Eco Guilt and Eco Grief in the Land of the Cedar
Climate change has increasingly been recognized not only as an environmental crisis but also as a major mental health concern.
Natural disasters such as floods, wildfires, hurricanes, and extreme heat waves have been linked to psychological distress and increased psychiatric hospitalizations. This also applies to other forms of ecological degradation, such as poor air quality, plastic pollution and water scarcity, a daily reality in Lebanon which has not been seriously addressed.
The environmental question has always been relegated to the background here, despite its profound impact on the health and wellbeing of the country’s inhabitants. This state of affairs continues to undermine any efforts to tackle the issue in a meaningful way.
To highlight the ecological issues facing the country, Dr. Emmanuelle Awad, visiting lecturer of psychology at LAU, led a study titled “Psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Eco guilt and Eco grief scales,” which was published in Scientific Reports in April 2025. The study aims to validate the Eco Guilt (EGuiQ-11) and Eco Grief (EGriQ-6) scales for the Lebanese population and reveal the psychological effects of environmental changes on the citizenry.
Eco guilt stems from a person’s perception that their actions, whether intentional or unintentional, fall short of personal or societal ecological standards, such as wasting food and using plastic. Another example is when the individual is aware that their personal or national ecological footprint exceeds acceptable levels, for example, by constantly driving.
Eco grief, on the other hand, occurs when the individual observes or anticipates ecological repercussions. Incidents such as wildfires, species extinction and deforestation, for instance, elicit a sense of sadness. Because the environment often shapes our memories and identities, its loss can feel deeply personal—almost like losing a part of ourselves.
These two concepts were developed by Ágoston et al. as tools to measure the psychological outcomes of negative emotional responses, namely grief and guilt, to climate change. Both scales have displayed good psychometric qualities in other contexts, and Dr. Awad hoped to get similarly conclusive results in Lebanon.
Her cross-sectional study involved 763 adult participants who completed an online survey using the aforementioned scales. A snowball sampling technique was employed to recruit participants through referrals, helping researchers to build a sample quickly and effectively.
The study validated both the Eco guilt and Eco grief scales among Arabic-speaking Lebanese adults, with little gender variance. Despite obvious limitations, such as the many other issues plaguing the country and occupying public discourse, the researchers found a strong correlation between climate concerns and mental health, with higher levels of Eco guilt and Eco grief being significantly associated with more depression, anxiety and stress.
The findings draw attention to a topic that is not well-researched in Lebanon, indicating that environmental change has significant psychological consequences and highlighting the need for interventions that resonate with people. They also provide future researchers with culturally adapted tools for Lebanon and potentially other Arabic-speaking populations.
Ultimately, the study hopes to spur the enactment of official eco-friendly policies and awareness campaigns that encourage citizens to think critically about the ecological situation in Lebanon rather than restrict their efforts to environmentally friendly behavior on an individual level. This collective action could cultivate social habits that drive real, long-term change.