open AccessArticle

Piloting a Virtual Mindful Eating Program to Improve Eating Behaviors and Reduce Food Waste

by Michael F. Royer, Afton Kechter, Dara L. James, Margaret Moeller, Maricarmen Vizcaino and Christopher Wharton

Challenges 2025, 16(3), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16030038 - 4 Aug 2025

Introduction: The wellbeing of humans and the planet is negatively impacted by unhealthy eating behaviors and excessive food waste. Mindfulness approaches have the potential to help people modify their behavior to achieve healthier outcomes. Pilot testing methods to sustainably support healthy eating and [...] Read more.

Introduction: The wellbeing of humans and the planet is negatively impacted by unhealthy eating behaviors and excessive food waste. Mindfulness approaches have the potential to help people modify their behavior to achieve healthier outcomes. Pilot testing methods to sustainably support healthy eating and reduce food waste are essential for identifying effective ways to promote human and planetary health. Methods: A pilot study was conducted to test a virtual mindful eating program to improve eating behaviors and reduce food waste among a small sample of U.S. adults. Mixed-methods approaches were used to identify the efficacy of the piloted intervention on mindfulness, eating behaviors, and food waste while identifying participant perspectives of the mindful eating program. Results: Quantitative study outcomes indicated positive intervention effects on hunger/satiety cues and food appreciation. No significant intervention effects were detected on mindfulness or food waste. Qualitative findings highlighted participant reports of experiencing greater self-awareness, an improved relationship with food, and a sense of creativity with meal preparation. Conclusions: This pilot study tested a novel mindful eating program that improved eating behaviors related to hunger/satiety and increased food appreciation. The program was accepted by participants, but it did not increase mindfulness or reduce food waste. Future iterations of this mindful eating program will require modifications to test different approaches for increasing mindfulness and reducing food waste while expanding the positive effects on healthy eating. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Food Solutions for Health and Sustainability)

24 pages, 3140 KB

Open AccessReview

Social, Economic and Ecological Drivers of Tuberculosis Disparities in Bangladesh: Implications for Health Equity and Sustainable Development Policy

by Ishaan Rahman and Chris Willott

Challenges 2025, 16(3), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16030037 - 4 Aug 2025

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of death in Bangladesh, disproportionately affecting low socio-economic status (SES) populations. This review, guided by the WHO Social Determinants of Health framework and Rockefeller-Lancet Planetary Health Report, examined how social, economic, and ecological factors link SES to [...] Read more.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of death in Bangladesh, disproportionately affecting low socio-economic status (SES) populations. This review, guided by the WHO Social Determinants of Health framework and Rockefeller-Lancet Planetary Health Report, examined how social, economic, and ecological factors link SES to TB burden. The first literature search identified 28 articles focused on SES-TB relationships in Bangladesh. A second search through snowballing and conceptual mapping yielded 55 more papers of diverse source types and disciplines. Low-SES groups face elevated TB risk due to smoking, biomass fuel use, malnutrition, limited education, stigma, financial barriers, and hazardous housing or workplaces. These factors delay care-seeking, worsen outcomes, and fuel transmission, especially among women. High-SES groups more often face comorbidities like diabetes, which increase TB risk. Broader contextual drivers include urbanisation, weak labour protections, cultural norms, and poor governance. Recommendations include housing and labour reform, gender parity in education, and integrating private providers into TB programmes. These align with the WHO End TB Strategy, UN SDGs and Planetary Health Quadruple Aims, which expand the traditional Triple Aim for health system design by integrating environmental sustainability alongside improved patient outcomes, population health, and cost efficiency. Future research should explore trust in frontline workers, reasons for consulting informal carers, links between makeshift housing and TB, and integrating ecological determinants into existing frameworks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Human Health and Well-Being)

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14 pages, 1859 KB

Open AccessArticle

Into the Blue: An ERC Synergy Grant Resolving Past Arctic Greenhouse Climate States

by Jochen Knies, Gerrit Lohmann, Stijn De Schepper, Monica Winsborrow, Juliane Müller, Mohamed M. Ezat and Petra M. Langebroek

Challenges 2025, 16(3), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16030036 - 30 Jul 2025

The Arctic Ocean is turning blue. Abrupt Arctic warming and amplification is driving rapid sea ice decline and irreversible deglaciation of Greenland. The already emerging, substantial consequences for the planet and society are intensifying and yet, model-based projections lack validatory consensus. To date, [...] Read more.

The Arctic Ocean is turning blue. Abrupt Arctic warming and amplification is driving rapid sea ice decline and irreversible deglaciation of Greenland. The already emerging, substantial consequences for the planet and society are intensifying and yet, model-based projections lack validatory consensus. To date, we cannot anticipate how a blue Arctic will respond to and amplify an increasingly warmer future climate, nor how it will impact the wider planet and society. Climate projections are inconclusive as we critically lack key Arctic geological archives that preserved the answers. This “Arctic Challenge” of global significance can only be addressed by investigating the processes, consequences, and impacts of past “greenhouse” (warmer-than-present) climate states. To address this challenge, the ERC Synergy Grant project Into the Blue (i2B) is undertaking a program of research focused on retrieving new Arctic geological archives of past warmth and key breakthroughs in climate model performance to deliver a ground-breaking, synergistic framework to answer the central question: “Why and what were the global ramifications of a “blue” (ice-free) Arctic during past warmer-than-present climates?” Here, we present the proposed research plan that will be conducted as part of this program. Into the Blue will quantify cryosphere (sea ice and land ice) change in a warmer world that will form the scientific basis for understanding the dynamics of Arctic cryosphere and ocean changes to enable the quantitative assessment of the impact of Arctic change on ocean biosphere, climate extremes, and society that will underpin future cryosphere-inclusive IPCC assessments. Full article

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16 pages, 615 KB

Open AccessArticle

Young People’s Perspectives on Climate Change in Urban Brazil

by Irene Rizzini and Mariana Menezes Neumann

Challenges 2025, 16(3), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16030035 - 21 Jul 2025

The climate crisis poses profound risks to present and future generations. Nonetheless, the perspectives of children and young people internationally, and more specifically in Brazil, remain underexplored. Based on a multi-discipline literature review on climate anxiety and nature (dis)connectedness, the hypothesis is that [...] Read more.

The climate crisis poses profound risks to present and future generations. Nonetheless, the perspectives of children and young people internationally, and more specifically in Brazil, remain underexplored. Based on a multi-discipline literature review on climate anxiety and nature (dis)connectedness, the hypothesis is that the effects and symptoms of increasing (dis)connection with natural environments have short-, medium-, and long-term consequences. Access to natural spaces is a vital response to counteract the negative impacts of climate change. This article discusses findings from a study conducted in urban Brazil with 200 young people aged 12 to 18 years old, with the aim of addressing three research questions from ten questions that comprised the complete survey. The major research questions were as follows: 1. ‘Climate change worries me’: How do you relate to this statement? 2. How does climate change affect you?, and 3. Do you think some young people are more affected by climate change than others? The results show that young people care about and are preoccupied with climate change, especially when they reflect on their futures and the future generations. Although young participants are deeply concerned about climate change and feel its effects personally in the form of anxiety, fear, and insecurity, they often lack clear pathways for contributing to broader environmental efforts beyond individual actions. These findings highlight an urgent need to foster community-based approaches and enhance education and resources for enlarging and improving youth engagement, especially to rethink the everyday strategies addressing these challenges, and to foster new paradigms of interaction with the natural world based on (re)connection with natural spaces. The correlation between climate anxiety and nature (dis)connection offers an approach that is still little explored, especially concerning children and young people. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Planetary Health: From Evidence to Action–Confronting Reality (Including Submissions Associated with the 2024 Planetary Health Summit (PHAM2024))

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20 pages, 2652 KB

Open AccessArticle

Moderate Impact of Increasing Temperatures on Food Intake in Human Populations

by Per M. Jensen and Marten Sørensen

Challenges 2025, 16(3), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16030034 - 21 Jul 2025

Increasing temperatures associated with climate change will lead to (periodic) temperature-induced reductions in food intake in human and other mammal populations. Human adults, however, are both tolerant and resilient to periodic nutritional deficits, and the associated health effects should be limited. Intermittent nutritional [...] Read more.

Increasing temperatures associated with climate change will lead to (periodic) temperature-induced reductions in food intake in human and other mammal populations. Human adults, however, are both tolerant and resilient to periodic nutritional deficits, and the associated health effects should be limited. Intermittent nutritional deficits may also cause growth restriction in developing foetuses and young children, which potentially affects their food intake in later life. Therefore, temperature-induced hypophagia can be hypothesised to manifest as later compensatory responses with multiple concomitant (or extended) lags of varying temporal dimensions. We examined the relationship between calorie intake and ambient outdoor temperatures for a time series covering past decades (FAO data for 1961–2013) in 80 countries to determine if humans alter their food intake in response to elevated temperatures. We included eleven different temporal “windows of exposure” of varying lag. These windows considered current and recent exposure, just as lagged effects allowed for a consideration of past effects on mothers, their children, and childhood exposure. It was hypothesised that one of these could provide a basis for predicting future changes in human calorie intake in response to climate change. Our analyses showed no apparent association with temperatures in ten of the eleven hypotheses/models. The remaining hypothesis suggests that current calorie intake is linked to decadal mean temperatures with a lag of approximately three decades, pointing to an impact on mothers and their (developing) children. The impact of an increase in mean temperature varies with temperature amplitudes, and negative impacts are only found in countries with low temperature amplitudes (warmer countries), albeit the impact on calorie intake caused by a 2–3 °C change in temperatures or temperature amplitudes is generally modest. However, in considering calorie intake, we only address quantities of food (with unspecified quality), which insufficiently reflect the full range of nutritional challenges associated with increasing temperatures. Understanding climate-driven changes in human food intake requires global interdisciplinary collaboration across public health, environmental science, and policy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Human Health and Well-Being)

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10 pages, 1134 KB

Open AccessViewpoint

McDonald’s McLean Deluxe and Planetary Health: A Cautionary Tale at the Intersection of Alternative Meats and Ultra-Processed Marketing

by Susan L. Prescott and Alan C. Logan

Challenges 2025, 16(3), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16030033 - 17 Jul 2025

Dietary choices and patterns have enormous consequences along the lines of individual, community, and planetary health. Excess meat consumption has been linked to chronic disease risk, and at large scales, the underlying industries maintain a massive environmental footprint. For these reasons, public and [...] Read more.

Dietary choices and patterns have enormous consequences along the lines of individual, community, and planetary health. Excess meat consumption has been linked to chronic disease risk, and at large scales, the underlying industries maintain a massive environmental footprint. For these reasons, public and planetary health experts are unified in emphasizing a whole or minimally processed plant-based diet. In response, the purveyors of ultra-processed foods have added “meat alternatives” to their ultra-processed commercial portfolios; multinational corporations have been joined by “start-ups” with new ultra-processed meat analogues. Here, in our Viewpoint, we revisit the 1990s food industry rhetoric and product innovation, a time in which multinational corporations pushed a great “low-fat transition.” We focus on the McLean Deluxe burger, a carrageenan-rich product introduced by the McDonald’s Corporation in 1991. Propelled by a marketing and media-driven fear of dietary fats, the lower-fat burger was presented with great fanfare. We reflect this history off the current “great protein transition,” a period once again rich in rhetoric, with similar displays of industry detachment from concerns about the health consequences of innovation. We scrutinize the safety of carrageenan and argue that the McLean burger should serve as a cautionary tale for planetary health and 21st century food innovation. Full article

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17 pages, 278 KB

Open AccessEssay

Educational Leadership: Enabling Positive Planetary Action Through Regenerative Practices and Complexity Leadership Theory

by Marie Beresford-Dey

Challenges 2025, 16(3), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16030032 - 15 Jul 2025

Uniquely rooted in regenerative leadership and complemented by Complexity Leadership Theory (CLT), this conceptual essay offers a theoretical exploration of how educational institutions can act as dynamic systems that catalyze adaptive, community-led responses to anthropocentric socio-environmental crises. Rather than sustaining existing structures, educational [...] Read more.

Uniquely rooted in regenerative leadership and complemented by Complexity Leadership Theory (CLT), this conceptual essay offers a theoretical exploration of how educational institutions can act as dynamic systems that catalyze adaptive, community-led responses to anthropocentric socio-environmental crises. Rather than sustaining existing structures, educational leadership for regeneration seeks to restore ecological balance and nurture emergent capacities for long-term resilience. Positioned as key sites of influence, educational institutions are explored as engines of innovation capable of mobilizing students, educators, and communities toward collective environmental action. CLT offers a valuable lens for understanding how leadership emerges from nonlinear, adaptive processes within schools, enabling the development of innovative, collaborative, and responsive strategies required for navigating complexity and leading planetary-positive change. Drawing on a synthesis of the recent global literature, this paper begins by outlining the need to go beyond sustainability in envisioning regenerative futures, followed by an introduction to regenerative principles. It then examines the current and evolving role of educational leadership, the relevance in enabling whole-institution transformation, and how this relates to regenerative practices. The theoretical frameworks of systems thinking and CLT are introduced before noting their application within regenerative educational leadership. The final sections identify implementation challenges and offer practical recommendations, including curriculum innovation, professional development, and youth-led advocacy, before concluding with a call for education as a vehicle for cultivating planetary-conscious citizens and systemic change. This work contributes a timely and theoretically grounded model for reimagining educational leadership in an era of global turbulence. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Planetary Health Education and Communication)

21 pages, 1136 KB

Open AccessArticle

Leveraging Public–Private Partnerships for a Circular Industry Economy: Advancing Economic Sustainability in Industrial Waste Management in the Emirate of Ajman, UAE

by Khaled Alhosani

Challenges 2025, 16(3), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16030031 - 6 Jul 2025

This study investigates the empowering role of public–private partnerships (PPPs) in the economic sustainability of waste management (ESW) and the circular industry economy (CIE), specifically in the small, rapidly industrialising Emirate of Ajman, UAE. Embracing a circular economy is vital for the sustainability [...] Read more.

This study investigates the empowering role of public–private partnerships (PPPs) in the economic sustainability of waste management (ESW) and the circular industry economy (CIE), specifically in the small, rapidly industrialising Emirate of Ajman, UAE. Embracing a circular economy is vital for the sustainability agenda while forging a transformative commitment to planetary health (PH) in a manner that is especially crucial for small states with limited carrying capabilities. A quantitative methodological orientation is employed in a survey-based research design, followed by the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling statistical technique to test the hypothesised relationships. Sampling involved the three sub-populations of government employees (n = 123), managers/employees of private waste collection businesses (n = 106), and employees of private industrial waste generation industries (n = 276). Findings indicate that PPP empowerment positively impacts ESW and contributes to the creation of CIE. Moreover, ESW fosters the growth of CIE in Ajman. Notably, the perspectives of government stakeholders differ from those of non-government actors. This research underscores the significance of PPP empowerment in the development of CIE towards SDGs 11, 12, and 17, emphasising the mediating role of ESW between PPPs and CIE in small, rapidly industrialising states. The study recommends that the Ajman government implement training and social initiatives aimed at aligning the sustainability perspectives of all stakeholders involved in waste management to promote the mutual benefits of “people, places, and planet”. Full article

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27 pages, 1228 KB

Open AccessArticle

How Transformative Experiences Reshape Values, Worldviews, and Engagement with Sustainability: An Integral Inquiry

by Elizabeth Halliday and Jessica Bockler

Challenges 2025, 16(3), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16030030 - 1 Jul 2025

Climate scientists, systems theorists, and policymakers increasingly suggest that global sustainability challenges stem from dysfunctional worldviews and values that drive individual and collective behaviors, undermining both human flourishing and planetary health. Recognizing that paradigmatic shifts in values and worldviews can arise from transformative [...] Read more.

Climate scientists, systems theorists, and policymakers increasingly suggest that global sustainability challenges stem from dysfunctional worldviews and values that drive individual and collective behaviors, undermining both human flourishing and planetary health. Recognizing that paradigmatic shifts in values and worldviews can arise from transformative experiences, this study employed Integral Inquiry in a mixed-methods design to examine the nature of the relationship between such experiences and engagement with sustainability. A sample of 145 adults was recruited based on self-identification of having undergone a life-changing experience and demonstrated evidence of transformative growth and integration. In the qualitative phase, 73 participants completed an open-text survey detailing their perspectives on sustainability and their related practices and behaviors. Ten individuals from this subset were interviewed to explore the depth and dimensions of their engagement with sustainability. Using Constructivist Grounded Theory analysis, three tentative themes emerged: intraconnection, personal equilibrium, and defining social change. Whilst the study was exploratory in nature, the analysis indicated that transformative experiences seemed to foster a profound felt sense of intraconnection—a deep awareness of interconnectedness with all life. This awareness appeared to naturally clarify participants’ values and beliefs, aligning their actions toward sustainability. Moreover, participants emphasized the importance of cultivating personal equilibrium—a state of inner balance and congruence in daily choices—as a foundation for meaningful social and environmental change. This study tentatively highlights the role transformative experiences can play in bringing about more pro-ecological behavior, and it underscores the need for further research into how such experiences can be more readily integrated to support global sustainability efforts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Relationship between Sustainability and Inner Development: Towards More Integrative Worldviews, Paradigms, and Actions)

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27 pages, 739 KB

Open AccessViewpoint

The Land That Time Forgot? Planetary Health and the Criminal Justice System

by Alan C. Logan, Colleen M. Berryessa, John S. Callender, Gregg D. Caruso, Fiona A. Hagenbeek, Pragya Mishra and Susan L. Prescott

Challenges 2025, 16(2), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16020029 - 18 Jun 2025

Planetary health is a transdisciplinary concept that erases the dividing lines between individual and community health, and the natural systems that support the wellbeing of humankind. Despite planetary health’s broad emphasis on justice, the promotion of science-based policies, and stated commitments to fairness, [...] Read more.

Planetary health is a transdisciplinary concept that erases the dividing lines between individual and community health, and the natural systems that support the wellbeing of humankind. Despite planetary health’s broad emphasis on justice, the promotion of science-based policies, and stated commitments to fairness, equity, and harm reduction, the criminal justice system has largely escaped scrutiny. This seems to be a major oversight, especially because the criminalization of mental illness is commonplace, and the system continues to be oriented around a prescientific compass of retribution and folk beliefs in willpower, moral fiber, and blameworthiness. Justice-involved juveniles and adults are funneled into landscapes of mass incarceration with ingrained prescientific assumptions. In non-criminal realms, such as obesity, there is a growing consensus that folk psychology ideas must be addressed at the root and branch. With this background, the Nova Institute for Health convened a transdisciplinary roundtable to explore the need for a ‘Copernican Revolution’ in the application of biopsychosocial sciences in law and criminal justice. This included discussions of scientific advances in neurobiology and omics technologies (e.g., the identification of metabolites and other biological molecules involved in behavior), the need for science education, ethical considerations, and the public health quarantine model of safety that abandons retribution. Full article

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17 pages, 1498 KB

Open AccessArticle

Efficient Free Fatty Acid Reduction in Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) for Biodiesel Production: Challenges and Optimization Strategies

by Indunil Chamara, Helitha Nilmalgoda and Eranga Wimalasiri

Challenges 2025, 16(2), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16020028 - 12 Jun 2025

The increasing demand for fossil fuels has led the oil industry to explore biodiesel as a renewable alternative, which is crucial for advancing planetary health. Biodiesel offers environmental benefits and shares similar properties with petroleum diesel, making it a promising substitute. However, Palm [...] Read more.

The increasing demand for fossil fuels has led the oil industry to explore biodiesel as a renewable alternative, which is crucial for advancing planetary health. Biodiesel offers environmental benefits and shares similar properties with petroleum diesel, making it a promising substitute. However, Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME), containing sludge palm oil (SPO), presents challenges due to its high free fatty acid (FFA) content. This study proposes novel optimization strategies to reduce FFAs in SPO and improve biodiesel yield. A combination of base neutralization, esterification, and transesterification processes was employed. Neutralization with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at concentrations ranging from 0.1% to 0.5% w/w was followed by esterification using sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) with varying methanol-to-oil ratios. The optimal FFA reduction of 2.26% was achieved at a 6:1 methanol ratio. Transesterification with a 7:1 methanol-to-oil ratio yielded the highest biodiesel output of 71.25%. The biodiesel met ASTM standards, with a calorific value of 40.01 MJ/kg, a flash point of 180.5 °C, and a density of 0.86 g/cm³. Economic analysis estimates an annual net profit of USD 244,901,600, demonstrating that this approach provides a financially viable solution while advancing planetary health by reducing dependency on fossil fuels, mitigating climate change, and supporting sustainable fuel production. Full article

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24 pages, 1139 KB

Open AccessPerspective

From Laggard to Leader: A Novel Policy Perspective of Michigan’s Preliminary Path to Climate Success

by Laura U. Schneider and Nancy Boyd

Challenges 2025, 16(2), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16020027 - 31 May 2025

The realities of climate change are here, and in the absence of encompassing U.S. federal policies directing action, it is left to the states to help set our course for the future. At the forefront of state action is Michigan, which in 2023 [...] Read more.

The realities of climate change are here, and in the absence of encompassing U.S. federal policies directing action, it is left to the states to help set our course for the future. At the forefront of state action is Michigan, which in 2023 passed sweeping legislation requiring the state to achieve climate neutrality, a significant investment in electric vehicle infrastructure, and a commitment to environmental justice. The bold climate-forward actions by the state have been described by many as vaulting the state of Michigan into a national leader on climate policy. This perspective uses Michigan’s novel collection of climate-related policies to examine the connections between infrastructure, environmental justice, and climate change in Michigan. The legislation was passed with strong Democratic support, but Republicans and some environmentalists are concerned about the feasibility of the state to implement the legislation, especially when some states like California are having to back down from their green energy goals. We find that the legislation focuses on the triple bottom line by supporting economic growth in the state, advancing the interests of rural and urban communities alike, and embracing ambitious environmental goals. Michigan is already seeing successful implementation of this policy, and the lessons of this action can help provide a roadmap for other states seeking to move forward on climate policy. This novel perspective demonstrates the unique qualities Michigan is bringing to climate legislation, and the newness of the policies opens new research opportunities for a variety of scholarship interests. Full article

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14 pages, 241 KB

Open AccessArticle

From Utopia to Dystopia: Interviews in Iceland About the Future Amid Climate Change

by Michelle Ritchie, Sarah Heaton, Alexander Scheid, Hannah Mott, Gudrun Mobus Bernhards, Sloane Sengson, Kathryn Foral and Jon Calabria

Challenges 2025, 16(2), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16020026 - 30 May 2025

Studies at the intersection of climate change and futures research are needed. In response, we interviewed Icelanders (n = 63) to understand individuals’ visions of the future. Linguistic analysis revealed that participants expressed themselves informally with moderate confidence, high authenticity, and a negative [...] Read more.

Studies at the intersection of climate change and futures research are needed. In response, we interviewed Icelanders (n = 63) to understand individuals’ visions of the future. Linguistic analysis revealed that participants expressed themselves informally with moderate confidence, high authenticity, and a negative tone. Deductive thematic analysis revealed three overarching visions of the future: (1) a utopian future characterized by environmental and social harmony where people return to nature; (2) a stable future reminiscent of today with improved infrastructure, connectivity, and continued sustainability and adaptation practices that maintain a rural lifestyle; and (3) a dystopian future marked by climate disruptions, overpopulation, and new environmental hazards requiring more emergency management resources alongside cultural barriers to adaptation that lead to the decay of infrastructure. The findings underscore the need to understand community-specific values and concerns for developing culturally sensitive and sustainable climate change adaptation strategies. Full article

11 pages, 193 KB

Open AccessOpinion

In the Company of the Unknown: Cultivating Curiosity for Ecological Renewal

by Dragana Favre

Challenges 2025, 16(2), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16020025 - 20 May 2025

This article argues that environmental education must move beyond knowledge transmission to become a transformative, psychological, and relational practice. Rooted in the One Health framework, which emphasizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and ecological well-being, this article positions curiosity as a central catalyst [...] Read more.

This article argues that environmental education must move beyond knowledge transmission to become a transformative, psychological, and relational practice. Rooted in the One Health framework, which emphasizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and ecological well-being, this article positions curiosity as a central catalyst for ecological and psychological integration. While this article specifically engages with the One Health framework, the same integrative principles apply equally to the closely related Planetary Health perspective, emphasizing interconnected human, ecological, and planetary well-being. Drawing from Jungian and post-Jungian psychology, ecopsychology, and educational theory, it redefines curiosity as a symbolic, ethical, and affective mode of engagement with the Other, both within the psyche and in the more-than-human world. Through boredom, dialogue, narrative, and embodied practices, curiosity creates space for inner movement, narrative reconfiguration, and a relational mode of knowing that can confront ecological crises with imagination, patience, and integrity. This article offers pedagogical strategies to cultivate this deeper form of curiosity as a foundation for lifelong ecological engagement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Planetary Health Education and Communication)

18 pages, 2539 KB

Open AccessViewpoint

The Earthrise Community: Transforming Planetary Consciousness for a Flourishing Future

by Susan L. Prescott, Aterah Nusrat, Richard Scott, David Nelson, Heidi Honegger Rogers, Mona S. El-Sherbini, Knellee Bisram, Yvonne Vizina, Sara L. Warber and David Webb

Challenges 2025, 16(2), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16020024 - 13 May 2025

In the face of the growing challenges of the Anthropocene—marked by climate change, biodiversity loss, and increasing rates of disease and despair—this paper explores the need for holistic solutions that integrate cultural and spiritual transformation as essential dimensions of change. Recognizing that the [...] Read more.

In the face of the growing challenges of the Anthropocene—marked by climate change, biodiversity loss, and increasing rates of disease and despair—this paper explores the need for holistic solutions that integrate cultural and spiritual transformation as essential dimensions of change. Recognizing that the interconnected challenges to planetary health stem from destructive socio-political agendas and unhealthy economic structures, we underscore the importance of worldviews and value systems as root causes of social and ecological injustices. Solutions require an understanding of the complex interdependence of systems, fostering mutualistic mindsets, and healing the ‘relationship crisis’ between humans and the natural world by cultivating a deeper level of consciousness. In response to these urgent needs, we describe Earthrise—a community of engaged contemplative practice led by the Nova Institute for Health in collaboration with the Planetary Health Alliance—dedicated to spiritual and cultural transformation in the face of today’s complex crises. Through intentional spiritual relationships—with ourselves, each other, and the natural world—our community emphasizes the power of narrative co-creation in building social cohesion and collective action for environmental stewardship. Our work is not solely contemplative, but also relational and integrative—embodying values through lived practice, community, and ecological engagement. Our activities focus on developing cultural capacities and self-awareness as essential foundations for fair and sustainable social transformation. By integrating diverse perspectives, including ancestral wisdom and Indigenous knowledge systems, we enrich worldviews and deepen our connection to the planet. The Earthrise community seeks to cultivate a sense of belonging, nurturing the meaningful relationships that foster compassion and care. Central to our approach is the use of creative emergence, leveraging the arts to inspire change and catalyze new paradigms. Through this exploration of interconnected themes, we contend that spiritual and cultural transformation is vital to advancing a thriving future, where human flourishing and planetary health are understood as inseparable and interconnected goals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nurturing Connected Consciousness in the Anthropocene: Addressing Calls for Cultural and Spiritual Transformation as a Path to Personal, Collective, and Planetary Health)

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19 pages, 258 KB

Open AccessArticle

Fostering Community Ownership for Sustainable Social Innovations in Pastoral and Agro-Pastoral Regions

by Mulye Tadesse, Tafesse Matewos, Samuel Jilo Dira, Fekadu Israel Alambo and Tenaw Fentaw Dessie

Challenges 2025, 16(2), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16020023 - 23 Apr 2025

Social innovation has emerged as a prominent strategy in development practice, attracting substantial scholarly attention. In Ethiopia’s pastoral and agro-pastoral areas, characterized by vulnerability and persistent development challenges, non-governmental organizations have begun implementing social innovations as alternatives to traditional interventions. However, the empirical [...] Read more.

Social innovation has emerged as a prominent strategy in development practice, attracting substantial scholarly attention. In Ethiopia’s pastoral and agro-pastoral areas, characterized by vulnerability and persistent development challenges, non-governmental organizations have begun implementing social innovations as alternatives to traditional interventions. However, the empirical understanding of the uptake of these innovations and the degree to which communities perceive ownership is limited. This study aims to investigate the adoption patterns of social innovations and evaluate community ownership of these innovations towards sustainability in specific Ethiopian contexts. Methods included partial participant observation, 12 case studies, 33 key informant interviews, and a sample survey of 392 respondents. The findings indicate that the average age of respondents is approximately 41 years old, with the youngest being 15 and the oldest being 94. Descriptive and inferential statistics showed that social innovations improved the management of the water system in Meda Wollabu and the enhanced goat market in Dasenech, with a developed sense of ownership benefitting and improving communities’ livelihood and sustainable development. The study concludes that developed sense of community ownership effective information dissemination, relative advantage and participation in training, highlighting the importance of tailored social innovation strategies that enhance community resilience and sustainability. Full article

20 pages, 2106 KB

Open AccessReview

Unseen Drivers of Antimicrobial Resistance: The Role of Industrial Agriculture and Climate Change in This Global Health Crisis

by Madeline E. Graham, Brenda A. Wilson, Davendra Ramkumar, Holly Rosencranz and Japhia Ramkumar

Challenges 2025, 16(2), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16020022 - 21 Apr 2025

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an urgent global health threat with many anthropogenic drivers outside of healthcare. The impacts of modern agriculture on human health are manifold, from the food systems and dietary patterns they support to the less apparent effects of environmental stresses [...] Read more.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an urgent global health threat with many anthropogenic drivers outside of healthcare. The impacts of modern agriculture on human health are manifold, from the food systems and dietary patterns they support to the less apparent effects of environmental stresses and biodiversity loss in ecosystems. Intensive practices, such as chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, induce abiotic stresses that deplete biodiversity and drive AMR in soil and aquatic microbiomes. The overuse of antibiotics in livestock production is another major driver of AMR. Changes in weather patterns due to climate change have the potential to exacerbate these issues as warmer and wetter weather increases the potential for bacterial infection. While practices exist to address healthcare-associated drivers, the impact of agriculture and environmental destruction are not widely appreciated in healthcare and biomedical sciences. It is imperative that healthcare professionals and public health experts understand these connections to properly address the emergent issue of AMR. This review aims to summarize the current data on important agricultural and environmental drivers of AMR for educational purposes, to fill gaps in knowledge, and to improve current practices and stimulate further research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Planetary Health: From Evidence to Action–Confronting Reality (Including Submissions Associated with the 2024 Planetary Health Summit (PHAM2024))

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21 pages, 2157 KB

Open AccessViewpoint

Eco-Systemic Flourishing: Expanding the Meta-Framework for 21st-Century Education

by Wendy Ellyatt

Challenges 2025, 16(2), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16020021 - 19 Apr 2025

Cited by 1

This paper expands on the anthropocentric focus of the Self-Directed Flourishing (SDF) framework by introducing the Eco-Systemic Flourishing (ESF) framework. The primary contribution of the ESF is the integration of ecological systems thinking, place-based education, and regenerative learning into existing flourishing frameworks. Methodologically, [...] Read more.

This paper expands on the anthropocentric focus of the Self-Directed Flourishing (SDF) framework by introducing the Eco-Systemic Flourishing (ESF) framework. The primary contribution of the ESF is the integration of ecological systems thinking, place-based education, and regenerative learning into existing flourishing frameworks. Methodologically, the paper synthesizes interdisciplinary perspectives from developmental psychology, systems theory and sustainability education and to propose a transformative educational approach. The results outline how the ESF framework positions education as a crucial driver for fostering relational awareness and ecological literacy, thus promoting both human and planetary flourishing. The framework’s implications are significant, offering a scalable model for sustainability integration in educational systems, curriculum design, and policy development. Future empirical validation, through longitudinal studies, is recommended to evaluate ESF’s effectiveness in enhancing educational outcomes and ecological stewardship. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nurturing Connected Consciousness in the Anthropocene: Addressing Calls for Cultural and Spiritual Transformation as a Path to Personal, Collective, and Planetary Health)

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