Understanding Climate Emotions in Türkiye: Adaptation and Validation of the Inventory of Climate Emotions

Climate emotions play a key role in shaping individuals’ responses to climate change, influencing both pro-environmental action and well-being. This study aimed to adapt the Inventory of Climate Emotions (ICE) into Turkish and to examine the associations between climate emotions, pro-environmental behaviors, and subjective well-being. Data from 330 participants (Nwomen = 215), aged 18 years or older were analyzed. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the original eight-factor structure with acceptable model fit, and the Turkish version demonstrated strong reliability and validity. All emotions except powerlessness correlated with emotional affinity toward nature, supporting convergent validity, while distinct associations with affective reactivity confirmed divergent validity. Climate anger, sorrow, anxiety, and enthusiasm were positively associated with pro-climate behaviors, while contempt showed negative associations across all behavioral measures. Gender differences largely aligned with previous findings, with women reporting higher levels of most emotions except contempt. The relationship between climate emotions and well-being showed nuanced associations: contempt correlated negatively with well-being, whereas anger, anxiety, and sorrow showed small positive correlations. These findings indicate that climate emotions are multidimensional constructs that reflect both adaptive and motivational processes, and the Turkish ICE provides a robust instrument for future cross-cultural research on the psychological dimensions of climate change.