The case for systems thinking about climate change and mental health

Berry, Helen; Waite, Thomas D.; Dear, Keith; Capon, Anthony; Murray, Virginia

doi:10.1038/s41558-018-0102-4

Cited by 334 publications

(256 citation statements)

References 98 publications

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“…Only more recently has the broader literature on climate change and mental health begun to quantitatively link subacute weather events with mental health outcomes [5,86]. As such, even globally the implications of repeated and cumulative exposure on individuals' and communities' mental health remains unclear.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Researchers have begun to frame these deteriorating connections as another form of environmental dispossession [28,95,96], as well as a human rights issue within climate justice discussions [97,98]. Importantly, as climate change progressively impacts place and health, it is unclear how these climateinduced emotional and mental stressors may interact with concurrent health concerns and pre-existing mental illness [99], and possibly compound already-present health concerns [86]. Given the importance of place for mental wellbeing identified in this review, preserving connection to place has been highlighted as an important mental health adaptation for Indigenous Peoples in the context of climate change [11,12,65].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Indigenous mental health in a changing climate: a systematic scoping review of the global literature

Middleton

Cunsolo

Jones‐Bitton

et al. 2020

Environ. Res. Lett.

139

102

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Indigenous Peoples globally are among those who are most acutely experiencing the mental health impacts of climate change; however, little is known about the ways in which Indigenous Peoples globally experience climate-sensitive mental health impacts and outcomes, and how these experiences may vary depending on local socio-cultural contexts, geographical location, and regional variations in climate change. Thus, the goal of this study was to examine the extent, range, and nature of published research investigating the ways in which global Indigenous mental health is impacted by meteorological, seasonal, and climatic changes. Following a systematic scoping review protocol, three electronic databases were searched. To be included, articles had to be empirical research published since 2007 (i.e. since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fourth Assessment Report); explicitly discuss Indigenous Peoples and describe factors related to climatic variables and mental health. Descriptive data from relevant articles were extracted, and the articles were thematically analyzed. Fifty articles were included for full review. Most primary research articles described research in Canada (38%), Australia (24%), and the United States of America (10%), with the number of articles increasing over time. Mental health outcomes such as strong emotional responses, suicide, depression, and anxiety were linked to changes in meteorological factors, seasonality, and exposure to both acute and chronic weather events. The literature also reported on the ways in which the emotional and psychological impacts of climate were connected to changing place attachment, disrupted cultural continuity, altered food security and systems, forced human mobility, and intangible loss and damages. This review highlights global considerations for Indigenous mental health in relation to climate change, which can support Indigenous-driven initiatives and decisionmaking to enhance mental wellness in a changing climate.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indigenous mental health in a changing climate: a systematic scoping review of the global literature

Middleton

Cunsolo

Jones‐Bitton

et al. 2020

Environ. Res. Lett.

139

102

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The lack of Australian national policy to address threats of climate change to health — and the consequent failure to realise the enormous opportunities that doing so would afford our nation — is disappointing to say the least. This work is urgent and should be undertaken within a complex systems thinking framework . As a direct result of this failure, we conclude that Australia remains at significant risk of declines in health due to climate change, and that substantial and sustained national action is urgently required in order to prevent this.…”

Section: Conclusion: the Mja–lancet Countdown In 2019mentioning

confidence: 97%

The 2019 report of theMJA–LancetCountdown on health and climate change: a turbulent year with mixed progress

Beggs

Zhang

Bambrick

et al. 2019

Medical Journal of Australia

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Summary The MJA–Lancet Countdown on health and climate change was established in 2017 and produced its first Australian national assessment in 2018. It examined 41 indicators across five broad domains: climate change impacts, exposures and vulnerability; adaptation, planning and resilience for health; mitigation actions and health co‐benefits; economics and finance; and public and political engagement. It found that, overall, Australia is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change on health, and that policy inaction in this regard threatens Australian lives. In this report we present the 2019 update. We track progress on health and climate change in Australia across the same five broad domains and many of the same indicators as in 2018. A number of new indicators are introduced this year, including one focused on wildfire exposure, and another on engagement in health and climate change in the corporate sector. Several of the previously reported indicators are not included this year, either due to their discontinuation by the parent project, the Lancet Countdown, or because insufficient new data were available for us to meaningfully provide an update to the indicator. In a year marked by an Australian federal election in which climate change featured prominently, we find mixed progress on health and climate change in this country. There has been progress in renewable energy generation, including substantial employment increases in this sector. There has also been some progress at state and local government level. However, there continues to be no engagement on health and climate change in the Australian federal Parliament, and Australia performs poorly across many of the indicators in comparison to other developed countries; for example, it is one of the world's largest net exporters of coal and its electricity generation from low carbon sources is low. We also find significantly increasing exposure of Australians to heatwaves and, in most states and territories, continuing elevated suicide rates at higher temperatures. We conclude that Australia remains at significant risk of declines in health due to climate change, and that substantial and sustained national action is urgently required in order to prevent this.

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“…Besides forming the conceptual basis for quantitative models, causal maps depict the multidimensionality and complexity of a problem; help to create mutual understanding of a system by its stakeholders; and aid in propagating the effects of potential interventions to the system qualitatively. Causal systems mapping has been used in a variety of studies, from sustainable consumption [23] to the acceptance of agrifood nanotechnology [24], energy efficiency and well-being in the built environment [25,26], and climate change impacts on mental health [27].…”

Section: Systems Mapping Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systems Thinking to Understand National Well-Being from a Human Capital Perspective

Eker

Ilmola‐Sheppard

2020

Sustainability

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Well-being has become an important policy goal to replace gross domestic product (GDP) as an indicator of national progress. Several multidimensional metrics and indicators of well-being have been developed mostly based on the four-capital model that includes natural, economic, human and social capital. These multidimensional measures of well-being, however, are highly categorical and lack a systems perspective that focuses on underlying mechanisms of the metrics and the interconnections between them. This study aims at bringing a systems thinking approach to understanding and measuring national well-being, particularly from a human capital perspective. For this purpose, we employ a qualitative systems mapping approach and identify the direct or indirect relationships between the well-being indicators related to human capital. The results show that the human capital system is governed by several reinforcing feedback loops through economic progress, health and life expectancy, which gives a central role to human capital to enhance well-being. There are balancing loops, however, that may have adverse effects on human capital formation and well-being, for instance through migration and ageing. Future studies can focus on the other three subsystems in the four-capital model, and on quantifying the relationships between different dimensions of well-being.

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The case for systems thinking about climate change and mental health

Cited by 334 publications

References 98 publications

Indigenous mental health in a changing climate: a systematic scoping review of the global literature

Indigenous mental health in a changing climate: a systematic scoping review of the global literature

The 2019 report of theMJA–LancetCountdown on health and climate change: a turbulent year with mixed progress

Systems Thinking to Understand National Well-Being from a Human Capital Perspective

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