Exploring environmental challenges among university students in conflict-affected Palestine

This study explored the environmental concerns of and challenges faced by Palestinian university students living in a region at geopolitical risk. The sample comprised 40 students selected through convenience and snowball sampling from Palestinian universities in the West Bank of Palestine. Thematic analysis was performed to explore the main themes that resulted from the interviews with the students, which yielded five main themes: Occupation and Environmental Degradation, Environmental Deterioration as a Human Rights Issue, Environmental Concerns and Challenges in Palestine, Mental Health Impacts of Environmental Deterioration, and Palestinian Responses to Environmental Deterioration. Interviewees displayed a high degree of environmental awareness and realization of the long-term effects of the military occupation on the ecological equilibrium of the colonized territories, as well as the consequences on people’s health, psychological well-being, and functioning. Protecting indigenous land from globalized forms of exploitation and extraction will restore human rights among native Palestinian people and promote their well-being and psychological functioning, thus reducing human insecurity and empowering local well-being and community development.