The many ways that climate change is affecting our mental health

Many feel anxiety about the existence of the climate crisis. However, the dislocation from culture and land can have different effects on wellbeing. Laura Walters questions what we can learn about indigenous populations to help us respond to the mental health consequences of climate change.

David Higgins is constantly thinking about his ancestors.

“I look at their photographs lining the walls of my marae and reflect on the future of our marae and whānau.”

Higgins grew up in Moeraki, where he is now Upoko (traditional head of the hapū) of Te Rūnanga o Moeraki. He hopes Moeraki will become his final resting place.

But things have changed in Higgins’ lifetime.

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He recalled growing up with bitterly cold winters and puddles that froze, as well as long hot summers. He recalls the date and location of the tuna harvest from Waimataitai Legoon, as well as the eel that sustained them. He also remembers the areas along the coast where he rode horses and walked.

But the weather, climate, and landscape are all changing.

The frequency and intensity of storms has increased over the past few decades. Mahinga kai has lost many species, and areas where Higgins used to walk are now largely unsuitable for mokopuna.

“It’s incredibly sad that they won’t enjoy visiting these same places in the future,” he says.

Although the Moeraki marae does not face climate change, Many people in the country are doing this.. In the Ngāi Tahu tribal area alone, 16 of the 18 marae are coastal.

Meanwhile, historic pā sites, archaeological sites, and urupā are on borrowed time. In Moeraki lies one of Ngāi Tahu’s most influential tribal leaders, Matiaha Tiramōrehu. His final resting place could soon be underwater.

Higgins is one of the kaitiaki responsible for taking care of the leader’s resting place, and says the wider whānau has considered exhuming the contents of their urupā. The goal is relocating their tīpuna, such as Matiaha, to a site that isn’t at risk of climate change.

But it’s not that simple. Some whānau are more than happy for the ocean to claim the urupā. Their ancestors migrated to New Zealand across Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, and in this way their tīpuna would return to the sea.

Higgins states that the sad truth is that there will be many difficult decisions in the next few decades.

“Losing our urupā will have a huge impact on our hapū, mentally and emotionally,” he says.

“Imagine the stress and strain knowing you are burying your whānau and there is no guarantee that within the next decade their burial site won’t be swamped by the sea.”

Higgins loves Moeraki. He’s lived there his whole life, and wants to be buried here near his tīpuna.

“I also understand my last resting place could very well be swamped by the ocean within the next decade if the sea levels continue to rise.”

Much of the discussion about how climate change impacts mental well-being and health is focused on this topic. Eco-anxiety. It’s that overwhelming feeling of dread and anxiety created by a crisis of existential proportions.

A recent Climate Coverage Now newsletter to international media reporting on the crisis starts: “If you’re not scared by climate change, you’re not paying attention.”

The Lancet Planetary Health reported in December that a SurveyA survey of 10,000 people aged 16-25 from 10 countries found that 75% believe the future is terrifying.

The first time that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report (IPCC) released FebruaryIt was titled “Health and Wellbeing”, For years, the focus has been on medical and public health – any discussion of mental health had measured poor outcomes like hospital admissions or suicide. The report examines how mental wellbeing is affected, and what can we do to improve it.

As New Zealand and its neighboring countries experience more obvious impacts of climate changes, the severity and range of mental health effects will vary.

This is what Western Australians in the wheat belt are feeling. The rain is falling in seawater and the soil is drying up. It has been heartbreaking to hear about the implications for communities. People feel responsible to their livestock’s peril; for their loss of livelihoods. There are also questions surrounding climate equity and the transition away industries that contribute to climate changes.

Although New Zealand has not yet experienced the same level of drought and wildfires, recent events have. Floods in southern AfricaOn the East Coast, Fires in northern areasRemind Kiwis that they will not be ignored

Rural people, who depend on the land and the climate for their livelihood, often have less access to mental health services, which can exacerbate the problem. Insurance companies recognize this and offer coverage. Include mental health benefits into rural policiesThe Ministry for Primary Industries established a fund. Support existing mental health services that are rural-focused.

It is not a new idea that climate change can negatively impact mental health. However, understanding the complexity of the effects and how they are felt is only the beginning.

Situations that force people from their homes, or significant cultural areas, are more likely to create a sense of loss – lost connection to place, lost connection to ancestors, lost connection to culture, and to someone’s ability to provide for their family and community.

The emerging term solastalgia – the distress produced by environmental change, which impacts a person’s connection to their home environment – goes a long way to starting more profound conversations about this aspect of wellbeing.

In exploring the idea of solastalgia indigenous world views and vocabulary can help to provide a depth of perspective.

Last July, during her address to the Otago Foreign Policy School, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Kaiwhakahaere chair Lisa Tumahai said Māori will be disproportionately impacted by climate change.

But Tumahai who is also the vice-chair of the Climate Change CommissionIt is possible to reduce the impact of climate change by using knowledge and following a multi-generational timeline.

“If we don’t take the right climate action, I worry about my grandchildren. I do really worry about their future, and their environment,” she says.

“It’s up to the leadership of today to make the right bloody decision for our young people.”

When Ngāi Tahu began work on its climate change strategy in 2015, the iwi commissioned Niwa to look at the projected changes in environment out to 2090.

”That’s how we think about timelines,” she says. It’s about planning for their grandchildren’s grandchildren.

Communities have the ability to work together to adapt to changing conditions. They can also keep their cultural connections intact. Any migration will be made through informed decisions and not force.

The conversations and decisions will be hard, but Tumahai says her people are adaptive and resilient – it’s not the first time they’ve had to move.

The Pacific is often viewed as the symbol of climate change, the canary in a coal mine. But the world doesn’t often hear Pacific voices, says University of Auckland co-head of Te Wānanga o Waipapa Dr Jemaima Tiatia-Seath.

“Traditionally, we have heard that outsider view. But have we really delved into the lived experiences of Pacific people living, breathing, and trying to maintain livelihoods?”

Tiatia Seath is leading groundbreaking researchClimate change is having an impact on the mental health and well-being of Pacific people. The study also examines New Zealand’s health system in order to meet those needs, should people have to relocate.

This is the first occasion that a Pacific-led, predominantly Pacific-based team has received a local context on these matters.

Tiatia Seath says that Pacific people have a deep relationship to the ocean, the land and the environment. For many, it’s also the umbilical cord.

“When you’re having to move away from that, or physically disassociate yourself from the land you’re born and bred on, there can be a sense of displacement, of loss.”

Like Māori, those forced to leave their communities, ancestors’ gravesites, nations, or culture will face stress and anxiety that comes with moving to a new environment, Tiatia-Seath says.

“How can we be more prepared for the influx of people who are having to move their homeland and establish a new life, due to climate change? How can we care better for their wellbeing, and what kind of distinct issues should we be addressing?”

Tiatia-Seath believes communities hold the solutions, but they often don’t hold the power or the wealth needed to take action.

Tiatia-Seath – who also sat on the panel of the Government’s Mental Health and Addictions Inquiry, and is now a member of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission – says it’s promising to see Pacific people featuring as a priority population in the national mental health strategy.

If climate change could be considered alongside mental well-being, it would be a game changer.

Alistair Woodward, University of Auckland, is a public health doctor who also wrote the IPCC. He says it is understandable that people feel fear and worry when dealing with an issue that seems unstoppable and threatens to reach significant thresholds.

“We’re dealing with a planet, which is not the one we knew, and we don’t know how it’s going to turn out.

“If that’s what’s on your mind every day, how do you commit to a positive future? One that includes education, one that involves getting out and finding a job, and one that involves community connections.

“If people don’t feel a sense of attachment to the future of their communities and their countries, then they tend to get sucked into destructive and dark corners.”

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t hope.

The Covering Climate Now newsletter – the one that basically said anyone not living under a rock should be scared – also went to pains to point out the importance of talking about solutions.

“Fear alone, unleavened by the knowledge that this crisis can be fixed, is bad both for people and the planet,” it says.

“Fear can easily spiral human beings into anxiety and despair, which paralyses them from the civic and political engagement urgently needed to defuse the crisis.”

Woodward agrees and, like many others, believes that the solutions are already there

“The job is to make hope practical, rather than despair convincing,” he says.

It starts with trying limit global warming, and to mitigate the effects of climate changes. Woodwards states that while there is still much to be done, New Zealand has some key frameworks in place that will allow it to continue its work.

It is not necessary to reinvent the wheel when it concerns poor mental health or wellbeing.

Urban development and city planning are important. Be sure to emphasize the connection with natureBecause the natural environment is so intrinsically tied to wellbeing, it is essential to have clean water and a community.

Woodward also supports policies that strengthen the link between a functioning healthcare system and climate change adaptation.

When thinking about solutions, it is important to have close relationships with indigenous people.

Everyone feels a sense of belonging to their roots and dislocation when it is taken away, he said. However, indigenous cultures communicate these concepts more clearly.

Kaitiakitanga is a concept that people have a responsibility for the environment. It means that they are defined by the quality and quantity of the place. It’s an understanding that our wellbeing is synonymous with the wellbeing of our environment.

Where can I find help?

1737, Need to speak?Support from a trained counsellor is available by free phone call or text at 1737 anytime

Lifeline – 0800 543 354 or (09) 5222 999 within Auckland

Youthline – 0800 376 633, free text 234 or email [email protected] or Online chat

Samaritans – 0800 726 666

Suicide Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)

What’s the Deal? – 0800 942 8787 (for 5–18 year olds). Phone counselling is available Monday to Friday, midday–11pm and weekends, 3pm–11pm. Online chat is available 7pm–10pm daily.

Kidsline – 0800 54 37 54 (0800 kidsline) for young people up to 18 years of age. Open 24 hours a days.

thelowdown.co.nz – or email [email protected] or free text 5626

Anxiety New Zealand – 0800 ANXIETY (0800 269 4389)

Rural Support Trust – 0800 787 254 (0800 RURAL HELP)

Supporting families with mental illness – 0800 732 825