The impacts of increasing climate change resonate with people on an emotional level.
The above sentiment gets at the heart of a recent article written by Charli Shield for Deutzshe Welle, a media organization based out of Germany. Climate change, and resultant shifts in environments and ecosystems, has important impacts for our mental and emotional wellbeing.
Read the full article here.
This article highlights the lived experiences of Inuit living in Northern Labrador as they are witnessing rapid changes to their environments resulting from climate change, such as unpredictable weather and unprecedented loss of sea ice. For Inuit, these changes are associated with losses to livelihoods and sense of place, leading to enormous mental and emotional pain, stress, sadness, and grief.
As Shield reports in this article, to comprehensively tackle the complex global health challenges that are arising out of climate change, these mental and emotional health dimensions of the problem must inform policymaking.
But it isn’t only those in the front line of environmental change who experience profound emotional responses and mental health impacts. For many people it is daunting to grasp the full implications of climate change, including coming to terms with their own role in it and how they can help as individuals.
Shield, C. (2018, August). Climate change takes a toll on our minds, too. Deutzshe Welle. https://www.dw.com/en/climate-change-takes-a-toll-on-our-minds-too/a-45293148.
Ashlee Cunsolo, PhD 