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Climate disasters are taking a heavy toll on the mental health of survivors, campaigners calling for better care say.
From floods and fires to rising sea levels and storms, there are increasing concerns about deteriorating mental health as communities around the world face the loss of land, homes, livelihoods and their traditional ways of life.
And campaigners at Cop28 in Dubai drew attention to what they call “climate depression”, saying that taking action is one of the ways to improve mental resilience.
Sophie Osbourne, finance and sponsorship lead at the Nuclear for Climate initiative, said: “Physically, we can protect people if we move them but that doesn't stop the impact of what they could be losing, not just their houses but their ancestral homes, which for some communities is incredibly important.”
Raki AP, a climate justice campaigner from the Indonesian province of West Papua and a Netherlands-based civil servant, agreed but also said protecting the environment and ecosystems is hugely beneficial for mental well-being.
How do we make a way forward for the generations to come?
Casey Camp-Horinek
“For my community in particular, we've seen how those in power have turned a blind eye to our lives and rights for decades,” he said.
“So, for us, unfortunately being resilient and organising ourselves is a common thing.
“Looking at my own experience, I've seen that planting seeds in individuals, giving them tools to act in their own way, that's the medicine. That gives me the energy to continue the next day.
“Over time, you see this growth of support and awareness, of youngsters who find a way to fight back and this is what gives me hope to fight every single day.”
Trauma
Extreme weather and natural disasters brought by climate change mean “significant upheaval” and trauma to communities, according to the American Psychiatry Association.
And there is a clear relationship between experiencing the effects of climate change – such as rising temperatures or more severe extreme weather – and worsening mental health, according to Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment.
Experiencing the effects of climate change first-hand directly increases the risk of experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and extreme distress, it said.
Damage to infrastructure and supply chains by climate change also risks disrupting the provision of mental healthcare, the briefing paper showed.
Those with existing mental health conditions or living in poorer countries are more likely to be affected by climate change, are less likely to have access to support, and are at higher risk of reduced well-being, it added.
Loss of culture
Indigenous communities at Cop28 have called on world leaders to protect the ancestral land and forests where their families have lived for generations.
Casey Camp-Horinek, environmental ambassador of the Ponca nation of present-day American state of Oklahoma, said the impact of climate change has added to the effects of colonisation, displacement and loss of culture.
Extractive industries and industrial agriculture have “impacted the way in which we lived within the natural laws”, she added.
“When these mega fossil fuel industries were allowed in our backyard, it created a situation where we were not only removed from the land, removed from our abilities to grow our own food and to drink from the springs and to hunt, but also the instability and insecurity of 'what's going to happen next?' … and now we can't even breath the air,” Ms Camp-Horinek said.
“What happens to the generations to come? Our understanding of the natural world has been turned upside down.”
Substance abuse
Ms Camp-Horinek spoke of how the climate change added to a sense of “hopelessness” among members of her community, while instigating a rise in substance abuse as a coping mechanism.
“When climate change began, the tornadoes got larger, the droughts got more extreme and the flooding began to happen. So, as a result, the hopelessness came into our lives,” she said.
“How do we make a way forward for the generations to come? How do we live within the natural structure we always lived in?
“We have a disconnect with our youth: drugs, alcohol, social ills, murdered and missing people, high rates of incarceration.
“Depression and panic attacks are very, very prevalent in our society now,” she said.
Oklahoma has recorded a surge in earthquakes since 2009, which, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), have been induced by oil and gas-related processes.
“When you can't even depend on the Earth to be stable under your feet, what does that create?” Ms Camp-Horinek said.
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The specs
Engine: 2.5-litre, turbocharged 5-cylinder
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 400hp
Torque: 500Nm
Price: Dh300,000 (estimate)
On sale: 2022
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Reading List
Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:
Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung
How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever
Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays
How to Raise a Mindful Eaterby Maryann Jacobsen
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
The specs: 2018 Jeep Compass
Price, base: Dh100,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.4L four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 184bhp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 237Nm at 3,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.4L / 100km
Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Fanney Khan
Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora
Director: Atul Manjrekar
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand
Rating: 2/5
TO ALL THE BOYS: ALWAYS AND FOREVER
Directed by: Michael Fimognari
Starring: Lana Condor and Noah Centineo
Two stars
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
