Heat dome and other climate events have growing impact on mental health


Date:
January 24, 2022
Source:
Simon Fraser University
Summary:
Last summer's Western North American heat dome caused more than
record- breaking temperature increases--rising anxiety about
climate change is reported in a new study on the weather event's
impact on our mental health.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Last summer's Western North American heat dome caused more than
record-breaking temperature increases -- rising anxiety about climate
change is reported in a new study on the weather event's impact on our
mental health.


========================================================================== Researchers with the Mental Health and Climate Change Alliance (MHCCA)
found significantly higher climate change anxiety following the heat
dome. They believe their study, published in the Journal of Climate Change
and Health, is among the first of its kind to demonstrate direct links
between mental health concerns and climate change related weather events.

The researchers say ongoing monitoring of climate change anxiety is
needed to better understand the impact of individual and compounding
climate change- related weather events over time. Their results from
data collected from over 850 individuals over the age of 16 found:
* The average levels of climate change anxiety increased by
approximately
13 per cent among British Columbians after the heat dome.

* Most participants reported that they were much (40.1per cent)
or somewhat
more (18.4 per cent) worried about climate change after the
heat event.

* The number of people who felt that it was very likely their
region would
be devastated due to climate change increased from 17.5 per cent
prior to the heat dome to 29.8 per cent.

* The number of people who felt that the industry they worked in
would be
affected by climate change increased from 35.0 per cent prior to
the heat dome to 40.3 per cent after the heat dome.

* Most participants reported that they were somewhat (40.8 per
cent) or
greatly (17.4 per cent) impacted by the heat dome.

According to MHCCA director Kiffer Card, an assistant professor in
SFU's Faculty of Health Sciences, "Our research explores an important
link between two of the most pressing public health emergencies of the
21st century: mental health and climate change. In doing so, our work
sends a clear message: that planetary health and personal health are
one in the same." Card says the MHCCA will continue monitoring levels
of climate distress among British Columbians and hopes to extend its
research on climate event-related anxiety nationally. The group has
applied for federal funding, though Card notes the lack of availability
of federal funding to learn more about the health impacts of climate
change remains a barrier. According to the Canadian Research Information System, over the last decade, less than 1 per cent of health research
funding in Canada has gone to projects related to "climate change" or
"global warming." The researchers say their study is among the first
to use a validated climate change anxiety measurement tool to explore
the impacts of extreme heat on mental health in Canada, providing new
insights that can advance emerging research in the field.

"Leading medical journals and public health organizations have identified climate change as the single greatest threat to human health in the 21st Century, and climate change is already causing more frequent, longer
and more severe extreme weather events, such as heat waves and floods,"
says Card.

"These events are causing direct and indirect consequences for individuals
and communities around the globe. Our study underscores how the most
immediate of these consequences is worsening mental health, as people
grapple with worries and concerns about their local environment."
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Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Andreea Bratu, Kiffer G. Card, Kalysha Closson, Niloufar Aran, Carly
Marshall, Susan Clayton, Maya Gislason, Hasina Samji, Gina Martin,
Melissa Lem, Carmen Logie, Tim Takaro, Robert S. Hogg. The 2021
Western North America Heat Dome Increased Climate Change Anxiety
Among British Columbians: Results from A Natural Experiment. The
Journal of Climate Change and Health, 2022; 100116 DOI:
10.1016/j.joclim.2022.100116 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220124151042.htm

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