Living conditions and mental wellness in a changing climate and environment: focus on community voices and perceived environmental and adaptation factors in Greenland

Abstract

Background: Climate change is a major global challenge, especially for Indigenous communities. It can have extensive impacts on peoples' lives that may occur through the living environment, health and mental well-being, and which are requiring constant adaptation. Objectives: The overall purpose of this research was to evaluate the impacts of climate change and permafrost thaw on mental wellness in Disko Bay, Greenland. It contained two parts: multidisciplinary fieldwork and a questionnaire survey. The aim of the fieldwork was to learn about life and living conditions and to understand what it is like to live in a community that faces impacts of climate change and permafrost thaw. For the questionnaire the aim was to find out which perceived environmental and adaptation factors relate to very good self-rated wellbeing, quality of life and satisfaction with life. Analysis: Fieldwork data was analyzed by following a thematic analysis, and questionnaire data statistically by cross-tabulation. First, the associations between perceived environmental and adaptation factors were studied either by the Pearson χ 2 test or by Fisher's exact test. Second, binary logistic regression analysis was applied to examine more in depth the associations between perceived environmental/adaptation variables and self-rated very good well-being, satisfaction with life and quality of life. The binary logistic regression analysis was conducted in two phases: as univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Nature and different activities in nature were found to be important to local people, and results suggest that they increase mental wellness, specifically well-being and satisfaction with life. Challenges associated with permafrost thaw, such as changes in the physical environment, infrastructure and impacts on culture were recognized in everyday life. Conclusions: The results offer relevant information for further plans and actions in this field of research and at the policy level. Our study shows the importance of multidisciplinary research which includes the voice of local communities.

Permafrost thaw challenges and life in Svalbard

“…Impacts may result in increasing safety risks due to weather changes in the nature, but also herders experienced anxiety due to fear of the future related to cultural continuity and economic development (Kowalczewski and Klein, 2018). Still, despite the challenges that climate change is causing, it can also create new options for people, as it has been found in studies related to Greenland (Timlin et al, 2021a;Nuttall, 2010;Tejsner, 2013). People should not be seen as outsiders of the situationthey should be seen as active, an example of how to live with changes (Stoor et al, 2015).…”

“…Similarly, impacts of permafrost thaw, specifically on culture and the built environment, were observed among Indigenous people in Greenland and they affected the regular life of people (Timlin et al, 2021a;Timlin et al, 2021b). Still, recognizing that challenges are associated with infrastructure or culture very importantly seemed to increase the feeling of life satisfaction (Timlin et al, 2021a), and similarly, with the physical environment, it increased the feeling of life satisfaction and empowerment (Timlin et al, 2021a;Timlin et al, 2021b). Based on the literature, health and wellbeing have holistic aspects covering mental, physical, and social wellbeing (Rautio et al, 2014;WHO, 1946), and also spiritual well-being (Rautio et al, 2014).…”

“…Moreover, impacts can result in economic problems or damage to the physical or social environment (Berry et al, 2010;Bourque and Cunsolo Willox, 2014;Palinkas and Wong, 2020). Similarly, impacts of permafrost thaw, specifically on culture and the built environment, were observed among Indigenous people in Greenland and they affected the regular life of people (Timlin et al, 2021a;Timlin et al, 2021b). Still, recognizing that challenges are associated with infrastructure or culture very importantly seemed to increase the feeling of life satisfaction (Timlin et al, 2021a), and similarly, with the physical environment, it increased the feeling of life satisfaction and empowerment (Timlin et al, 2021a;Timlin et al, 2021b).…”

Inequalities of ice loss: a framework for addressing sociocryospheric change

“…Inequalities of ice can also manifest outside of the glacier hazard space. In Greenland, for example, ice loss largely attributed to anthropogenic warming driven by the Global North is affecting everything from food security to mental health (McDougall, 2019; Timlin and others, 2021). Scientists arrive in Greenland each year to study sea-ice changes, melting glaciers, shifting fjord dynamics and the changing ocean–ice interface.…”

Effects of Occasional Visits to Botanical Gardens on the Attitude to Nature in Primary Schoolchildren in Russian Arctic

“…Организм человека, растущего в арктических условиях, находится в постоянной адаптации к условиям активно меняющегося климата, и это сказывается на его личностном устройстве [19].…”