An intergenerational reading of climate change-health concern nexus: a qualitative study of the Millennials' and Gen Z participants' perceptions.

BACKGROUND: The study of climate change through a generational lens is meaningful when one considers the distinct attitudes, behaviors, values, and motivations of each generation. Individuals born between 1980 and 1999, referred to as the Millennial Generation (Millennials) and individuals born up to five years before or after 2000, referred to as Generation Z (Gen Z), may differ widely in their views, values, attitudes, and behaviors. This may lead to conflicts between these two cohorts. As Gen Z enters the labor market, their first-level supervisors will be, in many cases, the Millennials, who may view the topic of climate change-health concern nexus very differently than their Gen Z subordinates. Considering the perspectives of each generation may offer insights on how to engage them to act in an environmentally responsible way to counteract climate change effects. OBJECTIVE: The study reveals similarities and differences in how Millennials and Gen Z perceive the climate change-health concern nexus, which illuminates the understanding of the potential generational conflicts and the critical points where intervention is needed. METHOD: Interview data from 41 participants were analyzed via thematic analysis using the Quirkos software program. Reporting is in accordance with the COREQ guidelines. RESULTS: The interview questions elicited responses related to five dimensions: (i) Views of individual and community health; (ii) Knowledge around climate change; (iii) Perceived health impact; (iv) Attitudes towards climate change; (v) Behaviors related to climate change. The findings revealed a set of commonalities and differences in understanding the climate change-health concern nexus between the participants representative of each of the generations examined. One main result is that while most interviewees perceived changes in summer and winter temperatures, they failed to articulate how climate change affected their health. CONCLUSION: Thematic analysis revealed that the commonalities of views outweigh the differences between the two generations. A relevant remark is that participants can be described rather as "observers" than "players" since they do not tend to see themselves (through their behavior and their contribution) as active participants in the goal to fight climate change. Consequently, both generations undergo what Stephen Gardiner [1] called "intergenerational buck-passing."

Citizens' Beliefs Regarding Dog Breed-Specific Legislation. The Case of Romania.

This contribution aimed to highlight the importance of the legal framework on human-dog interactions to better understand the "more-than-human cosmopolitanism". Thus, it gives insight into the never-ending debate of how we can share the living space with other forms of life. The study acknowledged the inconsistencies between community members' and experts' opinions on the best methods to prevent dogs' attacks, the imperative to consider concerns for animal welfare and public safety while improving the legitimacy of different implemented measures. The seriousness of the dog control problem determined the enactment of laws to limit or ban dogs purely on their breed/type. The study explores Romanian citizens beliefs regarding law labeled "dangerous" dogs within the context of Romanian breed-specific legislation (Governmental Emergency Ordinance No. 55 of 2002). An overwhelming majority of respondents considered that a dog's dangerousness must be assessed individually, according to each specimen's characteristics, and regardless of the breed/type to which it belongs. A significant percentage of people were unaware of the legal regime in place for "dangerous" dog breeds. Responsible dog ownership intertwined with learning to care could solve the societal annoyance of "blacklisted" dog breeds/type.

VARIATION OF INDOOR RADON CONCENTRATION WITHIN A RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX.

A recent challenge in research dedicated to residential exposure to radon comes from the growing number of houses retrofitted to reduce energy consumption. Efficiently insulated buildings and modern architectural solutions can lead to the accumulation of high levels of indoor pollutants. A systematic analysis was conducted in a residential complex (consisting of six houses) in order to assess the annual radon concentration and to evaluate the intensity of the relationships with various factors, such as the indoor-outdoor temperature differences, wind speed and wind direction. Three types of occupational behaviour, influencing the ventilation rate of the dwellings and, implicitly, the indoor radon activity concentration were observed. By calculating the partial correlation coefficient between the radon concentration and the wind direction, with the wind speed as the control variable, for all six houses the correlation coefficient presents negative values.

The path from geology to indoor radon.

It is generally accepted that radon emission is strongly influenced by the geological characteristics of the bedrock. However, transport in-soil and entry paths indoors are defined by other factors such as permeability, building and architectural features, ventilation, occupation patterns, etc. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the contribution of each parameter, from natural to man-made, on the radon accumulation indoors and to assess potential patterns, based on 100 case studies in Romania. The study pointed out that the geological foundation can provide a reasonable explanation for the majority of the values recorded in both soil and indoor air. Results also showed that older houses, built with earth-based materials, are highly permeable to soil radon. Energy-efficient houses, on the other hand, have a tendency to disregard the radon potential of the geological foundation, causing a higher predisposition to radon accumulation indoors and decreasing the general indoor air quality.

Residential, soil and water radon surveys in north-western part of Romania.

The exposure to radon and radon decay products in homes and at workplaces represents the greatest risk from natural ionizing radiation. The present study brings forward the residential, soil and water radon surveys in 5 counties of Romania. Indoor radon measurements were performed by using CR-39 track detectors exposed for 3 months on ground-floor level of dwellings, according to the NRPB Measurements Protocol. Radon concentrations in soil and water were measured using the LUK3C device. The indoor radon concentrations ranged from 5 to 2592 Bq⋅m-3 with an updated preliminary arithmetic mean of 133 Bq⋅m-3, and a geometric mean of 90 Bq⋅m-3. In about 6% of the investigated grid cells the indoor radon concentrations exceed the threshold of 300 Bq⋅m-3. The soil gas radon concentration varies from 0.8 to 169 kBq⋅m-3, with a geometric mean of 28.4 kBq⋅m-3. For water samples, the results show radon concentrations within the range of 0.3-352 kBq⋅m-3 with a geometric mean of 7.7 Bq⋅L-1. The indoor radon map was plotted on a reference grid developed by JRC with the resolution 10 × 10 km2.