The climate crisis is a threat to everyone
Why don't most people take the climate crisis seriously?
Why does the human mind—our cognitive system—struggle so hard to distort the perception of the climate crisis as a specific and inevitable risk?
Our instinctual security system, the instinct of self-preservation, automatically responds only to the most immediate and direct threats. These do not necessarily have to be specific physical threats to life and health. For example, threats could come from a predator attack, an armed robbery, the risk of an accident, or falling from a height. They might also stem from potential social sanctions: being fired, fined, reprimanded, failing an exam or an interview, receiving negative evaluations and condemnation from authorities or superiors, or facing public disapproval. In such cases, the self-preservation instinct activates as a fear of being ostracized from the community (expelled from the pack), leading potentially to doom. The threat can also be abstract, such as when something threatens our values or beliefs. In this case, the instinct is activated and ancient brain structures respond to mental evaluations or the images that our consciousness uses to illustrate the consequences of abandoning certain values or beliefs.
Various cognitive biases affect the psychological perception of the climate change problem. For instance, these include delays in time and lag in space, meaning it is viewed as something distant in time and space. It is perceived as something that will happen somewhere, sometime, to someone else, but not to us or not now. Influential sociologist Anthony Giddens refers to this spatial-temporal distancing of the climate change issue as the paradox of climate change. The Giddens Paradox states that: “since the dangers posed by global warming aren’t tangible, immediate or visible in the course of day-to-day life, many will sit on their hands and do nothing of a concrete nature about them. Yet waiting until such dangers become visible and acute—in the shape of catastrophes that are irrefutably the result of climate change—before being stirred to serious action will be too late”.
Human tendency to perceive immediate outcomes as risky while underestimating events with delayed consequences significantly influences our perception of the ecological crisis. This distortion also extends to memory, including the collective memory of past major disasters. The 'distance from the past' effect comes into play: it happened once, to someone, but not to me. Was it even real? And if it was, under what circumstances? This renders us shortsighted about the future.
Media information from governments and the scientific community of climatologists, geophysicists, and ecologists does not present climate change as an immediate threat to the survival of civilization. In fact, efforts seem to be made to exploit the aforementioned cognitive biases to keep the public uninformed and inactive. It would be different if the truth spoken at today’s climate change conferences—about the trends and causes—were openly shared. Instead, facts are often silenced or distorted. Discussions about climate catastrophes are framed as events that might happen decades in the future. When the anthropogenic factor is mentioned as a cause of climatic events, the locus of control over the climate situation is shifted to humanity, or more precisely, to the political and economic elites. Due to this deception, healthy instincts do not trigger action, leading to inactivity and deliberate manipulation of public consciousness. Those responsible are well aware of the unconscious mechanisms that guide human behavior. Essentially, we are being led to the slaughter. A crime against humanity is being committed right before our eyes by those to whom we have delegated responsibility for our fate. And we are all complicit.
In recent years, particularly among teenagers and young adults, a phenomenon known as climate or ecological anxiety has emerged. This means that a segment of the population with clear perceptions and healthy instincts is accurately recognizing the climate situation. If there is anxiety, there is also a drive to act to change the situation. But where is their energy directed? Toward fighting the anthropogenic factor through strikes and other social actions aimed at reducing industrial and transportation pollution. Ultimately, people see that their efforts are fruitless and lose enthusiasm. They remain trapped in their desperate anxiety, which at times reaches the peak of panic attacks, then descends into depression.
Those of you with climate/ecological anxiety, you are okay; you are healthy and are perceiving things correctly; you have managed to put two and two together. Please, stay awake. You have the potential to change everything. Just act correctly. Join the millions involved in the Constructive Society project, working to create conditions for the survival of all people.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, climate-related migration is already occurring. Over the past decade, tens of millions of people have been forced to relocate annually due to weather events like floods, storms, wildfires, or extreme temperatures. Many others leave their homes due to slower processes such as drought or coastal erosion. As of June 2021, there were 84 million refugees worldwide.
The impact of climate change on people's mental health is an overlooked issue. The lack of research and awareness on this matter is startling. The same factors of climate change that affect people's physical health also impact their mental health.
Studies on the prevalence of mental disorders among climate disaster survivors show a high risk of developing conditions such as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), anxiety disorders, and depression over the long term (from 3-6 months to several years post-disaster), especially among those who were not forewarned of the impending disaster. In the slides, you can see the percentage prevalence of these diseases among migrants from different countries after floods, earthquakes, and fires.
The Impact of Wildfires on Mental Health: A Review of 60 Studies
Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable categories when it comes to mental health disorders, which may manifest and intensify months or even years after a natural disaster. In the subacute phase following a wildfire, the incidence of significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder among children can reach 9.2%. After six months, this figure may rise to between 12% and 29.4%. For instance, 18 months after the 2016 wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, data from 3,070 students in grades 7-12 indicated rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (37%), depression (31%), anxiety (27%), and substance use disorders (15%), with 46% showing any of the four possible disorders.
The Impact of Evacuation and Displacement on the Link Between Flooding and Mental Health Consequences
The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder among earthquake survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 46 studies.
People affected by climatic disasters are at an increased risk of suicidal behavior. For example, 81.5% of earthquake survivors in Pakistan reported spontaneous suicidal thoughts. 71.5% said they could not sleep normally, and 85.55% lost interest in any activity. A review of 8 studies on earthquake victims from different countries found that on average, 20.34% had persistent, intrusive suicidal thoughts with plans for suicide. The data variance from these studies is displayed on the slide.
In 2015, two major earthquakes struck Nepal, affecting 8.5 million people, displacing 450,000, and killing 8,900. Four months after the earthquakes, one-third of adults in Nepal were experiencing symptoms of depression and severe levels of anger, one-fifth were consuming alcohol, and one in ten harbored persistent suicidal thoughts. Of those affected, 33.7% (29.5-38.2%) reported anger that was difficult to control.
There is also evidence suggesting that air pollution and extreme weather conditions such as wildfires and hurricanes can contribute to higher suicide rates.
Several studies have established a link between higher temperatures and aggressive behavior up to and including homicide. Mares and Moffett (2016) explored the relationship between annual average temperature and murder rates in 57 countries from 1995 to 2012 using multilevel modeling to account for changes in murder rates within and between countries. The researchers found that each one-degree Celsius increase in average annual temperature was associated with an average increase in murders by nearly 6%. There is undeniable evidence linking rising temperatures to increased suicide rates.
Not only do climatic disasters contribute to the rise in mental disorders, but socio-economic factors also play a significant role. Examples include migration, and shortages of water and food resources. Drought and crop failure lead to economic losses, hunger, and thirst, which can undoubtedly lead to distress and despair, ultimately increasing the risk of suicide.
Those affected by various climatic disasters are at a high risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, depressive and anxiety disorders with panic states. People often encounter sleep disturbances, suicidal thoughts, and bursts of anger and aggression that are difficult to control.
Comparative studies show a much higher prevalence of mental disorders among those who had to migrate and were not forewarned of the impending disaster. In children and adolescents, symptoms of mental disorders appear and intensify months and years after the tragedy, affecting nearly half (46-48%) of the impacted children.
Comparative studies show a much higher prevalence of mental disorders among those who had to migrate and were not forewarned of the impending disaster. In children and adolescents, symptoms of mental disorders appear and intensify months and years after the tragedy, affecting nearly half (46-48%) of the impacted children.
