Climate change and mental health
Climate and ecological breakdown is causing stress and trauma that will inevitably worsen as breakdown intensifies. Extreme weather events, forced migrations from climate-related disasters, crop failures, water shortages, and fear about the future are causing and exacerbating mental health issues.
Climate scientists and activists experience the persistent trauma of being unheard by most of the public and people in positions of power. We all experience trauma or secondary trauma from witnessing extreme weather events around the world or experiencing them ourselves.
Adults have a responsibility to act in order to protect the emotional and physical health of children, other adults, and nonhuman life.
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“As human beings, our physical and mental health cannot be separated from the environments in which we live. Climate change, if left unaddressed, is projected to have catastrophic consequences on the mental health of entire populations.”
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Climate Change and Trauma
“A 2021 study from the University of California-San Diego found that Camp Fire survivors had rates of PTSD on par with war veterans, and they were at increased risk for depression and anxiety. That’s not necessarily new: psychologists know that mental health issues always spike in the wake of natural disasters. What’s changed is the climate.
Extreme weather events are becoming both more frequent and severe, and now, the next fire, hurricane or flood often hits before the hard work of recovery is done. Trauma is already accumulating in some of the regions hit hardest by climate change.”
PBS, When Climate Change Becomes Climate Trauma
“There is an aspect of climate change that many of us have been neglecting. Even if you read the news on the myriad ways that climate breakdown has already changed weather patterns, damaged livelihoods and contributed to extinctions, you might have missed it.
It’s our emotional response to climate change. For people whose lives are already changing for the worse, climate change takes a heavy mental toll. Even for those much more protected from the immediate effects – typically in rich, developed nations – there are reports of growing numbers of people seeking treatment for climate anxiety.
At first, this might seem a little indulgent. “The world is burning, and you want to talk about feelings?” some may ask.
But as this new BBC Future series explores, the two sides – our emotional responses to climate change and action to stop it – go hand in hand. By dismissing one, it’s hard to grasp the other.
In Climate Emotions, we hear from writers who have experienced a range of responses. They ask whether there are ways to heal the negative emotions and mental health challenges that can accompany climate breakdown.”
BBC, Climate emotions how climate change affects mental health
“Children are particularly vulnerable to the psychological trauma from current extreme weather events. They can also be harmed by the fear of future harms, writes Lise Van Susteren. Adults have the power to do something about it.
The scientific consensus is overwhelming: serious harms related to anthropogenic climate change will increase in intensity and frequency for years to come. This century, resulting resource scarcity, geopolitical upheaval, and humanitarian crises will render parts of the world uninhabitable. Without meaningful action our children face an increasing toll of physical and psychological injury.
Today’s floods, storms, droughts, heat waves, wildfires, and pandemics related to climate change traumatize us. But trauma can also arise from fears of future threats, giving rise to “pre-traumatic stress.”
As expert witness on the psychological damages to 21 youth plaintiffs suing the US government for climate inaction, I reported on their stressful and dominating feelings of powerlessness, uncertainty, and abandonment.
Children are protesting in the streets to demand climate action. Many report feeling angry, terrified, and in despair. Some see no purpose in life, believing the world will soon be unrecognizably damaged, or that they may soon be dead.
Children do not want to hear from adults about what a good job they are doing to save the world. As the teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg has said, “I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act.'“
Wish.org, Our children face “pretraumatic stress” from worries about climate change
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