Worrying about climate change: is it responsible to promote public debate?

Abstract

Some fear that provoking widespread worry about climate change may harm mental health. The Regional Wellbeing Survey, a large study of health, well-being and life in rural and regional Australia, examined climate change worry and attitudes. Most respondents were worried about climate change and agreed that fossil fuel use causes global warming, but there was no evidence to suggest that worry about climate change is linked to mental health in the general population. Respectful, calm, considered public debate about how to respond to climate change is unlikely to be harmful to population mental health. Individually focused clinical approaches are unlikely to be effective as a primary approach in managing the mental health impacts of climate change. Instead, collective, systems-based approaches will be needed.

The Importance of Humidity in the Relationship between Heat and Population Mental Health: Evidence from Australia

“…In the context of climate change, health authorities are not only likely to face growth in total mental health care demand but will also have to improve their capacity to supply care nimbly to different localities with varying levels of need. To promote overall mental health and resilience, increased public discussion is urgently required to help citizens work together with service providers to protect and promote mental health as the planet warms [ 36 ].…”

The responsibility of communicating difficult truths about climate influenced societal disruption and collapse

“…These findings indicate that climate anxiety and discussion about climate change and adaptation should not be assumed to be synonymous with paralysis and overwhelm (Berry & Peel, 2015). Moreover, currently there is no research to suggest any causal link between climate anxiety and clinical pathology (Berry & Peel, 2015).…”

“…Over the past few decades, climate scientists have expressed increasing concern about the effects of climate change on our biosphere, and in turn, societal functioning (World Meteorological Organisation, 1986). The increasing awareness of our severe predicament throughout academic, activist, and mainstream contexts, activates emotional responses to this issue (Berry & Peel, 2015;Clayton & Karazsia, 2020;Comtesse et al, 2021;Consulo & Ellis, 2018). These responses are termed 'climate anxiety', 'solastalgia', 'eco grief', and 'eco anger'.…”

“…Eco grief refers to the sense of sadness due to losses within the biosphere. This can be experienced due to past and present losses of species, ecosystems, and landscapes; loss of environmental knowledge, connection with land, and related cultures and identities; as well as anticipated environmental and lifestyle losses (Berry & Peel, 2015;Clayton & Karazsia, 2020;Comtesse et al, 2021). Grief is a natural response to loss and although there is much understanding of the emotional and physiological components of grief, this is yet to include the grief of losses within the environmental world (Consulo & Ellis, 2018).…”

“…This systematic descriptive review of the psychology literature finds little evidence to support the concerns that increasing emotional responses to climate change will reduce pro-environmental behaviour or that it is necessary to moderate climate communication. Evidence for inaction comes from research into social, political and economic attitudes to climate change, as well as uncertainty or mistrust regarding the evidence supporting climate change (Berry & Peel, 2015). However more research suggests that climate anxiety and eco grief are inherently 'adaptive' emotional experiences and increase the likelihood of proenvironmental behaviour (Comtesse et al, 2021).…”