Psych Effects Climate Change Ex Sum 3 23.Ashx

7/31/2019 Psych Effects Climate Change Ex Sum 3 23.Ashx

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The Psychological Effectsof Global Warming on

the United States:And Why the U.S. Mental Health Care

System Is Not Adequately Prepared

Ntionl Form nd Rsrch Rport

FebRuaRy 2012

Kvin J. Col, JD nd

Lis Vn Sstrn, MD,

Ntionl Wildlif Fdrtion Climt edction Progrm

With Spport from th Rort Wood Johnson Fondtion

Copright 2011 Ntionl Wildlif Fdrtion

Perrush / Fotolia.com

ExecutiveSummary


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Preface

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Having the reality o the destructive orces presented by climate change ullyregisterwith people, so they will to act with the needed urgency, is indeed a challenge. And,

while the physical and environmental eects o global warming are studied anddescribed, what has rarely been addressed, and is as compelling a topic as any, are thepsychologicalimpacts.

This report aims both to ll in the gap in our awareness o the psychological impactso climate change, and by exposing the emotional side o the issue, to nd the place inour hearts that mobilizes us to fy into action, orewarned, determined, relentless. It alsois a call or proessionals in the mental health elds to ocus on this, the social justiceissue o all times, with their capacity to work through denial and apathy, to bring insightand commitment beore it is too late.

The language o science is, admittedly, not a stirring call to action. Scientists are bynature cautious, and restrained. While this report does not aim to present the orumparticipants as fame throwers, or this work to accomplish a primary goal, the readerwill need to feelsomething in reading it. The language used here, and some o thequestions asked, may eel uncomortably probing, as they pierce our armor. Ater all,most o us want to be patriotic, to be optimist about the uture. But we need to ullyconront certain realities.

I we continue the adolescent-like disregard or the dangers we are being warned o,driving green house gasses up with only casual concern, there will be consequences.As our world begins to unravel and our role is undeniable, all eyes will be on us.

Questions beg to be asked:

Whatwilltherestoftheworldthinkofus?

Wherewillwebesafe?

Howwill we feelaboutourselves?

The interplay between the climate realities we likely ace and the potential psychologicalallout rom them was the subject o a conerence convened in Washington D.C., inMarch 2009. A highly respected group o experts oered insights. Their thoughts,recommendations and supporting evidence are presented in this report.

We extend our heartelt thanks to the RWJ Foundation and to our orum participants.We also note the sad death o orum participant and riend Dr. Jerilyn Ross. Sheadded her characteristic straight talk, practical knowledge, and bright intellect to thediscussion.

Sincerely,

Lise van Susteren, MD, Kevin J. Coyle, JDForensic Psychiatrist Vice President or Education


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The Psychological Effects of Global Warming on the United States

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The Psychgc Effects f

G Wg the Uted Sttes

Executive Summary

Forum Participants: .................................................................................

Executive Summary: ............................................................................. i

Climate Change Lessons from the Dramatic Summer of 2011 ............ i

Summary of Findings ...........................................................................v

Solutions and Recommendations ........................................................ xi

Table of

ConTenTs

World image -strizh-/Fotolia

Cover image Perrush - Shuttershock.com

Our thanks to the Robert Wood Johnson

Foundation for its support of this project.


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National Forum and Background Report - 2011

N A T I O N A L W I L D L I F E F E D E R A T I O N

Fu Ptcpts

Victor BalabanTravelers Health and Animal Importation

BranchDivision of Global Migration andQuarantine

Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA

William BeckerExecutive Director, Presidential Climate

Action ProjectThe Wirth Chair in Environmental and

Community Development PolicySchool of Public AffairsUniversity of Colorado Denver, Boulder,

CO

Peter G. Bourne, MD, MAVisiting Scholar, Green-Templeton

College, OxfordVice Chancellor Emeritus of St. GeorgesUniversity, Grenada, West Indies

Chairman of the Board, MedicalEducation Cooperation with Cuba(MEDICC)

Wales, UK and Washington DC

James H. Bray, Ph.D.President, American Psychological

AssociationDepartment of Family and Community

MedicineBaylor College of Medicine, Houston TX

Gillian Caldwell, JD

Campaign Director, 1SkyTacoma Park, MD

Eric Chivian, MDFounder and Director, Center for Health

and the Global EnvironmentProfessor of PsychiatryHarvard Medical School Boston, MA

Lt. Gen. Daniel W. Christman (Ret.)Sr. Vice President for International AffairsUnited States Chamber of CommerceWashington DC

Robert W. Corell, PhDVice President for Programs

H.J. Heinz Center for Science, Economicsand the Environment

Washington DC.

Kevin J. Coyle, JDVice President for Education and TrainingNational Wildlife FederationReston VA

Spencer Eth, MDVice-Chairman and Medical Director,

Psychiatry and Behavioral HealthServicesSaint Vincent Catholic Medical CentersNew York, NY

Sherri Goodman, JDGeneral Counsel and Corporate Secretary,

Center for Naval AnalysesExecutive Director, Military Advisory

Board, National Security and theThreat of Climate Change projectAlexandria, VA

Jerey T. Kiehl, PhDSenior Scientist, Climate Change ResearchNational Center for Atmospheric

Research. Boulder, CO

Douglas LaBier, PhDFounder and DirectorCenter for Adult Development, N.W.,

Washington, DC

Andrew Light, PhDDirector, Center for Global EthicsGeorge Mason University, Fairfax, VASenior FellowCenter for American Progress

Washington, D.C. 20005

George Luber, PhDAssociate Director for Global Climate

ChangeNational Center for Environmental

HealthCenters for Disease Control and

Prevention, Atlanta, GA

Edward W. Maibach, PhDDirector, Center for Climate Change

CommunicationGeorge Mason University, Fairfax, VA

H. Steven Mofc, MDProfessor, Department of Psychiatry and

Behavioral MedicineMedical College of Wisconsin,

Wauwatosa, WI

Jerilyn Ross, M.A., L.I.C.S.W.President and CEO, Anxiety Disorders

Association of AmericaDirector, The Ross Center for Anxietyand Related Disorders, Inc.Washington, DC

Larry Schweiger,President and CEO

National Wildlife Federation, Reston, VA

Steven Shapiro, PhDClinical Supervisor and Counseling

Psychologist,Community Psychiatry ProgramBayview Medical Center, Johns Hopkins

University

Patrice L. Simms, JDSenior Project AttorneyNatural Resources Defense CouncilWashington, DC

Mike TidwellDirector

Chesapeake Climate Action NetworkTakoma Park, MD

Lise Van Susteren, MDForensic PsychiatristMember, Board of Directors, National

Wildlife Federation Washington, DC

Timothy WarmanVice President, Global Warming SolutionsNational Wildlife Federation,

Washington, DC.


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T

he extreme and sometimesviolent weather o thesummer o 2011 can oer

valuable insights intohow a warming climate will aectthe people in the United States andother parts o the world. The newsheadlines included: a worsening Texasdrought, record heat in the easternstates, a rise in heat-related deathsin many U.S. cities; violent oods inthe East and Midwest; an expandedrange and season or some o theworst tornados on record and more.

These same headlines included theseemingly unrelated amine andreugee tragedy in Somalia, a rise

in mental health difculties amongservice men and women returningrom war, and anomalous weatherconditions and disease outbreaksin many parts o the world.

Climate scientists have begun toempirically link 2011s extremeweather events and natural disasters toclimate change and report that theseare representative o what sciencepredicts the world will look like

Executive Summary

The Psychgc Effects f

Global WarminG the Uted Sttes

ClimaTe Change lessons from The severe

WeaTher of summer 2011

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and Disasters to Advance Climate ChangeAdaptation. The report fnds thatchanges in weather, due to climatewarming, will be elt everywherein the world. Thephysical and

economic destruction surely bogglesthe mind but what is not beingaddressed are the humanpsychologicalconsequences o all this devastation.

To begin with, the incidences o mentaland social disorders will rise steeply.These will include depressive andanxiety disorders, post traumatic stressdisorders, substance abuse, suicides,and widespread outbreaks o violence.Children, the poor, the elderly, andthose with existing mental healthdisorders are especially vulnerable and

will be hardest hit. At roughly 150million people, these groups representabout one hal o the American public.

The American mental healthcommunity, counselors, traumaspecialists and frst responders arenot even close to being prepared tohandle scale and intensity o impactsthat will arise rom the harsherconditions and disasters that globalwarming will unleash. It is not thatwe havent experienced natural

disasters beore, but the scientifcdata show that what lies ahead willbe bigger, more requent, and moreextreme than we have ever known.

There are even broader implications,many o them beyond our shores. Asclimate related disasters and burdensspread across the world, the U.S.military will increasingly be calledupon to help keep order. Servicemembers will be aced with stressul,even horriying conditions. Theywill see people - the young, the old,

the innocent suer terribly. Backhome their amilies will experiencethe ripple eects, suering vicariouslyand experiencing their owndisruptions in fnances, relationshipsand child-rearing. There will bethe disorders rom the immediatetrauma, and in some caseschronicpsychological disorders will ollow.

with more warming. The physicaland economic harm caused by suchevents is evident but what will be thetoll on the publics mental health?

To those who would deny, dismiss orjust ail to envision the psychologicalimpacts global warming, we urgeyou to take a deeper look. We maynot currently be thinking abouthow heavy the toll on our psychewill be, but, beore long, we willknow only too well. A warmingclimate will cause many people, tenso millions, to hurt prooundly.

Global warming rom increased greenhouse gases in our atmosphere is leadingto a spiral o worsening conditions that

will include extreme and sometimeviolent weather. What we are alreadyseeing is alarming indeed: in 2011alone we aced devastating droughts,raging wildfres, record breakingsnowstorms and rainalls, stunningoods in the East and Midwest, highertemperatures and more requent 100degree days in more cities than we haveever known - with a commensuraterise in heat related deaths, an expandedrange and season or some o theworst tornadoes on record, and themost costly hurricane in our history.

In November o 2011, the U.N.sponsored Intergovernmental Panelon Climate Change confrmed thisin a report entitled: Special Report on

Managing the Risks of Extreme Events

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Another major problem or the militaryis a high rate o active service membersuicide. Even though the numbershave recently declined ater reachinga high o nearly double the rate othe civilian population, the problempersists. While suicide is the result omany complex actors, the linkage toglobal warming with respect to militarypersonnel must be acknowledged.Burning ossil uels or energy meansdepending on oreign areas where those

supplies are most abundant. To theU.S. military this can mean sendingyoung people into battle to protectour energy sources or to calm relatedunrest. Our service members willrecognize that their own lives and limbswere sacrifced even though alternaterenewable sources o energy couldbe more available. Our national needto put these young people in harmsway would also decline i we weresimply more energy efcient. Howwill we answer these service members

questions about why we didnt workharder at fxing this problem?

Moreover, the United States isincreasingly disliked, worldwide, asa global warming villain. Thoughrepresenting less than 5 percent othe worlds population, the U.S. emitsabout 25 percent o the worlds greenhouse gasses. As the link betweenclimate disasters in other countries andthe production o green house gases in

the U.S. becomes clearer, Americanswill be blamed or inicting harm onother countries. Critics may point toemissions rom China (now surpassingthe U.S.) and India as reasons why theU.S. can share the blame but our percapita emissions are second to none.Alarmingly, our perceived indierenceis already the subject o rallying criesagainst us. It is used by leaders oterrorist groups, or example, as a toolto recruit new members. The President

o one Arican country hit hard bydrought linked to climate changeaddressed countries emitting highlevels o green house gases: We havea message here to tell these countries,that you are causing aggression to us bycausing global warming. The Presidento Bolivia, aced with unprecedentedooding rom heavy rains, threatenedto sue the U.S. in international court.

The U.S. Department o Deensepredicts that events linked to climate

change, such as crop ailures, watershortages, disease outbreaks, andmore will soon be the leading cause oworld turmoil. Unstable states, acedwith these stressors, are at risk oslipping into chaos, and ailing. Thispaves the way or takeovers by groupshostile to the U.S. and is a growingreality widely eared by our military.

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The economic costs o climate changewill be high by any measure. Butits specifc eect on U.S. mentalhealth, societal well being andproductivity will increase current

U.S. expenditures on mental healthservices adding to our current $300billion annual burden. Incrediblythis probable cost is overlooked intodays national public health debateand environmental discussions. TheU.S. mental health care system is notprepared to address the ull eectso global watming-related disastersand incidents. A comprehensiveassessment o what will be requiredbegs to be undertaken. Training healthcare providers and frst respondersto address the large-scale mental

distress arising rom the emergenciesthat are coming is imperative. Timelyinterventions may keep some earlyinjuries rom developing into costly,chronic, long-term conditions.

This report contains the proceedings,fndings and recommendations o anational orum o experts in the feldso psychology, mental health, nationalsecurity, climate change science andpolicy. The orum was designed as anexploratory interdisciplinary assessment

o the eects that global warmingwill have on the state o Americanpublic mental health and the practiceand provision o mental services inthe United States. The orum, heldon March 19, 2009 in Washington,

D.C., was supported by the RobertWood Johnson Foundation. It soughtto add inormation and contextto an overlooked aspect o globalclimate change: the psychological and

public mental health implications.In addition to the proessional insightsand advice o the orum participants,this report draws rom a wide bodyo supplemental research to assess:

a) the most likely physical eectso climate change in the U.S.,

b) the most likely psychologicaleects resulting rom directexperiences and also rom theanticipation o uture harm,

c) the subgroups o AmericanSociety most deeply aected,

d) the cost o doing nothingor doing very little,

e) the eect on the U.S. mentalhealth care system,

) recommendations to researchers,policy leaders, publicagencies, health proessionalsand frst responders.

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People may, indeed, suer rom anxietyabout climate change but not know it.They will have a vague unease aboutwhat is happening around them, thechanges they see in nature, the weatherevents and the act that records arebeing broken month ater month. Butthey wont be sufciently aware o thesource, and urthermore, we all conateand layer one anxiety upon another.Not knowing exactly what bothers usis common. For this reason research,based on sel-reporting, indicatingthat Americans do not worry about

climate change is unreliable and likelyunderestimates the actual numbers.

Major segments o U.S. societyare more psychologicallyvulnerable now: Children:Americas70million

children will not only suer longterm eects rom climate changebut will also experience acutereactions to natural disasters andextreme weather events. Somechildren are already anxious aboutglobal warming and begin to obsess(understandably) about the uture,unmoved by the small reassurancesadults may attempt to put orth.In the frst known climate changedelusionadepressed17yearoldboy was hospitalized or reusingto drink water out o ear itwould cause many more deathsin drought ridden Australia. Thedoctor who treated him has seen

V.Borisov/Shutterstock.com

An estimated 200 millionAmericans will be exposedto serious psychologicaldistress rom climate relatedevents and incidents:The severity o symptoms willvary, but in many instancethe distress will be great.

In the coming years, a majority oAmericans will experience directadverse eects rom the impacts oglobal warming. Natural disasters

and extreme weather events willstrike many places that are denselypopulated: 50 percent o Americanslive in coastal regions exposed tostormsandsealevelrise,70percentofAmericans live in cities prone to heatwaves; major inland cities lie alongrivers that will swell to record heights,and the astest growing part o thenation is the increasingly arid West.

Climate change will become atop-o-mind worry in the uture:Some Americans already are or willsoon experience anxiety about globalwarming and its eects on us, ourloved ones, our ecosystems, and ourliestyles. This anxiety will increase asreports o the gravity o our conditionbecome more clear and stark. Despitealarming evidence that environmentalconditions are worsening, a majority oAmericans do not eel much consciousunease about global warming. Theysel-report not considering it top omind and most do not see that global

climate change has real implicationsor their daily lives. They see theglobal warming problem as distantin both time and place. A lack oknowledge about the basics o climatechange, the point o no returnconsequences o reaching atmospherictipping points, along with innatepsychological resistance are majorimpediments to ully grasping how direthe consequences can eventually be.

summary of findings

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Theelderlyandthelowincome people: will also bedisproportionately aected, dueto more ragile overall healthand reduced mobility. Economic

limitations will aect many o the50 million elderly people in theU.S. and 35 million lower incomepeople with higher levels o climateand weather-related psychologicalstress. They are less able to payor goods and services, such asair conditioning, that provideadditional protection rom highertemperatures. The elderly otenexperience severe psychologicaldistress during heats waves andlow income people likewise sueranxiety rom higher exposure to

the dangers o extreme weather.

Peoplewithpre-existingmentalhealth conditions: The estimated 60million Americans who currentlysuer rom psychological disorderso varying degrees o severity willace additional challenges whenconronted with the harsh realitieso climate change. In additionto trying to contend with highertemperatures and more violent orextreme weather, they certainly willhave a harder time fnding publiclyunded mental health treatmentprograms as these budgets shrinkin avor o more basic emergencyresponse services and communityrepairs. As jurisdictions struggleollowing natural disasters tomeet the bills to clean up, replant,eed or otherwise provide basicand emergency services, undingor the needy, the sick, and thevulnerable will inevitably becut. Funding or mental healthservices is among the frst to

go in economic hard times.Indeed since 2008, two thirds oU.S. states have cut unding, (ashighas47percentinonestate)though many o these servicesare deemed critical. (Medscape:Psychiatry and Mental Health)

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Comparision of 1992 to 2002Components of the Economic Burdenof Serious Mental Illness, Excluding

Incarceration, Homelessness,Co-morbid Conditions and Early

Mortality (in Billions)

Type of Cost 1992a 2002b

Health Care Expenitures $62.9 $100.1c

Loss of earnings $76.7d $193.2e

Disabilty beneftis(SSI and SSDI) $16.4d $24.3f

Total $156.0 $317.6a Normal 1992 dollars based on general Consumer Price

Index data; $1 in 1992=$128 in 2002 (www.bls.gov/cpi).b Normal 2002 dollarsc Source: Mark etal. (4).d Source: Rice et al. (7).e Source: Kessler et al. (6).f Authors calculations based on data from the Soical SecurityAdministration (www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/stat-comps).

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

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Loss of

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other children suering romclimate related anxiety disorders.A body o research showinghow distressed Russian and U.S.children were by the threat onuclear bombs during the coldwar era underscores the potentialor global climate change to havethe same destructive impact.


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MembersoftheMilitaryandtheir amilies: One o the mostdramatic maniestations o theimpact o global climate changeon the mental health o Americans

could originate rom beyond itsborders. The U.S. Military hasconcluded that global climatechange will have destabilizingeects on economically, politicallyand environmentally ragilenations, putting them at risk ocollapse and opening them up toconict and war. Many o thesecrisis zones will draw in Americanfghting orces. Some o theseailed states may become seedbedso terrorism; putting Americansin danger on our own soil. U.S.

military interventions in ailingnations will have many seriouspsychological eects as evidencedby experiences with the wars inAghanistan and Iraq. Commonmaniestations include anxietiesand ears associated with enteringor being in combat, post traumaticstress disorders, emotionalreactions to injuries, suicide,painul separations rom amily,and the economic and emotionalhardships back home that oten

accompany having a spouse orparent in the active military.

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The mental health care system othe U.S. is not prepared to handlethe wide-spread psychologicalstresses o climate change:While the U.S. mental health care

proessions are coming to recognizeand address the larger scale perilsassociated with climate change, nocomprehensive strategies are in placeto cope with the ull psychologicaland public mental health implications.Given the oreseeable magnitude othe impacts and the rate at which theworld is changing, a campaign ocusedon what this segment o the U.S. mentalhealth service community can do tohelp is certainly needed. Examples oneeds include how to address large

populations (sometimes millions) whohave witnessed or been displaced byviolent weather, are suering throughheat waves or drought and otherconditions that create the need orlarge scale emergency mental healthinterventions in aected locations.

There is also low rstresponder preparedness:Due to the number o emergencysituations in which global climate

change and mental health issueswill be connected, frst responderswill need additional education andtraining to handle the immediatepsychological trauma and symptomso climate disaster victims. Suchtraining will support rescue operations,triage decisions, application omedications, patient saety and more.

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Some climate change-related conditions and their

psychological eects meritspecic preparation: Summer heat waves: the physical

distress arising rom prolongedheat waves is well known.What is not widely known isthe psychological distress that iscaused by higher temperatures,and, in particular, the relationshipbetween rising temperatureand aggression. Research romIowa State shows that, as thetemperature rises, so does the

incidence o violence. (DeLisi 2010) Coastal and river fooding: the

direct adverse eects o oodingare obvious, but these weather andclimate related events are especiallylikely to lead to psychic injuryrom the stress o displacement,loss o possessions (including pets),and uncertainty about interim anduture housing and employment.

High impact and more intensestorms: the ar-reachingconsequences o destructiveweather saw its prototype inHurricane Katrina. The Hurricanescattered residents o New Orleansall across the U.S. It shattered aculture, broke up amilies, spikedoutbursts o outrage and blameat a government that was slow torespond, and lead to a jump inviolence in at least one city thattook them in (Houston). Six yearslater New Orleans has yet to ullyrecover, and many o the victims

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have experienced post-incidentstress and post-traumatic stressdisorders (PTSD). Their shakenconfdence in institutions andgovernment is less quantifable butalso potentially damaging especiallyas a cumulative eect over time.

Severedroughtandreducedsnowpack: the unrelenting day by daydespair o watching and waitingor water that doesnt come willhave a singularly damaging impacton the psyche o the people whohave depended on Mother Naturesrainall or their livelihood.Already underway is a 21st centurydust bowl in Australia that hasspawned a growing populationo desperate migrants. Texas hasrecently experienced a drought(with accompanying wildfres)the likes o which has not beenseen in more than 50 years.

Increased large-scale wildres:raging wildfres are incrediblydangerous and have a particularlysavage eect on our psyches bydevastating landscapes, wiping

out homes and possessions,incinerating wildlie and cloggingthe air with pollutants that sickenpeople locally and can travelhundreds o miles to sickenpeople at a distance. Persistentpsychological stress is common,with anxiety reactions recurringrom unavoidable re-exposureto the odors, smoke and ash.

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There is no organized disciplineor the study o the psychological

aspects o global warming:While considerable research andproessional literature report onpsychological reactions to naturaldisasters, no overarching disciplineor feld o study connects humanpsychology to the many aces oglobal warming. A long term anddisciplined approach to studyingthese problems within public healthagencies, the academic and clinicalcommunity is needed to adequatelyassess and address the ull meaningo global warming on the mentalhealth o the American public.

New disease threats: highertemperatures avor the ormationo ozone which triggers asthmaattacks. Anyone who has asthmaand parents o children with

asthma are amiliar with the earsthis illness engenders. People dierom untreated asthma. Manyother ears linked to diseaseare harder to nail down. Asmalaria and dengue ever andother inectious diseases marchnorthward due to warmertemperatures, inchoate ears othreat and vulnerability drit intopeoples consciousness. This willbe compounded by a growingnumber o sensational mediareports tied to disease outbreaks

and public health warnings.

When natural disasters areno longer truly natural:Research shows that when a disasteris viewed as avoidable, as is the casewith the harm caused by man-madecarbon emissions, people fnd it harderto accept, become resigned to, and moveon. The anger and outrage at callous,willul ignorance toward public welarewill make or incendiary, difcult toget over conditions. With increasingmedia coverage educating people aboutthe causes o climate change and theensuing extreme weather events andother disasters, we can expect morepowerul and troubling responsesto human-caused climate disastersthan when disasters were previouslyexperienced as natural or acts o God.

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The mental health communitycould be more eective atcommunicating the threato climate change and theurgent need to take action:Although the feld o psychology hasdeveloped policy positions in climatechange, it has remained relativelysilent on the depth and scale o thethreat. Americans must have thethreat register, in order to fnd theimpetus and sustained interest inadopting solutions and supportingofcials and policies that recognizewhat we stand to lose. This willrequire more education, persuasivemessages, and consistent reinorcementrom people and organizations with

a reputation or trustworthiness andobjectivity. The magnitude o thetask is daunting, but deploying thecollective inuence o members othe mental health community, whohave both an understanding o scienceand a commitment to helping peoplebreak through their resistance anddenial, would be a major help.

There will be huge nationalprice tag or ignoring themental health implicationso climate change:The mental health care expenses o

large scale events such as HurricaneKatrina in 2005, or Hurricane Irenein 2011, point dramatically to how thecurrent estimated average annual U.S.mental health care and lost productivityThe current estimated average annuallevel o more than $300 billion toprovide mental health services andto accommodate the indirect costssuch as lost work time in the UnitedStates will increase signifcantlyas a direct result o the physical,economic, social and psychological

eects o global warming and relatedincidents in the coming decades.

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soluTions and reCommendaTions:

Mental health practitioners,rst responders and primarycare proessionals should havecomprehensive plans andguidelines or climate change:The psychology and mental healthfelds have many well-developedtools and approaches to help respondto disasters and to take care opatients aced with emergencies. Butthese need to be honed and better

placed in anticipation o meeting thedemands o escalating large-scalecrises. Increased and better targetedemergency management and disasterresponse training on the psychologicalreactions o victims to violent weatherand other disasters is needed.

Priority should be givento training mental healthproessionals who serve themost vulnerable populations:

Examples include: school counselors,pediatric health care proessionals,healthcare specialists serving the aged,public clinic sta, and specialists servingpatients susceptible to stress reactions.

Improve the assessment,diagnosis, and treatment opeople suering rom climaterelated mental health problems:We need a new discipline o study andpractice that will help practitioners andpublic health ofcials prepare or theoreseeable and unavoidable mentalhealth eects o global warming. Thiswill require research, proessionaldevelopment, operating centers o

excellence in practice and best methods,and guidelines or interventions andtreatment or those psychologicallyinjured or in torment. This body oknowledge should also be incorporatedinto existing academic disciplines:environmental studies, law, business,other social sciences and medicine.

A rigorous estimate should bemade o the cost o addressingthe psychological eects o

climate change vs. the costso ignoring the problem:The size and scope o the problem oclimate change disasters will causemental distress requiring care ona massive scale. The existing $300billion direct and indirect annual pricetag will increase as the requency odisasters mounts, but the greatestpublic costs could come rom ignoringthe eects. Timely interventionscould reduce the number o disorders

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that become chronic. An assessmentshould be made o what the mentalhealth consequences o globalclimate change will mean to the U.Seconomy in the short and long term.

Governments should developand deploy mental healthincident response teams:This would be similar to currentpractices used by public health agenciesor disease outbreaks but would bedesigned or trained mental healthproessionals. These teams wouldarrive at the time o a climate orweather related incident to advise localclinics, mental health providers andfrst responders on what psychologicalresponses to expect and how to addressthem. They would also coach them onhow to deal with their own emotions.

Helpul models or positiveindividual and communityaction should be developed:Health proessions have had successchanging behaviors in campaigns tostop smoking, use seat belts, and getvaccinated. The health belie modeland its many refnements used by health

institutions could be eective tools tofght global warming. A campaign toshow how coal is not only driving upCO2 but sickening and killing peoplerom cardiovascular disease, lungailments, cancer and more, could be atest case. People eel better when theytake steps to improve their liestyle andhelp their communities. Lowering ahomes carbon ootprint, saving energyand working on collective eorts tolower green house gas emissions are all

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examples o behaviors that engenderoptimism. There are psychologicalbarriers to taking action and hiddenimpediments and ears that stand inthe way o these eorts. The feld can

help leaders to learn how to get themout o the way or break them downinto components that can be corrected.

Steps to Changing your OutlookUnderstanding the issue

Identing ve steps you can do in your ownhome or work place to reduce impact.

Surround yourself with good people

Share with others your concerns

Learn how to deal with stress from outsideinuences

Get help when you need it.

Pew Research Center

Psychological implicationso global warming shouldbe actored into publicpolicy development:No public policy ramework currentlyexists that would assess and addressthe capacity o U.S. public healthdepartments, frst responders andpractitioners to handle disastersand other maniestations o globalwarming that will require largescale mental heath care responses.

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WWW . NWF . O R G

policy statements such as that publishedby the American PsychologicalAssociation, the relative silence o the

mental health care community on thesubject o climate change is a subliminalsuggestion that danger does notabound. Given the truth o the threat,this could be a deadly misconception.

The American mental healthcommunity should havean ethical call to action:This would include publishing andupholding a strong ethics positionon climate change. Mental health

practitioners are trained, indeedare ethically bound, to respond toemergencies. They are also requiredto report to authorities i they havereason to believe, or example, that achild is being abused. The requirementis a legal one, but it is also a moralone. We must ask, knowing ull wellwhat the science is telling us, i thecall or climate change action is anyless compelling than stopping childabuse or protecting the sick. In thefnal analysis inicting the burdeno climate change on the vulnerableis an immoral act that puts uturegenerations in mortal danger.

The ollowing report and orumproceedings provide the backgroundand rationale or these fndingsand recommendations.

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The American mental healthcommunity should help teachthe public and leaders abouthow global warming will aectus and what we can do:Proessionals in the American mentalhealth community can help shapethe best language and tone to helpus understand, prepare or, and acethe challenges o climate change.Furthermore, with all the direconsequences being discussed, thepopulace risks becoming discouragedand avoidant, and even paralyzed.Psychologically minded messages canhelp counter this. Americas leadersshould be trained to use the mostpersuasive educational tools to inuence

people to change and to sustain theirchanges. The underpinnings o denialand inaction should be commonknowledge and openly addressed.Being versed on how to crat messagesthat resonate and stick with peopleshould be a undamental part o anyscience communication training.Mental health proessionals are in anideal position to show that collective,altruistic action is an antidote to eelingso powerlessness and other painulemotions. Also in the province o

proessionals is the courage to tackletaboo issues, such as how and whatwe eat, as well as our mode o travel.These are uncomortable questions thatwe need to fnd a better way to ask.

The American mental healthcommunity needs to become astrong public voice or protectingthe public rom climate change.Ramping up and sustaining pressureon public ofcials is imperative. The

American mental health community,with its combination o clout andexpertise, could help conront publicpolicy leaders with the ull implicationso inadequate action on climate change.As experts in breaking down denial,and dedicated to bringing reality andrational thinking into decision makingto help people get o destructive paths,mental health proessionals should bein the vanguard o the fght againstglobal warming. With the exception o

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800-822-9919

Psych Effects Climate Change Ex Sum 3 23.Ashx

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