The Canberra Times - Marjorie Collins
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Author
Assoc.
Professor Marjorie Collins Ph.D., has a Masters in
Clinical Psychology and is President of the Institute
of Clinical Psychologists. |
The first National Climate Risk Assessment (NCRA) is forecasting doomsday scenarios with soaring numbers of heat related deaths, rising sea levels, and more frequent and severe heatwaves, droughts and bushfires.
The government's response to the NCRA report was to set emission levels aimed at averting warming above 1.5 degrees by 2035, and the cost of these changes is being debated across business and political forums and in the media, with much of the focus being on the economy, housing market, our renewable energy transition and the environment.
What is less debated or evident in the headlines is the impact of climate change on the mental health of everyday Australians, who are already buckling under climate-related stress, with statistics telling us that nearly 80 per cent of us have faced at least one extreme weather event since 2019.
Over 67 per cent of young Australians report that climate concerns negatively impact their mental health. Mental health impacts from repeated exposure to extreme weather events are cumulative, leading to slower recovery and worsened outcomes.
Children born in 2021 are now expected to experience seven times more climate-related disasters in their lifetime than previous generations.
Inside our therapy rooms, our clients are talking more and more frequently about their anxiety and sense of hopelessness for the future, with reference to the changes in our climate.
A new term has been coined: eco-anxiety, and psychologists are being trained to help ordinary Australians to mitigate the mental health effects of climate change.
Many young adults report significant levels of worry and distress over climate change: over half of those aged 16-25 report negative emotions like sadness and anxiety about climate change, and that they feel their concerns are dismissed or ignored.
This age group also reports that climate anxiety negatively affects daily life and decision-making, increasing the risk of long-term mental health impacts.
Young adults are seriously considering whether to have children of their own, considering concerns about climate change, with a 2021 survey of 18-24 year olds finding 20 per cent had reconsidered or chosen not to have children due to climate change.
Yet others, in older generations, hold the levers to make changes to adjust and plan for our future - our politicians, policy makers, and business executives.
This imbalance in power dynamics contributes to the helplessness experienced by many younger people, as well as some rural and Indigenous communities.
In addition to emissions targets for the future, infrastructure changes, protection measures for our rivers and wildlife, and increasing our tree canopy, it is imperative that we co-invest in the mental health and resilience of Australians, and particularly young people.
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Many young adults report significant levels of worry and distress over climate change. Picture Shutterstock |
This is not simply investing in mental health disaster recovery - which we do comparatively well now - it is also about investing in effective and sustained mental health outreach and support in the policy settings that adjust for climate change.
Rural and regional Australians are disproportionately affected by climate change, and have a suicide rate twice that of capital cities, yet have significantly more difficulty accessing mental health support than city-dwelling Australians.
This group of already marginalised and underserviced Australians must be made a priority when we look to build services and support systems that can deal with the future mental health impacts from increasing numbers of bushfires, floods and cyclones.
We already have inadequate support for the mental health of Australians, and even if we manage to meet the government's 2035 emissions target, the aftermath from more severe and extreme weather will only add further pressure to our overburdened mental health system.
The Prime Minister called the NCRA a "wake-up call" for all Australians, but alarm bells have been ringing in the community health mental health sector for years, and it's time he and the government heard them.
Links
- How is concern about climate change taking a toll on young people?
- Mental health effect on children and youth due to climate change
- Climate concerns and young people's mental health
- Climate change-related worry in children and young people: What does the research evidence say?
- Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: a global survey
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