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Laos is a small and developing nation in Southeast Asia that is vulnerable to climate change. Some of the more severe effects of climate change in Laos are droughts, flooding and insect pests which are impacting rice production. Many paddy rice plantations throughout the country are facing large shortages of rice production for commercial sale and subsistence use. This thesis explores how paddy rice farmers may adapt to climate change effects by focusing on a village in Luang Prabang province, Laos. Drawing on the climate adaptation framework, Climate – Smart Agriculture (CSA) and qualitative interviews with farmers in Thongphiengvilay village, I explore how CSA may help farmers adapt to climate change. The results of this study show that CSA could help Thongphiengvilay farmers cope with increased drought and pests. I also argue that CSA could build on or complement existing Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) already used by farmers. Furthermore, my results indicate that CSA could help farmers who currently use synthetic approaches to tackle their decreasing rice price production. For example, synthetic fertilisers that are currently being used by farmers could be replaced with organic CSA approaches and produce similar yields and also ensure the environmentally sustainability of farmers’ lands for future seasons. Therefore, this thesis recommends a CSA approach for adapting to climate change in Thongphiengvilay village by implementing Climate – Smart Villages (CSVs). Key words: climate change adaptation, CSA, TEK, Laos

The consumption of meat has serious implications for environmental issues. It contributes to carbon emissions, soil degradation, and habitation loss. Meat consumption also has negative impacts on health, and animal ethics. Despite these issues, meat is still the preferred source of protein for many, and this reliance on meat will likely lead to food security issues in the future. Meat is not only a source of sustenance for some but is strongly connected to their identity. Due to this connection, meat remains an important part of diet, regardless of price increase and availability of protein alternatives. In order to reduce meat consumption, connections between meat consumption and identity must be understood. Using the Social Identity Theory, this research investigates how identities are connected to meat consumption, how they interact with different motivations for vegetarianism, how they can change to include vegetarianism, and how they resist protein alternatives. One-on-one interviews were conducted with a mixture of vegetarians and omnivores, followed by an online anonymous survey focusing on masculine, ethnic, and socioeconomic identities. Results indicate that these identities interact with both the three core concerns for vegetarianism and the perceptions of protein alternatives in different ways. The implications of this research suggest that identities can assist in efforts to reduce meat consumption, but this depends on the identities.

New Zealand is exposed to many natural hazards and yet, despite its heightened risk, national rates of individual preparedness remain low. Previous research has shown that place attachment is positively associated with disaster preparedness. My work builds on this research and explores (i) the relationship between place attachment and preparedness intentions and behaviours and (ii) the potential for a place attachment intervention to change preparedness and behaviours. In the first two studies (Chapter 2), I examined 1) participants’ levels of place attachment at different spatial scales, 2) participants’ preparedness (intentions and behaviours), and 3) place attachment as a mediator of previously identified demographic predictors of preparedness. Findings show that place attachment is associated with both preparedness intentions and behaviour when measured simultaneously. When controlling for socio-demographic predictors, participants who reported stronger house and neighbourhood attachment also reported stronger intentions to prepare (Study 1). In Study 2, house attachment was associated with mitigation preparedness behaviour, whereas neighbourhood attachment was associated with community preparedness behaviour. House and neighbourhood attachment mediated the relationship between homeownership, length of residence, and preparedness. These findings suggest that place attachment varies by spatial scale which matters for different types of disaster preparedness. The second set of studies (Chapter 3) consisted of a pilot study with undergraduate students (Study 3) and a two-wave randomised control trial with a community sample (Study 4) to examine whether the use of a place visualisation intervention would strengthen people’s intentions to prepare (at Time 1) and encourage people to implement preparedness behaviours (at Time 2, two weeks later). I developed and implemented a guided place-based visualisation task, which asked participants to visualise a place they feel

A personal relationship with nature, which develops in childhood, is associated with wellbeing benefits and greater engagement in pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) in adulthood. This thesis investigates the relationships between children’s connection to nature and their psychological wellbeing and engagement in PEB. It also tests whether nature-based environmental education can promote children’s connection to nature and engagement in PEB. The first study is a meta-analysis of the relationship between connection to nature and PEB. This meta-analysis demonstrated a significant positive, moderately-sized association between connection to nature and PEB. Standard tests indicated little effect of publication bias. Univariate categorical analyses showed that the scales used to measure connection to nature and PEB were significant moderators of the relationship and explained the majority of the between-study variance. The geographic location of a study, age of participants and the percentage of females in a study were not moderators. I then conducted a longitudinal quasi-experiment (with control groups) with children aged 7-13 years from schools who attended environmental education programmes in Wellington City, New Zealand (N = 324). Data was collected via a self-administered questionnaire and a gifting experiment immediately before and four weeks after environmental education interventions. Structural equation modelling, followed by Information Theoretic model selection and inference was used to test theoretical models that explained how children’s connection to nature, and other variables of interest, were associated with their wellbeing (vitality and life satisfaction) or their engagement in PEB. Mixed-design ANOVAs tested whether environmental education influenced children’s connection to nature, PEB and wellbeing. Structural equation models revealed that children’s connection to nature had a direct, positive association with their vitality, but not their life satisf