How psychology is helping solve global challenges

This special issue of Canadian Psychology, led by Naomi Koerner, Lindsay J. McCunn, and Josephine C. H. Tan, highlights how psychology—as a discipline and as a profession—can understand and address global challenges, particularly those articulated in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (Koerner et al., 2025). The issue is a project of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) International Relations Committee and was developed to promote a global perspective among Canadian psychologists, as well as encourage the development and application of psychological knowledge on an international level. This issue also includes a Commentary from the International Relations Committee led by its chair, Jennifer Veitch (2025). The Commentary affirms psychology’s importance to the realization of the SDGs, highlighting the contributions of Canadian psychologists.

The discipline of psychology has a crucial role to play in the attainment of the 17 United Nations SDGs. Nonetheless, relative to other fields, psychology is underrepresented at key decision-making tables. Psychologists themselves may underestimate the expertise they can offer to the resolution of urgent large-scale problems of social and global significance. The special issue shows how work undertaken by psychologists in different countries is relevant to the SDGs,  furthering their overall objectives (which are to reduce inequalities and promote social, economic, and environmental sustainability). While the articles are recognizably psychological in nature, it is the framing of their purpose and the applicability of their findings that showcase how relevant psychology can be.

The five articles written by authors across ten countries cover an impressive range of topics, including integration of the SDGs in psychology training curricula (Nolan et al., 2025); climate action (Dwyer et al., 2025; Ramirez et al., 2025); trafficking and modern slavery (Rami et al., 2025); and the challenges faced by women refugees and their support personnel (Taheri et al., 2025). Apparent from the papers is the range of methodological and content-specific expertise that psychologists bring to questions and issues that, at first glance, may not appear to be psychological—this is an important takeaway. In addition, psychologists can contribute to the resolution of global challenges as scientists, educators, advocates, consultants, intervention designers, and health professionals. Furthermore, a need exists to re-imagine psychology curricula so that topics related to global challenges and the SDGs are integrated throughout undergraduate and graduate programs.

We want psychologists across the field’s subdisciplines to recognize that it is within their scope and purview to respond to global challenges. This is possible at any career stage and does not require an overhaul of one’s training or the need to obtain new academic credentials. What is required is a thoughtful examination of how one’s work can benefit the global community directly and indirectly.

Some concrete ways that psychologists can address global challenges include, but are not limited to:

• Explicitly including SDG content in their pedagogy;
• Seeking out opportunities to collaborate or partner with psychologists across borders on research and advocacy projects;
• Joining psychology-focused or interdisciplinary organizations, professional groups, or committees whose mandates or strategic plans include addressing global issues;
• Volunteering with not-for-profit organizations that focus on international or global issues (e.g., as a program evaluator or a psychology professional); and
• Pursuing continuing professional education courses in specific global issues—many are offered online and often provide opportunities to connect with professionals from around the world.

This article is in the General Psychology topic area.

Dwyer, T., Geiger, N., McLaughlin, B., & Velez, J. A. (2025). Beyond the denial–acceptance dichotomy: Americans who express natural climate causation arguments and their nuanced support for climate action. Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne, 66(4), 312–324. https://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000399

Koerner, N., McCunn, L. J., & Tan, J. C. H. (2025). The vital role of psychological science in the implementation of the United Nations sustainable development goals. Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne, 66(4), 281–284. https://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000454

Nolan, S. A., Cranney, J., Narciss, S., Goedeke, S., de Souza, L. K., Jia, F., Kumar, A., Iliescu, D., Foster, L., Tchombe, T. M. S., Morris, S., & Takang, K. T. (2025). International competences for undergraduate psychology: Relevance to the United Nations sustainable development goals. Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne, 66(4), 285–295. https://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000428

Rami, F., Searight, H. R., Dryjanska, L., & Hall, M. C. (2025). Modern slavery and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne, 66(4), 325–339. https://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000429

Ramirez, L., Levy, S. R., Barbosa, S., Bottin, M., Ocampo-Palacio, J. G., Cadavid, S., Pizarro, A. B., & Quesada, B. (2025). A call for greater collaborative role from psychology in climate change education interventions focused on children/youth. Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne, 66(4), 296–311. https://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000408

Taheri, M., Fitzpatrick, S., & McCormack, L. (2025). Vicarious burnout and opportunities to thrive: Support personnel exposed to female-specific refugee trauma. Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne, 66(4), 340–350. https://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000442

Veitch, J. A., & International Relations Committee of the Canadian Psychological Association / Société canadienne de psychologie. (2025). Contributions of psychological science to understanding and addressing global challenges: Commentary from the International Relations Committee of the Canadian Psychological Association / Société canadienne de psychologie. Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne, 66(4), 351–352. https://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000453

Naomi Koerner, PhD, is an associate professor of psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University, a clinical psychologist, and a researcher in the areas of anxiety and related disorders and psychological responses to uncertainty. She previously has held positions on the boards of the Sociedad Interamericana de Psicología and the International Council of Psychologists and currently is a member of the International Relations Committee of the CPA. Koerner has collaborated on the design and evaluation of a cognitive–behavioral well-being program for vulnerable young adults in Colombia. She also has advised community-based psychosocial well-being programs in Ecuador and Panamá on impact evaluation. Contact Naomi Koerner.

Lindsay J. McCunn, PhD, is a professor of psychology at Vancouver Island University and director of the Environmental Psychology Research Lab. Her interdisciplinary research has appeared in journals spanning environmental psychology, community planning, sustainability, health care design, engineering, and facilities management. She is past chair of the CPA’s environmental psychology section, a member of the CPA’s International Relations Committee, and a Canadian delegate to the General Assembly of the International Union of Psychological Science. She also is the co–editor-in-chief of the Journal of Environmental Psychology. Contact Lindsay J. McCunn.

Josephine C. H. Tan, PhD, CPsych, is a professor of psychology at Lakehead University. She also is a clinical psychologist who works with Indigenous clients from a trauma-informed perspective. Her research areas include cultural clinical psychology, Indigenous and decolonizing psychology, and leadership. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, a former president of the International Council of Psychologists, a current member of the CPA’s International Relations Committee, and the recipient of the CPA’s 2024 Award for the International Advancement of Psychology. Contact Josephine C. H. Tan.