The Importance of Climate Hope and a Sense of Connection with Nature for Pro-Environmental Behavior and Mental Health

Achieving sustainability goals depends not only on knowledge about climate change but also on the psychological resources that sustain engagement in climate action and protect human well-being. This study examined whether climate hope and nature connectedness are associated with pro-environmental intentions and well-being. It also tested whether nature connectedness mediates these links. An online survey of Polish adults (n = 620; aged 18–74, M = 31.95, SD = 13.55) measured constructive climate hope, nature connectedness, mental health (MHC-SF) and pro-environmental intentions. Data were analyzed using correlations, hierarchical regression and bootstrapped mediation analysis. Climate hope and nature connectedness were positively related to intentions (r = 0.38 and 0.33) and mental health (r = 0.29 and 0.32). Beyond age and gender, they explained additional variance in intentions (ΔR2 = 0.17) and well-being (ΔR2 = 0.12). Climate hope was the strongest predictor of intentions (β = 0.30), whereas nature connectedness was the strongest predictor of well-being (β = 0.24). Nature connectedness partially mediated the effect of climate hope on both intentions and well-being (indirect effect = 0.06 in each case), although direct effects predominated. These findings suggest that climate hope and a connection with nature are resources that help foster care for the environment and one’s own well-being.