Mainstream mental health into climate financing — Climate activists

African activists are advocating that world leaders and policymakers mainstream mental health into climate financing discussions. 

A day after the 29th Conference of Parties (COP29) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) took off in Baku, Azerbaijan, the African Coalition of Communities Responsive to Climate Change (ACCRCC) made a distress call to global communities for a financing regime that would inspire policies and partnerships that target climate-related mental health issues at all levels.

They said such a move would help to mitigate the broader social impacts of the global crisis, including psychological trauma from climate-related disasters and promote resilience among vulnerable populations.

Although COP29 is largely focused on unlocking sustainable finance to accelerate climate action, some leaders of the coalition told the Daily Graphic that the mental health dimension of climate change was multifaceted, touching on issues such as anxiety about future climate impacts (often called eco-anxiety), trauma from extreme weather events and mental health challenges linked to displacement, conflict for resources, economic stress and loss of livelihoods. 

Critical issue

The Executive Advisor at the ACCRCC, Dr Rosalind Nkirote, said that the nexus between climate change and mental health was becoming an increasingly critical issue at the vulnerable household level "given that the grassroots community is at the forefront of the negative impacts of climate change.”

She said various engagement with communities ahead of COP29 had demonstrated that as awareness of climate change increased, so did the feeling of helplessness, hopelessness and anxiety, particularly among youth and indigenous communities who felt they bore the brunt of the crisis.

“We call upon global communities, especially policymakers in various governments, to establish mental health support systems that address climate-related distress and equip mental health professionals with tools to recognise and manage eco-anxiety,” Dr Nkirote added.

She said more interdisciplinary research was needed to quantify and understand the mental health impacts of climate change as well as to develop effective interventions.

Challenges

The Emergency Management Director at ADRA Africa Regional Office, Hannah Ndungu, said funding agencies' concentration of funds at traditional target areas such as health and environmental science, made it difficult to explore projects beyond those boundaries.

She said the extension of funding beyond traditional targets to include climate-health was critical because various research had shown that extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, floods, drought and wildfires, caused not only physical displacement, but psychological trauma while prolonged exposure to those events could lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Social impact

An executive committee member of the World Physiotherapy Africa Region, Henry Opondo, observed that increasingly, communities that were forced to migrate because of rising sea levels, drought or other climate impacts often experienced depression, anxiety and loss of cultural identity.

“Unfortunately, the mental aspects of climate change impacts are hardly addressed. Mental health needs of climate migrants are crucial, as well as ensuring that mental health services are part of humanitarian responses to climate-related migration,” he stressed.