Uniformity of climate anxiety scales
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Cardiovascular health (“Life’s Essential 8”), risk of depression and anxiety: a prospective cohort study
There is a growing interest in the linkage of cardiovascular health (CVH) with depression/anxiety but the evidence of “Life’s Essential 8” CVH score is scarce. We evaluated the associations of CVH score with risk of incident depression/anxiety among ~0.4 million participants. During follow-up, 17,554 incident events with symptoms of either disorder were recorded. Per 100-point decrease in CVH score was associated with an increased risk of incident either disorder (Hazard ratio [HR] = 1.133, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.114–1.153), depression (HR = 1.205, 95% CI:1.180–1.231), and anxiety (HR = 1.042, 95% CI:1.017–1.069). Per 100-point decrease in health assessments or health behaviors was associated with an increased risk of incident either disorder (HRhealth assessments = 1.085, 95% CI: 1.058–1.113, HRhealth behaviors = 1.217, 95% CI: 1.186–1.250). Poor CVH is a risk factor for the incident late-life depression/anxiety symptoms of middle-aged and older adults, and healthy behaviors could be targeted for the risk assessment and intervention of depression/anxiety.
Event triggers and opinion leaders shape climate change discourse on Weibo
Understanding how real-world events and opinion leaders shape climate change discussions is vital for improving communication and policy formulation to meet global carbon mitigation goals. This study analyzed 5.3 million original posts from Weibo (2012–2022), China’s largest social media platform, to examine climate change discourse. We found five event types triggering 48 discussion peaks, including online activities, international conferences, extreme weather, domestic policies, and international news. Posts generally conveyed positive attitudes, though sentiment decreased during haze pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic. Network analysis revealed seven opinion leader groups with distinct strategies: official media and institutions emphasized political will, global initiatives, and socio-economic implications, while universities and grassroots individuals focused on scientific reality and personal actions. Celebrities and unofficial accounts often highlighted geopolitical topics, especially China-US relations. We suggest reducing fragmented echo chambers and fostering personal connections through digital media platforms to enhance public awareness.
Climate change threatens crop diversity at low latitudes
Climate change alters the climatic suitability of croplands, likely shifting the spatial distribution and diversity of global food crop production. Analyses of future potential food crop diversity have been limited to a small number of crops. Here we project geographical shifts in the climatic niches of 30 major food crops under 1.5–4 °C global warming and assess their impact on current crop production and potential food crop diversity across global croplands. We found that in low-latitude regions, 10–31% of current production would shift outside the climatic niche even under 2 °C global warming, increasing to 20–48% under 3 °C warming. Concurrently, potential food crop diversity would decline on 52% (+2 °C) and 56% (+3 °C) of global cropland. However, potential diversity would increase in mid to high latitudes, offering opportunities for climate change adaptation. These results highlight substantial latitudinal differences in the adaptation potential and vulnerability of the global food system under global warming.
Decarbonizing urban residential communities with green hydrogen systems
Community green hydrogen systems, typically consisting of rooftop photovoltaic panels paired with hybrid hydrogen-battery storage, offer urban environments with improved access to clean, on-site energy. However, economically viable pathways for deploying hydrogen storage within urban communities remain unclear. Here we develop a bottom-up energy model linking climate, human behavior and community characteristics to assess the impacts of pathways for deploying community green hydrogen systems in North America from 2030 to 2050. We show that for the same community conditions, the cost difference between the best and worst pathways can be as high as 60%. In particular, the household centralized option emerges as the preferred pathway for most communities. Furthermore, enhancing energy storage demands within these deployment pathways can reduce system design costs up to fourfold. To achieve cost-effective urban decarbonization, the study underscores the critical role of selecting the right deployment pathway and prioritizing the integration of increased energy storage in pathway designs.
Group arts interventions for depression and anxiety among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis
In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we assessed the efficacy of group arts interventions, where individuals engage together in a shared artistic experience (for example, dance or painting), for reducing depression and anxiety among older adults (> 55 yr without dementia). Fifty controlled studies were identified via electronic databases searched to February 2024 (randomised: 42, non-randomised: 8). Thirty-nine studies were included. Thirty-six studies investigated the impact of group arts interventions on depression (n = 3,360) and ten studies investigated anxiety (n = 949). Subgroup analyses assessed whether participant, contextual, intervention and study characteristics moderated the intervention–outcome relationship. Risk of bias was assessed with appropriate tools (RoB-2, ROBINS-1). Group arts interventions were associated with a moderate reduction in depression (Cohen’s d = 0.70, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.54–0.87, P < 0.001) and a moderate reduction in anxiety (d = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.37–1.52, P < 0.001), although there was publication bias in the depression studies. After a trim and fill adjustment, the effect for depression remained (d = 0.42; CI = 0.35–0.50; P < 0.001). Context moderated this effect: There was a greater reduction in depression when group arts interventions were delivered in care homes (d = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.72–1.42, P < 0.001) relative to the community (d = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.32–0.70, P < 0.001). Findings indicate that group arts are an effective intervention for addressing depression and anxiety among older adults.
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