Solastalgia: Climate Change is Breaking Our Hearts
Climate change is also a mental health emergency: After wildfires, up to 42% of affected populations show psychiatric symptoms a year later. After floods, a crushing 84% are depressed and anxious.
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There's a word for the feeling you get when you return to a place you love and find it fundamentally altered—not by the gentle passage of time, but by something more violent and permanent. The trees are gone. The coastline has shifted. The landscape feels alien, hostile, unrecognizable. You're still there, but the place has left you.
That word is solastalgia, and if you've never heard it before, you're about to start noticing it everywhere.
The Psychology of a Dying Planet
We're living through the largest psychological experiment in human history, and we didn't volunteer for it. Every day, millions of people wake up to news of another climate disaster, another species extinct, another ecosystem collapsed. We scroll through images of flooding, fires, and devastation while sitting in our relatively comfortable homes, and something inside us breaks a little more each time.
The research is finally catching up to what many of us have been feeling for years: climate change isn't just an environmental crisis—it's a mental health emergency. The numbers are staggering and terrifying. After wildfires, up to 42% of affected populations show psychiatric symptoms a year later. Following floods, depression affects 20% of victims, anxiety over 28%, and PTSD a crushing 36%.
But here's what makes this different from every other mental health crisis we've faced: it's not going to end. There's no recovery period, no return to normal. The thing that's making us sick is accelerating, and we all know it.
When Home Becomes a Stranger
Solastalgia captures something nostalgia never could—the particular agony of watching your home transform before your eyes while you remain powerless to stop it. It's not homesickness; it's home-sickness, in the most literal sense. Your environment is sick, and so, inevitably, are you.
I think about the farmers in rural Australia who coined this term, watching their land crack and die under endless drought. I think about the communities in the upper Hunter Valley, watching open-cut coal mining devour their landscape. I think about coastal communities worldwide, watching the sea creep closer each year, transforming the ocean from provider to predator.
These aren't abstract victims in distant places. This is coming for all of us, in different ways and at different speeds, but it's coming.
The Spectrum of Climate Grief
What the research reveals is that climate change attacks our mental health on multiple fronts simultaneously. There's the acute trauma of disasters—the immediate psychological injury of losing your home to fire or flood. There's the subacute response—the eco-anxiety that comes from witnessing devastation, even from afar, and understanding what it means for our collective future.
And then there's the chronic, grinding damage of living with constant uncertainty. The long-term effects include social disruption, resource conflicts, forced migration, and what researchers delicately call "the ongoing burden of chronic environmental stress."
Translation: we're all slowly losing our minds because the world is ending, and we can't do anything about it.
The cruelest part? The people suffering most are those who did the least to cause the problem. Children, elderly populations, indigenous communities, people with disabilities, the poor—they bear the psychological brunt of a crisis created primarily by wealthy nations and corporations.
The Heat is Making Us Violent
One of the most disturbing findings is the clear link between rising temperatures and human aggression. Hotter cities experience more violence. Hotter summers see spikes in crime. Hospital admissions for mental health issues, substance abuse, and behavioral disorders all increase during heat waves.
We're not just talking about discomfort here. We're talking about heat literally rewiring our brains, disrupting serotonin and dopamine pathways, compromising our central nervous system's ability to function. People with existing mental illness are three times more likely to die during heat waves.
Think about what this means as global temperatures continue to rise. We're not just facing a world of more frequent disasters and resource scarcity—we're facing a world where the baseline temperature makes us all more aggressive, more unstable, more likely to harm ourselves and others.
The Vocabulary of Apocalypse
New words are emerging to describe experiences that didn't exist for previous generations. Eco-anxiety. Ecological grief. Biospheric concern. These aren't clinical diagnoses yet, but they're becoming part of our everyday vocabulary because we need language for what we're feeling.
Ecopsychology is emerging as a field because traditional therapy wasn't designed for planetary-scale trauma. How do you treat someone whose depression is a rational response to ecological collapse? How do you provide hope when the source of despair is objective reality?
The Privilege of Green Space
Here's another cruel irony: we know that access to nature improves mental health outcomes. Urban green spaces reduce stress, improve cognitive function in children, and can even change brain structure in positive ways. But the people who most need these benefits—the poor, the marginalized, those living in environmental sacrifice zones—are the least likely to have access to them.
Environmental racism means that communities of color are more likely to live near polluting facilities and less likely to have access to parks and green spaces. Climate change will worsen these inequalities, creating a world where mental health becomes even more stratified by race and class.
What We're Really Grieving
When we talk about climate grief, we're not just mourning polar bears and coral reefs. We're mourning the future we thought we'd have. We're grieving the world we wanted to leave our children. We're mourning the very concept of progress, the belief that tomorrow would be better than today.
For young people especially, climate change represents a theft of possibility. Why plan for a career, a family, a retirement when the world might be uninhabitable in thirty years? The psychological impact of this stolen future is only beginning to be understood.
The Path Forward
The research makes clear that we need massive, coordinated responses to address climate psychology. This means integrating mental health services into climate adaptation planning. It means training therapists to work with eco-anxiety and solastalgia. It means recognizing that climate action is mental health action.
But it also means acknowledging something uncomfortable: some of our grief is appropriate. Some of our anxiety is rational. Some of our despair is the only sane response to what we're facing.
The goal isn't to medicate away our climate emotions or therapy our way to acceptance of an unacceptable situation. The goal is to channel our grief into action, our anxiety into activism, our solastalgia into solidarity.
Living in the End Times
We're living through what researchers call a "syndemic"—multiple, interacting crises that compound each other's effects. Climate change, mental health collapse, social inequality, political polarization—they're all connected, all feeding into each other, all accelerating together.
Understanding solastalgia and eco-anxiety isn't just an academic exercise. It's about recognizing that our emotional responses to environmental destruction are not pathological—they're adaptive. They're our psyche's way of telling us that something is terribly wrong and needs to change.
The question isn't whether we should feel grief about what we're losing. The question is what we do with that grief. Do we let it paralyze us, or do we let it motivate us? Do we suffer alone, or do we build communities of care and resistance?
Because here's the thing about solastalgia: it proves we still love this world enough to mourn it. And as long as we're capable of grief, we're capable of fighting for what remains.
References:
Solastalgia: the distress caused by environmental change
The Impact of Climate Change on Mental Health: A Systematic Descriptive Review
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STUDY MATERIALS
1. Briefing Document
I. Executive Summary
Climate change is increasingly recognized as a significant determinant of human mental health, leading to a range of distress symptoms and clinical disorders. Beyond the immediate physical dangers of extreme weather events, the gradual and profound environmental changes, coupled with a sense of powerlessness, contribute to a complex array of psychological impacts. New terminology, such as "solastalgia" and "ecoanxiety," has emerged to describe these unique forms of climate-related distress. Vulnerable populations, including indigenous communities, those with lower socioeconomic status, and individuals with pre-existing mental health conditions, are disproportionately affected. Addressing these mental health consequences requires a multidisciplinary approach, including early interventions, community resilience building, and a greater integration of mental health considerations into climate change responses.
II. Key Themes and Concepts
A. Solastalgia: Environmentally-Induced Distress
Definition: Solastalgia is a novel concept that describes "the distress that is produced by environmental change impacting on people while they are directly connected to their home environment." It is distinguished from nostalgia, which is the homesickness experienced when separated from a loved home.
Mechanism: This distress arises when individuals witness and experience significant negative environmental changes in their familiar surroundings, particularly when they feel a sense of "powerlessness or lack of control over the unfolding change process."
Contextual Evidence: The concept has been observed in populations experiencing:
Persistent drought in rural New South Wales (NSW).
The impact of large-scale open-cut coal mining in the Upper Hunter Valley of NSW.
Broader Application: The authors explore "the potential uses and applications of the concept of solastalgia for understanding the psychological impact of the increasing incidence of environmental change worldwide."
Similarity to Migration Stress: "Solastalgia describes a complex phenomenon that can have an impact on psychological levels, similar to that experienced by people who are forced to migrate." (Cianconi et al., 2020)
B. Diverse Mental Health Outcomes of Climate Change
Climate change impacts mental health across a spectrum, from mild stress to severe clinical disorders, manifesting at different times relative to the environmental event.
Acute Impacts (Immediate): Result from "extreme events (e.g. floods, hurricanes, wildfires, etc.) that immediately expose undefended and helpless people to mental injuries." These can lead to:
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Depression
General anxiety
Increased substance use or misuse
Suicidal thoughts
"Peritraumatic experience is highly related to acute stress during and immediately after a disaster, which is expected to lead to the onset of PTSD." (Cianconi et al., 2020)
Subacute Impacts (Indirect Witnessing/Uncertainty): Involve "intense emotions experienced by people who indirectly witness the effects of climate change, anxiety related to uncertainty about surviving of humans and other species and, finally, sense of being blocked, disorientation, and passivity." (Cianconi et al., 2020)
Long-term Outcomes (Chronic Stress & Social Change): Encompass "large-scale social and community effects outbreaking into forms of violence, struggle over limited resources, displacement and forced migration, post-disaster adjustment, and chronic environmental stress." (Cianconi et al., 2020)
Loss of "sense of place"
Identity disorders and long-term personality changes due to loss of familiar landscape.
Dissociative syndromes.
C. Specific Climatic Event Impacts on Mental Health
Floods: "The principal effect after flooding seems to be located in the mental health area, leading especially to PTSD." (Cianconi et al., 2020). Also linked to depression, anxiety, mourning, displacement, economic problems, and behavioral problems in children. Can exacerbate substance abuse and domestic violence.
Drought: Causes "mental distress, anxiety, depression, and suicide" (Cianconi et al., 2020). Impacts crop yields, access to food/water, and security, leading to displacement and forced migration. Farmers with small plots are at high risk.
Wildfires: Lead to "destruction and evacuation of residents." Observed mental health issues include "general mental health problems, post traumatic disorders, psychosomatic illness, and alcohol abuse." (Cianconi et al., 2020). Effects can be delayed and persist for years, affecting even "proximal populations, not directly affected." Children are also significantly impacted with post-traumatic phenomena.
Increased Average Land Surface Air Temperature/Heat Waves: Can "compromise the functioning of the central nervous system," alter biochemicals (serotonin, dopamine), disrupt thermoregulation, and cause sleep disturbance, exhaustion, and heat stress associated with suicide. Linked to increased hospital admissions for mental illness, especially mood disorders, substance abuse, and schizophrenia. Can increase aggression and violence.
Increase in Sea Level: Causes "persistent worry and thoughts of relocation" among those in low-lying areas. Can lead to "specific fears of encirclement or siege by the sea" replacing normal relationships with the ocean. Forces migration.
Deforestation/Landscape Modification:Loss of plant biomass has a "stressogenic impact on western populations, due to the increased ecological awareness," leading to "biospheric concern."
For indigenous populations, it has a "deeper impact, leading to profound maladaptive disorders and depression."
"Landscape modification can induce individuals to develop a profound sense of loss of connection and detachment from the environment they know." (Cianconi et al., 2020). This profound sense of loss is a key aspect of solastalgia.
D. Emerging Terminology for Climate-Related Distress
The unique psychological impacts of climate change have led to the coining of new terms:
Solastalgia: Distress caused by environmental change impacting people while they are connected to their home environment.
Ecoanxiety: Feelings of "loss, helplessness, and frustration caused by their inability to cope with climate change." (Cianconi et al., 2020). Also described as feelings of "uncertainty and anticipation of the unknown."
Ecoguilt: (Mentioned as an emerging term)
Ecopsychology: A new field of treatment pioneered by psychotherapists in response to ecoanxiety and biospheric concern, emphasizing the acceptance of powerlessness.
Ecological grief: "A recorded grief and anxiety spread among the native Inuit to describe what they have seen." (Cianconi et al., 2020)
Biospheric concern: A type of stress people feel "when they see vulnerable nature such as plants or animals and the environment." (Cianconi et al., 2020)
E. Vulnerable Populations and Disparities
Disproportionate Impact: Climate change negatively impacts mental health with "unequal distribution within and among communities." (Cianconi et al., 2020)
Specific Groups Identified:Children (show more severe disturbances than adults, higher rates of PTSD and depression).
The elderly.
The chronically ill.
People with mobility impairments.
Pregnant and postpartum women.
People with pre-existing mental illness.
Those with lower socioeconomic status, living in poverty, with scarce economic and social resources, or reduced social support.
Ethnic minorities.
Refugees and migrants (already psychologically vulnerable).
The homeless.
Indigenous Communities: Particularly vulnerable, as "melting ice and change in weather conditions are strongly linked to the impairment of these protective factors [being on the land] due to a decrease in access to land with some of the highest rates of youth suicide that have been documented among Inuit youth." (Cianconi et al., 2020). Experience profound maladaptive disorders and depression due to deforestation.
Economic Inequality: Climate change has "worsened global economic inequality." (Cianconi et al., 2020). Economic crises after environmental changes can increase suicide rates, especially among working men.
III. Implications and Future Directions
Growing Recognition: There is a "clear lack in psychiatric studies on mental disorders linked to climate change" (Cianconi et al., 2020), but a "vast body of works on mental health and climate change is now emerging."
Need for Further Research: Future studies are needed to:
Investigate correlations between psychiatric diseases and extreme events.
Understand responses to specific landscape changes (deglaciation, river disappearance, desertification).
Clarify acute, sub-acute, and long-term consequences.
Conduct multidisciplinary studies.
Utilize meta-analyses to establish specific causal associations.
Clinical and Policy Response:Recognize that "ecosystem distress syndromes matched by a corresponding increase in human distress syndromes." (Albrecht et al., 2007)
Integrate mental health considerations into disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation strategies.
Promote community resilience to mitigate distress and support recovery.
Develop early interventions for affected populations.
The "DSM-5 and ICD-10 offer no specific references to mental disorders related to climate change," highlighting a gap in formal diagnostic frameworks, though some related conditions are listed (e.g., economic problems, exposure to disaster).
The emerging field of "ecopsychiatry" is crucial for future data and clinical experience.
2. Quiz & Answer Key
I. Quiz
Distinguish between "solastalgia" and "nostalgia" as described in the sources.
What research methods were employed by Albrecht et al. (2007) to investigate solastalgia?
According to Cianconi et al. (2020), why has there been a "clear lack" in psychiatric studies on mental disorders linked to climate change?
Describe the difference between "acute" and "subacute" mental health impacts of climate change as identified by Cianconi et al. (2020).
How does increased average land surface air temperature impact mental health, beyond direct physical effects, according to Cianconi et al. (2020)?
Explain how deforestation impacts mental health differently for Western populations versus indigenous populations.
What is "biospheric concern" and how does it relate to landscape modification?
Who are considered "vulnerable groups" regarding the mental health impacts of climate change, according to Cianconi et al. (2020)?
What new terms, coined recently, are emerging to describe mental health distress related to climate change?
Why is it challenging to define the "long-term consequences" of climate change on mental health?
II. Quiz Answer Key
Nostalgia is the homesickness experienced by individuals when separated from a loved home. Solastalgia, in contrast, is the distress produced when environmental change impacts people while they are directly connected to their home environment, meaning they are still in their familiar place but that place is fundamentally altered.
Albrecht et al. (2007) utilized both qualitative and quantitative research methods. They conducted interviews and focus groups for qualitative data, and community-based surveys for quantitative data to investigate the lived experience of drought and mining in rural NSW.
Cianconi et al. (2020) suggest that the lack of psychiatric studies on mental disorders linked to climate change is likely due to the complexity and novelty of this issue. It is a relatively new and intricate field of study.
Acute impacts refer to immediate mental injuries experienced by "undefended and helpless" people directly exposed to extreme events like floods or hurricanes. Subacute impacts involve intense emotions experienced by people who indirectly witness the effects of climate change, leading to anxiety related to uncertainty about human and species survival, and feelings of being blocked, disoriented, or passive.
Increased average land surface air temperature can compromise central nervous system functioning, alter biochemical levels (e.g., serotonin and dopamine), disrupt thermoregulation homeostasis, and lead to sleep disturbances, exhaustion, and heat stress associated with suicide. It can also increase hospital admissions for various mental illnesses.
For Western populations, deforestation has a stressogenic impact due to increased ecological awareness, leading to a "biospheric concern" for a damaged world heritage. For indigenous populations, deforestation has a much deeper impact, often resulting in profound maladaptive disorders and depression due to their intrinsic connection to the land.
Biospheric concern is a type of stress people feel when they observe vulnerable nature, such as plants, animals, and the environment. It is related to landscape modification because the visible degradation of familiar surroundings directly triggers this sense of loss and detachment.
Vulnerable groups include children, the elderly, the chronically ill, people with mobility impairments, pregnant and postpartum women, individuals with pre-existing mental illness, those with lower socioeconomic status, and traditional native populations like the Inuit, First Nations, and Aboriginal communities.
New terms emerging to describe mental health distress related to climate change include ecoanxiety, ecoguilt, ecopsychology, ecological grief, and biospheric concern, in addition to solastalgia. These terms reflect the novel and complex psychopathological reactions to environmental changes.
Defining long-term consequences is challenging because they can be delayed in onset and persist over several years, potentially transmitting to later generations. These consequences are large-scale, outbreaking into social effects like violence, resource struggles, and forced migration, making them difficult to track and quantify over extended periods.
3. Essay Questions
Compare and contrast the concepts of "solastalgia," "ecoanxiety," and "ecological grief" as presented in the provided texts. Discuss their unique characteristics and the overlaps in their psychological manifestations.
Analyze the various ways in which different types of climate-related events (e.g., floods, droughts, wildfires, temperature increases) impact mental health, drawing specific examples from both sources.
Discuss the concept of "vulnerability" in the context of climate change and mental health. Identify specific groups highlighted in the texts as particularly vulnerable and explain the reasons for their increased susceptibility to climate-related psychological distress.
Evaluate the current state of research on climate change and mental health based on the provided excerpts. What are the identified gaps and limitations in existing studies, and what directions for future research are suggested?
Explore the implications of climate change on people's "sense of place" and identity, and how these changes contribute to mental health issues. Use examples from the texts to illustrate the disruption of personal and community well-being.
4. Glossary of Key Terms
Solastalgia: The distress that is produced by environmental change impacting on people while they are directly connected to their home environment. It is distinct from nostalgia, which is the homesickness experienced when separated from a loved home.
Nostalgia: The melancholia or homesickness experienced by individuals when separated from a loved home or place.
Ecoanxiety: Feelings of loss, helplessness, and frustration experienced by individuals due to their inability to cope with climate change and the uncertainty and anticipation of unknown future climatic events.
Ecoguilt: A recently coined term, implying a sense of guilt related to environmental impact or climate change. (Inferred from the mention alongside other new terms).
Ecopsychology: A new field of treatment pioneered by psychotherapists in response to growing ecoanxiety and biospheric concern, focusing on the human-nature relationship for mental well-being.
Ecological Grief: A recorded grief and anxiety, specifically mentioned in the context of native Inuit communities, describing what they have witnessed regarding environmental changes.
Biospheric Concern: A type of stress that people feel when they observe vulnerable nature, such as plants or animals, and the environment being damaged or lost, often associated with increased ecological awareness.
Extreme Events: Climatic events that are rare or outside the normal range, judged by people and communities by comparing them with personal experiences, especially when they are unprecedented or divergent from previous phenomena. Examples include heat waves, floods, hurricanes, droughts, and wildfires.
Sense of Place: The emotional and cultural connections people have to their home environment and surrounding landscape. Its disruption by environmental change can significantly impact identity and mental health.
Psychological Distance: A perception of distance, when a climatic event occurs as near or far, at a temporal, spatial, and social level, influencing people's experience of climate change impacts.
Meteoropathy: A term describing individuals who develop a specific illness or the worsening of an existing disease as a consequence of climatic changes.
Meteorosensitivity: A temperamental trait where living organisms may be biologically more prone to suffer the effect of atmospheric events on mind and body.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A psychiatric disorder that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, frequently observed after extreme weather events and life disruption.
Vulnerable Groups: Populations or communities that are disproportionately susceptible to the negative mental health impacts of climate change due to factors such as socioeconomic status, age, existing health conditions, and access to resources.
5. Timeline of Main Events
Pre-1996:
Ancient Times: Hippocrates writes about the importance of environmental factors like seasons, winds, and water quality in understanding medicine.
Prior to "Solastalgia" Concept: People experience distress due to environmental change, often described as melancholia or homesickness when separated from a loved home (nostalgia).
1996:
Le Houérou HN publishes research on climate change, drought, and desertification, contributing to the understanding of these environmental factors.
2000:
Brockmann KL and Stronzik M publish on "Flexible mechanisms for an efficient climate policy," which includes a contribution by Rahmstorf S on the risk of unpleasant surprises from anthropogenic climate change.
2001:
Anderson C publishes "Heat and Violence" in the American Psychological Society, suggesting a link between temperature and aggressive behavior.
2002:
Deshpande RS publishes on "Suicide by Farmers in Karnataka: Agrarian Distress and Possible Alleviatory Steps," highlighting the economic and mental health impacts of drought.
2004:
Sarma EAS publishes "Is Rural Economy Breaking Down? Farmers’ Suicides in Andhra Pradesh," further exploring the link between economic distress and farmer suicides.
Meehl GA and Tebaldi C publish "More Intense, More Frequent, and Longer Lasting Heat Waves in the 21st Century" in Science, forecasting future climate trends.
2005:
Santiago PN, McLay RN, and Hammer PS publish on "Meteorologic Factors in Emergency Evaluation, Admission, and Discharge" in Psychiatric Services, noting the influence of weather on psychiatric visits.
2006:
Carlos Otero J and Njenga FG publish "Lessons in posttraumatic stress disorder from the past: Venezuela floods and Nairobi bombing" in J Clin Psychiatry.
Kessler RC, Galea S, Jones RT, Parker HA, Hurricane Katrina Community Advisory Group publish on "Mental Illness and Suicidality after Hurricane Katrina" in Bull World Health Organ, providing early data on the mental health impacts of a major hurricane.
2007:
Stocker TF, Qin D, Plattner GK, Tignor M, Allen SK, Boschung J, et al. contribute to the IPCC's "Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis" report.
Galea S, Brewin CR, Gruber M, Jones RT, King DW, King LA, et al. publish "Exposure to Hurricane-Related Stressors and Mental Illness After Hurricane Katrina" in Arch Gen Psychiatry.
Albrecht G, Sartore GM, Connor L, Higginbotham N, Freeman S, Kelly B, Stain H, Tonna A, Pollard G introduce the concept of solastalgia in Australasian Psychiatry in an article titled "Solastalgia: the distress caused by environmental change." This paper focuses on persistent drought in rural NSW and open-cut coal mining in the Upper Hunter Valley of NSW as contexts where solastalgia is evident.
Fischer EM and Seneviratne SI publish on "Soil Moisture–Atmosphere Interactions during the 2003 European Summer Heat Wave" in J Climate.
IPCC releases "Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis," a major report on climate change.
Rosenzweig C, Karoly D, Vicarelli M, Neofotis P, Wu Q, Casassa G, et al. publish "Attributing physical and biological impacts to anthropogenic climate change" in Nature.
2008:
Sartore GM, Kelly B, Stain H, Albrecht G, Higginbotham N publish "Control, uncertainty, and expectations for the future: a qualitative study of the impact of drought on a rural Australian community" in Rural Remote Health, reinforcing findings related to solastalgia.
Fritze JG, Blashki GA, Burke S, Wiseman J publish "Hope, despair and transformation: Climate change and the promotion of mental health and wellbeing" in Int J Ment Health Syst.
2009:
Nilamadhab K publishes "Psychological impact of disasters on children: review of assessment and interventions" in World J Pediatr.
Janiri L, Spinetti G, Mazza M, Di Nicola M publish "Meteoropathy: a new disease" in Adv In Psychiatry.
Syvitski JPM, Kettner AJ, Overeem I, Hutton EWH, Hannon MT, Brakenridge GR, et al. publish "Sinking deltas due to human activities" in Nat Geosci.
2010:
Dean JG and Stain HJ publish "Mental health impact for adolescents living with prolonged drought" in Aust J Rural Health.
Berry HL, Bowen K, Kjellstrom T publish "Climate change and mental health: A causal pathways framework" in Int J Public Health.
2011:
Diffenbaugh NS and Scherer M publish "Observational and model evidence of global emergence of permanent, unprecedented heat in the 20th and 21st centuries" in Clim Change.
Evan AT, Kossin JP, Chung CE, Ramanathan V publish "Arabian Sea tropical cyclones intensified by emissions of black carbon and other aerosols" in Nature.
Raphael B and Middleton W publish "Mental health responses in a decade of disasters: Australia, 1974-1983" in Hosp Community Psychiatry.
Laugharne J, van der Watt G, Janca A publish "After the fire: the mental health consequences of fire disasters" in Curr Opin Psychiatry.
Adamis D, Papanikolaou V, Mellon RC, Prodromitis G publish "The impact of wildfires on mental health of residents in a rural area of Greece. A case control population based study" in Eur Psychiatry.
Thomas N and Nigam S publish "Twentieth-Century Climate Change over Africa: Seasonal Hydroclimate Trends and Sahara Desert Expansion" in J Climate.
Dai A publishes "Drought under global warming: a review" in WIRES Clim Change.
Coumou D and Rahmstorf S publish "A decade of weather extremes" in Nat Climate Change.
Furberg M, Evengård B, Nilsson M publish "Facing the limit of resilience: Perceptions of climate change among reindeer herding Sami in Sweden" in Glob Health Action.
Krakoff S publishes "American Indians, Climate Change and Ethics for a Warming World" in Denver Univ Law Rev.
2012:
Mazza M, Di Nicola M, Catalano V, Callea A, Martinotti G, Harnic D, et al. publish "Description and validation of a questionnaire for the detection of meteoropathy and meteorosensitivity: the METEO-Q" in Compr Psychiatry.
Neria Y and Shultz JM publish "Mental Health Effects of Hurricane Sandy: Characteristics, Potential Aftermath, and Response" in JAMA.
Stanke C, Murray V, Amlôt R, Nurse J, Williams R publish "The effects of flooding on mental health: Outcomes and recommendations from a review of the literature" in PloS Curr.
Hanigan IC, Butler CD, Kokic PN, Hutchinson MF publish "Suicide and drought in New South Wales, Australia 1970–2007" in PNAS.
Guiney R publishes "Farming suicides during the Victorian drought: 2001-2007" in Aust J Rural Health.
Marshall NA, Park SE, Adger WN, Brown K, Howden SM publish "Transformational capacity and the influence of place and identity" in Environ Res Lett.
2013:
Peterson TC, Heim RR, Jr., Hirsch R, Kaiser DP, Brooks H, Diffenbaugh NS, et al. publish "Monitoring and understanding changes in heat waves, cold waves, floods and droughts in the United States: State of knowledge" in Bull Am Meteorol Soc.
Bei B, Bryant C, Gilson KM, Koh J, Gibson P, Komiti A, et al. publish "A prospective study of the impact of floods on the mental and physical health of older adults" in Aging Ment Health.
Shultz JM, McLean A, Herberman Mash HB, Rosen A, Kelly F, Solo-Gabriele HM, et al. publish "Mitigating flood exposure: Reducing disaster risk and trauma signature" in Disaster Health.
Higgins S, Overeem I, Tanaka A, Syvitski JPM publish "Land subsidence at aquaculture facilities in the Yellow River delta, China" in Geophys Res Lett.
Hsiang SM, Burke M, Miguel E publish "Quantifying the influence of climate on human conflict" in Science.
Willox CA, Harper S, Ford J, Landman K, Houle K, Edge V. The Rigolet Inuit Community Government publish "Climate change and mental health: a case study from Rigolet, Nun-atsiavut, Labrador, Canada" in Clim Change.
Minura N publishes "Sea-level rise caused by climate change and its implications for society" in Proc Jpn Acad.
American Psychiatric Association (APA) publishes the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition), which includes sections on "Economic Problems" and "Problems Related to other Psychosocial, Personal and Environmental Circumstances" that can be relevant to climate change impacts.
Chavan P, Warren J, Brubaker M, Berner J publish "Integration, Synthesis, and Assessment of Climate Change Health Impacts for Alaskan Native Communities" in Conf Paper.
2014:
Warsini S, Mills J, Usher K publish "Solastalgia: living with the environmental damage caused by natural disasters" in Prehospital and Disaster Medicine.
Bourque F and Willox AC publish "Climate change: The next challenge for public mental health?" in Int Rev Psychiatry.
Clayton S, Manning CM, Hodge C publish "Beyond storms & droughts: The psychological impacts of climate change."
OBrien LV, Berry HL, Coleman C, Hanigan IC publish "Drought as a mental health exposure" in Environ Res.
Nahar N, Blomstedt Y, Wu B, Kandarina I, Trisnantoro L, Kinsman J publish "Increasing the provision of mental health care for vulnerable, disaster-affected people in Bangladesh" in BMC Public Health.
Michelozzi P, de' Donato F publish "Climate changes, floods, and health consequences" in Il Pensiero Scientifico Editore.
Wang X, Lavigne E, Ouellette-kuntz H, Chen BE publish "Acute impacts of extreme temperature exposure on emergency room admissions related to mental and behavior disorders in Toronto, Canada" in J Affect Disord.
WHO publishes "Gender, Climate change and Health."
Ji F, Wu Z, Huang J, Chassignet EP publish "Evolution of land surface air temperature trend" in Nat Clim Change.
Compton MT and Shim RS publish "The Social Determinants of Mental Health" in Psychiatric Annals.
2015:
Padhy SK, Sarkar S, Panigrahi M, Paul S publish "Mental health effects of climate change" in Indian J Occup Environ Med.
Reifels L, Bassilios B, Spittal MJ, King K, Fletcher J, Pirkis J publish "Patterns and Predictors of Primary Mental Health Service Use Following Bushfire and Flood Disasters" in Disaster Med Public Health Prep.
Asugeni J, MacLaren D, Massey PD, Speare R publish "Mental health issues from rising sea level in a remote coastal region of the Solomon Islands: current and future" in Australas Psychiatry.
Human Rights Watch publishes "There is No Time Left” Climate Change, Environmental Threats, and Human Rights in Turkana County, Kenya."
Petrasek MacDonald J, Cunsolo Willox A, Ford JD, Shiwak I, Wood M. Team, IMHACC e Government., Rigolet Inuit Community publish "Protective Factors For Mental Health And Well-Being In A Changing Climate: Perspectives From Inuit Youth In Nunatsiavut, Labrador" in Soc Sci Med.
Bowles DC publishes "Climate Change and Health Adaptation: Consequences for Indigenous Physical and Mental Health" in Ann Glob Health.
Climate Council publishes "Climate Change, Security and Australia"s Defence Force."
2016:
U.S Global Change, Research Program publishes "The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment."
Lin S, Lu Y, Justino J, Dong G, Lauper U publish "What Happened to Our Environment and Mental Health as a Result of Hurricane Sandy?" in Disaster Med Public Health Prep.
Fountoulakis KN, Chatzikosta I, Pastiadis K, Zanis P, Kawohl W, Kerkhof AJ, et al. publish "Relationship of suicide rates with climate and economic variables in Europe during 2000–2012" in Ann Gen Psychiatry.
Noelke C, McGovern M, Corsi DJ, Jimenez MP, Stern A, Wing IS, et al. publish "Increasing ambient temperature reduces emotional well-being" in Environ Res.
Gifford E and Gifford R publish "The largely unacknowledged impact of climate change on mental health" in Bull Atomic Sci.
2017:
American Psychological Association (APA) publishes "Mental Health and Our Changing Climate: Impacts, Implications, and Guidance."
Ursano RJ, Morganstein JC, Cooper R publish "Resource Document on Mental Health and Climate Change."
Gruebner O, Lowe SR, Sykora M, Shankardass K, Subramanian SV, Galea S publish "A novel surveillance approach for disaster mental health" in PloS One.
Hetherington E, McDonald S, Wu M, Tough S publish "Risk and Protective Factors for Mental Health and Community Cohesion After the 2013 Calgary Flood" in Disaster Med Public Health Prep.
Veenema TG, Thornton CP, Lavin RP, Bender AK, Seal S, Corley A publish "Climate Change–Related Water Disasters’ Impact on Population Health" in J Nurs Scholarship.
Schultz JM and Galea S publish "Mitigation the mental and physical health consequences of hurricane Harvey" in JAMA.
Carleton TA publishes "Crop-damaging temperatures increase suicide rates in India" in PNAS.
FAO publishes "Migration, Agriculture and Climate Change - Reducing vulnerabilities and enhancing resilience."
Wei W, Lu JG, Galinsky AD, Wu H, Gosling SD, et al. publish "Regional ambient temperature is associated with human personality" in Nat Hum Behav.
Schwerdtle P, Bowen K, McMichael C publish "The health impacts of climate-related migration" in BMC Med.
Torres JM and Casey JA publish "The centrality of social ties to climate migration and mental health" in BMC Public Health.
Diffenbaugh NS, Singh D, Mankin JS, Horton DE, Swain DL, Touma D, et al. publish "Quantifying the influence of global warming on unprecedented extreme climate events" in PNAS.
2018:
Berry HL, Waite TD, Dear KB, Capon AG, Murray V publish "The case for systems thinking about climate change and mental health" in Nat Clim Change.
Acharibasam JW and Anuga SW publish "Psychological distance of climate change and mental health risks assessment of smallholder farmers in Northern Ghana: Is habituation a threat to climate change?" in Climate Risk Manage.
Ruskin J, Rasul R, Schneider S, Bevilacqua K, Taioli E, Schwartz RM publish "Lack of access to medical care during Hurricane Sandy and mental health symptoms" in Prev Med Rep.
Aponte J publishes "Hurricanes and Mental Health" in Hisp Health Care Int.
Taioli E, Tuminello S, Lieberman-Cribbin W, Bevilacqua K, Schneider S, Guzman M, et al. publish "Mental health challenges and experiences in displaced populations following Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Harvey: the need for more comprehensive interventions in temporary shelters" in Epidemiol Community Health.
Basu R, Gavin L, Pearson D, Ebisu K, Malig B publish "Examining the Association Between Apparent Temperature and Mental Health-Related Emergency Room Visits in California" in Am J Epidemiol.
Towers S, Chen S, Malik A, Ebert D publish "Factors influencing temporal patterns in crime in a large American city: A predictive analytics perspective" in PloS One.
Burke M, González F, Baylis P, Heft-Neal S, Baysan C, Basu S, et al. publish "Higher temperatures increase suicide rates in the United States and Mexico" in Nat Climate Change.
Bathiany S, Dakos V, Scheffer M, Lenton TM publish "Climate models predict increasing temperature variability in poor countries" in Sci Adv.
Sena A, Freitas C, Feitosa Souza P, Carneiro F, Alpino T, Pedroso M, et al. publish "Drought in the Semiarid Region of Brazil: Exposure, Vulnerabilities and Health Impacts from the Perspectives of Local Actors" in PloS Curr.
Romero GQ, Gonçalves-Souza T, Kratina P, Marino NAC, Petry WK, Sobral-Souza T, et al. publish "Global predation pressure redistribution under future climate change" in Nat Climate Change.
Humphrey V, Zscheischler J, Ciais P, Gudmundsson L, Sitch S, Seneviratne SI publish "Sensitivity of atmospheric CO2 growth rate to observed changes in terrestrial water storage" in Nature.
Deutsch CA, Tewksbury JJ, Tigchelaar M, Battisti DS, Merrill SC, Huey RB, et al. publish "Increase in crop losses to insect pests in a warming climate" in Science.
Howell J and Elliott JR publish "Damages Done: The Longitudinal Impacts of Natural Hazards on Wealth Inequality in the United States" in Soc Probl.
Nomura Y, Davey K, Pehme PM, Finik J, Glover V, Zhang W, et al. publish "Influence of in utero exposure to maternal depression and natural disaster-related stress on infant temperament at 6 months: The children of Superstorm Sandy" in Infant Ment Health J.
Obschonka M, Stuetzer M, Rentfrow PJ, Shaw-Taylor L, Satchell M, Silbereisen RK, et al. publish "In the shadow of coal: How large-scale industries contributed to present-day regional differences in personality and well-being" in J Pers Soc Psychol.
Chan EYY, Lam HCY, So SHW, Goggins WB, Ho JY, Liu S, et al. publish "Association between Ambient Temperatures and Mental Disorder Hospitalizations in a Subtropical City: A Time-Series Study of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" in Int J Environ Res Public Health.
Helm SV, Pollitt A, Barnett MA, Curran MA, Craig ZR publish "Differentiating environmental concern in the context of psychological adaption to climate change" in Global Environ Change.
Deaton J writes "Climate change is creating a new kind of grief, and we’re completely unprepared for it" in Quartz, discussing "ecological grief."
IPCC releases "Global warming of 1.5°C," a technical report.
Strona G and Bradshaw CJA publish "Co-extinctions annihilate planetary life during extreme environmental change" in Sci Rep.
2019:
Galway LP, Beery T, Jones-Casey K, Tasala K publish "Mapping the Solastalgia Literature: A Scoping Review Study" in Int J Environ Res Public Health.
Cianconi P, Betrò S, Janiri L publish "Solastalgia: The Impact of Climate Change on Mental Health: A Systematic Descriptive Review" in Frontiers in Psychiatry, reviewing literature from 1996 to June 2019 on the association between climate change and mental health, highlighting newly coined terms like ecoanxiety, ecoguilt, and ecological grief.
Bandla S, Nappinnai NR, Gopalasamy S publish "Psychiatric morbidity in December 2015 flood-affected population in Tamil Nadu, India" in Int J Soc Psychiatry.
Senthilingam M writes "Depression, anxiety, PTSD: The mental impact of climate change" for CNN edition.
Blanc J, Spruill T, Butler M, Casimir G, Girardin JL publish "Is Resilience A Protective Factor For Sleep Disturbances Among Earthquake Survivors?" in Sleep.
Bartolome C, Princevac M, Weise DR, Mahalingam S, Ghasemian M, Venkatram A, et al. publish "Laboratory and numerical modeling of the formation of superfog from wildland fires" in Fire Saf J.
Wight J and Middleton J publish "Climate change: the greatest public health threat of the century" in BMJ.
Silverman GS publishes "Systematic Lack of Educational Preparation in Addressing Climate Change as a Major Public Health Challenge" in Am J Public Health.
Gronlund CJ, Cameron L, Shea C, O'Neill MS publish "Assessing the magnitude and uncertainties of the burden of selected diseases attributable to extreme heat and extreme precipitation under a climate change scenario in Michigan for the period 2041–2070" in Environ Health.
Chowell G, Mizumoto K, Banda JM, Poccia S, Perrings C publish "Assessing the potential impact of vector-borne disease transmission following heavy rainfall events: a mathematical framework" in Philos Trans R Soc B: Biol Sci.
Valois P, Caron M, Gousse-Lessard AS, Talbot D, Renaud JS publish "Development and validation of five behavioral indices of flood adaptation" in BMC Public Health.
Woodbury Z publishes "Climate Trauma: Toward a New Taxonomy of Trauma" in Ecopsychology.
Cianconi P, Lesmana CBJ, Ventriglio A, Janiri L publish "Mental health issues among indigenous communities and the role of traditional medicine" in Int J Soc Psychiatry.
Stanford’s School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences reports on "Climate change has worsened global economic inequality" in Science Daily.
Demetillo MAG, Anderson JF, Geddes JA, Yang X, Najacht EY, Herrera SA, et al. publish "Observing Severe Drought Influences on Ozone Air Pollution in California" in Environ Sci Technol.
Mekonnen ZA, Riley WJ, Randerson JT, Grant RF, Rogers BM publish "Expansion of high-latitude deciduous forests driven by interactions between climate warming and fire" in Nat Plants.
Thom D, Golivets M, Edling L, Meigs GW, Gourevitch JD, Sonter LJ, et al. publish "The climate sensitivity of carbon, timber, and species richness covaries with forest age in boreal–temperate North America" in Global Change Biol.
Zemp M, Huss M, Thibert E, Eckert N, McNabb R, Huber J, et al. publish "Global glacier mass changes and their contributions to sea-level rise from 1961 to 2016" in Nature.
Hino M, Belanger ST, Field CB, Davies AR, Mach KJ publish "High-tide flooding disrupts local economic activity" in Sci Adv.
Chan EYY, Ho JY, Hung HHY, Liu S, Lam HCY publish "Health impact of climate change in cities of middle-income countries: the case of China" in Br Med Bull.
Chen NT, Lin PH, Guo YL publish "Long-term exposure to high temperature associated with the incidence of major depressive disorder" in Sci Total Environ.
Ji F, Wu Z, Huang J, Chassignet EP publish "Evolution of land surface air temperature trend" in Nat Clim Change.
Fahy B, Brenneman E, Chang H, Shandas V publish "Spatial analysis of urban flooding and extreme heat hazard potential in Portland, OR" in Int J Disaster Risk Reduction.
NASA Global climate change updates its information on "The Effects of Climate Change," including sea level rise projections.
Cianconi P, Betrò S, Janiri L conduct a systematic descriptive review of literature from 1996 until June 2019 on climate change and mental health, highlighting the lack of specific psychiatric studies on the topic and the emergence of new terminology.
2020:
Blinn HN, Utz RM, Greiner LH, Brown DR publish "Exposure assessment of adults living near unconventional oil and natural gas development and reported health symptoms in southwest Pennsylvania, USA" in PLoS One.
2021:
van Nieuwenhuizen A, Hudson K, Chen X, Hwong AR publish "The Effects of Climate Change on Child and Adolescent Mental Health: Clinical Considerations" in Curr Psychiatry Rep.
2022:
Pacheco EM, Parrott E, Oktari RS, Joffe H publish "How schools can aid children's resilience in disaster settings: The contribution of place attachment, sense of place and social representations theories" in Front Psychol.
2023:
Tupou T, Tiatia-Siau J, Newport C, Langridge F, Tiatia S publish "Is the Concept of Solastalgia Meaningful to Pacific Communities Experiencing Mental Health Distress Due to Climate Change? An Initial Exploration" in Int J Environ Res Public Health.
Ayalon L, Ulitsa N, AboJabel H, Engdau-Vanda S publish ""We Used to Have Four Seasons, but Now There Is Only One": Perceptions Concerning the Changing Climate and Environment in a Diverse Sample of Israeli Older Persons" in J Appl Gerontol.
2024:
Cannings L, Hutton CW, Sorichetta A, Nilsen K publish "Opposing objective and subjective wellbeing outcomes within an environmentally vulnerable delta: a case study of Volta Delta, Ghana" in Front Psychol.
Cast of Characters
This section lists the principal people mentioned as authors or contributors to the academic and journalistic sources, along with their primary contributions within the provided text.
Principle Researchers/Authors/Contributors to the Concept of Solastalgia and its Research:
Glenn Albrecht: A key figure credited with developing the concept of "solastalgia" to describe environmentally induced distress. He is listed as an author on the 2007 paper defining solastalgia and is referenced in later works on the topic.
Gina-Maree Sartore: Co-author on the 2007 paper defining solastalgia and the 2008 paper on drought impact in rural Australia. Her work contributes to understanding environmentally induced distress.
Linda Connor: Co-author on the 2007 paper defining solastalgia.
Nick Higginbotham: Co-author on the 2007 paper defining solastalgia and the 2008 paper on drought impact in rural Australia.
Sonia Freeman: Co-author on the 2007 paper defining solastalgia.
Brian Kelly: Co-author on the 2007 paper defining solastalgia and the 2008 paper on drought impact in rural Australia.
Helen Stain: Co-author on the 2007 paper defining solastalgia and the 2008 paper on drought impact in rural Australia, also co-authored a 2010 paper on mental health impact for adolescents living with prolonged drought.
Anne Tonna: Co-author on the 2007 paper defining solastalgia.
Georgia Pollard: Co-author on the 2007 paper defining solastalgia.
Principle Researchers/Authors/Contributors to the Systematic Review on Climate Change and Mental Health:
Paolo Cianconi: Lead author on the 2019 systematic review "Solastalgia: The Impact of Climate Change on Mental Health: A Systematic Descriptive Review." He also co-authored studies on mental health issues in indigenous communities and psychopathology in postmodern societies.
Sophia Betrò: Co-author on the 2019 systematic review.
Luigi Janiri: Co-author and editor of the 2019 systematic review. He also contributed to the study on meteoropathy.
Other Notable Researchers/Authors (mentioned with specific contributions):
Hippocrates: The ancient Greek physician whose writings on environmental factors influencing health are cited as a historical precedent for understanding the impact of climate on well-being.
Seneviratne et al.: Cited in the 2019 review for their report on the definition of "extreme" climatic events.
W.H.S Jones: Translator of Hippocrates' "Ancient Medicine, Volume I."
M. Senthilingam: Author of a CNN edition article "Depression, anxiety, PTSD: The mental impact of climate change."
J. Deaton: Author of the Quartz article "Climate change is creating a new kind of grief, and we’re completely unprepared for it."
J. R. Elliott: Co-author of the 2018 study on the longitudinal impacts of natural hazards on wealth inequality in the United States.
J. Howell: Co-author of the 2018 study on the longitudinal impacts of natural hazards on wealth inequality in the United States.
L. Ayalon, N. Ulitsa, H. AboJabel, S. Engdau-Vanda: Authors of the 2023 paper on older Israeli persons' perceptions of changing climate and environment.
L. Cannings, C.W. Hutton, A. Sorichetta, K. Nilsen: Authors of the 2024 paper on wellbeing outcomes in the Volta Delta, Ghana.
L.P. Galway, T. Beery, K. Jones-Casey, K. Tasala: Authors of the 2019 scoping review on solastalgia literature.
H.N. Le Houérou: Author of the 1996 research on climate change, drought, and desertification.
H.N. Blinn, R.M. Utz, L.H. Greiner, D.R. Brown: Authors of the 2020 study on health symptoms near unconventional oil and natural gas development.
E.M. Pacheco, E. Parrott, R.S. Oktari, H. Joffe: Authors of the 2022 paper on schools aiding children's resilience in disaster settings.
S. Warsini, J. Mills, K. Usher: Authors of the 2014 paper on solastalgia in relation to natural disasters.
T. Tupou, J. Tiatia-Siau, C. Newport, F. Langridge, S. Tiatia: Authors of the 2023 paper exploring solastalgia in Pacific Communities.
A. van Nieuwenhuizen, K. Hudson, X. Chen, A.R. Hwong: Authors of the 2021 review on climate change and child/adolescent mental health.
H.L. Berry: Co-author of the 2010 and 2018 papers on climate change and mental health frameworks.
C. R. Brewin, M. Gruber, R. T. Jones, D. W. King, L. A. King: Co-authors on the 2007 Hurricane Katrina mental health study.
S. Clayton: Co-author of the 2014 report "Beyond storms & droughts: The psychological impacts of climate change."
M. Morganstein, R. Cooper: Co-authors on the 2017 "Resource Document on Mental Health and Climate Change."
R.J. Ursano: Lead author on the 2017 "Resource Document on Mental Health and Climate Change."
M. Scheffer: Author of "Critical transitions in nature and society" (2009).
S. Rahmstorf: Author of a 2000 contribution on the risk of anthropogenic climate change and co-author of a 2012 paper on weather extremes.
D. Coumou: Co-author of a 2012 paper on weather extremes.
G.A. Meehl, C. Tebaldi: Authors of the 2004 paper on increasing heat waves.
A. Dai: Author of the 2011 review on drought under global warming.
E.M. Fischer, S.I. Seneviratne: Authors of the 2007 paper on soil moisture-atmosphere interactions during the 2003 European heat wave.
R.E. Petrie, L.C. Shaffrey, R.T. Sutton: Authors of the 2015 paper on atmospheric response to Arctic sea ice loss.
N.S. Diffenbaugh: Author/co-author of papers in 2011 and 2017 on climate change and extreme events.
G. Strona, C.J.A. Bradshaw: Authors of the 2018 paper on co-extinctions during extreme environmental change.
V. Humphrey, J. Zscheischler, P. Ciais, L. Gudmundsson, S. Sitch, S.I. Seneviratne: Authors of the 2018 paper on atmospheric CO2 growth rate sensitivity to terrestrial water storage.
J. C. Acharibasam, S. W. Anuga: Authors of the 2018 paper on psychological distance of climate change and mental health risks in Ghana.
P. Bohle, J. R. Clayer, C. L. Bookless, W. Middleton, B. Raphael: Researchers on mental health responses to natural disasters in Australia.
D. Adamis, V. Papanikolaou, R.C. Mellon, G. Prodromitis: Authors of the 2011 study on the mental health impact of wildfires in Greece.
R. Famularo, T. Fenton, M. Augustyn, B. Zuckerman: Researchers on persistence of pediatric PTSD.
C. Yelland, P. Robinson, C. Lock, A.M. La Greca, B. Kokegei, V. Ridgway: Researchers on bushfire impact on youth.
N. Thomas, S. Nigam: Authors of the 2018 paper on climate change over Africa and Sahara Desert expansion.
F. Ji, Z. Wu, J. Huang, E.P. Chassignet: Authors of the 2014 paper on land surface air temperature trend.
W. Wei, J.G. Lu, A.D. Galinsky, H. Wu, S.D. Gosling: Authors of the 2017 paper on regional ambient temperature and human personality.
E.Y.Y. Chan, H.C.Y. Lam, S.H.W. So, W.B. Goggins, J.Y. Ho, S. Liu: Authors of the 2018 paper on ambient temperatures and mental disorder hospitalizations in Hong Kong.
X. Wang, E. Lavigne, H. Ouellette-kuntz, B.E. Chen: Authors of the 2014 paper on extreme temperature exposure and emergency room admissions for mental disorders in Toronto.
R. Basu, L. Gavin, D. Pearson, K. Ebisu, B. Malig: Authors of the 2018 paper on apparent temperature and mental health-related emergency room visits in California.
C. Noelke, M. McGovern, D.J. Corsi, M.P. Jimenez, A. Stern, I.S. Wing: Authors of the 2016 paper on increasing ambient temperature and emotional well-being.
N.T. Chen, P.H. Lin, Y.L. Guo: Authors of the 2019 paper on long-term exposure to high temperature and major depressive disorder.
M. Zemp, M. Huss, E. Thibert, N. Eckert, R. McNabb, J. Huber: Authors of the 2019 paper on global glacier mass changes and sea-level rise.
M. Hino, S.T. Belanger, C.B. Field, A.R. Davies, K.J. Mach: Authors of the 2019 paper on high-tide flooding and local economic activity.
J. Asugeni, D. MacLaren, P.D. Massey, R. Speare: Authors of the 2015 paper on mental health issues from rising sea level in the Solomon Islands.
N. Mimura: Author of the 2013 paper on sea-level rise and societal implications.
D. Thom, M. Golivets, L. Edling, G.W. Meigs, J.D. Gourevitch, L.J. Sonter: Authors of the 2019 paper on climate sensitivity of carbon, timber, and species richness in North American forests.
J.P.A. Stoor, G. Berntsen, H. Hjelmeland, A. Silviken: Authors of the 2019 qualitative study on cultural meanings of suicide among Indigenous Sámi.
S.V. Helm, A. Pollitt, M.A. Barnett, M.A. Curran, Z.R. Craig: Authors of the 2018 paper on differentiating environmental concern in psychological adaptation to climate change.
K.N. Fountoulakis, I. Chatzikosta, K. Pastiadis, P. Zanis, W. Kawohl, A.J. Kerkhof: Authors of the 2016 paper on suicide rates with climate and economic variables in Europe.
M. Obschonka, M. Stuetzer, P.J. Rentfrow, L. Shaw-Taylor, M. Satchell, R.K. Silbereisen: Authors of the 2018 paper on large-scale industries and regional differences in personality/well-being.
C.B.J. Lesmana, A. Ventriglio: Co-authors on a 2019 paper on mental health issues among indigenous communities.
M. Furberg, B. Evengård, M. Nilsson: Authors of the 2011 paper on Sami perceptions of climate change.
D.C. Bowles: Author of the 2015 paper on climate change and health adaptation for indigenous communities.
S. Krakoff: Author of the 2011 paper on American Indians, climate change, and ethics.
J. Petrasek MacDonald, A. Cunsolo Willox, J.D. Ford, I. Shiwak, M. Wood: Authors of the 2015 paper on protective factors for mental health in Inuit youth in Nunatsiavut, Labrador.
M.T. Compton, R.S. Shim: Authors of the 2014 paper on the social determinants of mental health.
P. Schwerdtle, K. Bowen, C. McMichael: Authors of the 2017 paper on health impacts of climate-related migration.
P.K. Nath, B. Behera: Authors of the 2011 review on climate change impact and adaptation in different economies.
E. Gifford, R. Gifford: Authors of the 2016 paper on the unacknowledged impact of climate change on mental health.
J.G. Fritze, G.A. Blashki, S. Burke, J. Wiseman: Authors of the 2008 paper on hope, despair, and transformation in relation to climate change and mental health.
G. Spinetti, M. Mazza, M. Di Nicola: Co-authors on the 2009 paper on meteoropathy and a 2012 paper on a meteoropathy questionnaire.
P.N. Santiago, R.N. McLay, P.S. Hammer: Authors of the 2005 paper on meteorologic factors in emergency psychiatric evaluations.
J.M. Torres, J.A. Casey: Authors of the 2017 paper on social ties, climate migration, and mental health.
P. Valois, M. Caron, A.S. Gousse-Lessard, D. Talbot, J.S. Renaud: Authors of the 2019 paper on behavioral indices of flood adaptation.
N.A. Marshall, S.E. Park, W.N. Adger, K. Brown, S.M. Howden: Authors of the 2012 paper on transformational capacity and the influence of place and identity.
Z. Woodbury: Author of the 2019 paper "Climate Trauma: Toward a New Taxonomy of Trauma."
Organizations/Groups:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): Owners of the PubMed wordmark and logo.
American Psychological Association (APA): Publisher of "Mental Health and Our Changing Climate: Impacts, Implications, and Guidance" (2017) and the DSM-5 (2013).
World Health Organization (WHO): Publisher of "Gender, Climate change and Health" (2014) and referenced in the context of various health reports.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): Publisher of major climate change reports, including the 2007 "The Physical Science Basis" and 2018 "Global warming of 1.5°C."
Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli - Institute of Psychiatry, Catholic University, Rome, Italy: Provided funding for the 2019 systematic review.
World Psychiatric Association, Section on Ecology Psychiatry & Mental Health: Acknowledged for scientific support in the 2019 systematic review.
U.S Global Change Research Program: Publisher of "The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment" (2016).
Hurricane Katrina Community Advisory Group: Contributed to a 2006 study on mental illness and suicidality after Hurricane Katrina.
The Rigolet Inuit Community Government: Participated in a 2013 study on climate change and mental health in Nunatsiavut, Labrador.
Human Rights Watch: Publisher of the 2015 report on climate change and human rights in Turkana County, Kenya.
Climate Council of Australia Limited: Publisher of "Climate Change, Security and Australia"s Defence Force" (2015).
Stanford’s School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences: Reported findings on climate change and global economic inequality in 2019.
6. FAQ
1. What is solastalgia and how does it differ from nostalgia?
Solastalgia is a newly developed concept that describes the distress experienced by individuals when their home environment is negatively impacted by environmental change, even while they are still living in it. It contrasts with nostalgia, which is the homesickness or melancholia felt when an individual is separated from a loved home. Solastalgia emphasizes the ongoing psychological impact of environmental degradation on people who remain directly connected to their changing surroundings. Examples include the distress caused by persistent drought or large-scale open-cut coal mining in rural NSW, where people experience negative emotions exacerbated by a feeling of powerlessness over the environmental changes.
2. How does climate change directly and indirectly affect mental health?
Climate change impacts mental health both directly and indirectly, with effects ranging from short-term to long-term. Direct impacts stem from acute extreme weather events like floods, hurricanes, and wildfires, which can lead to traumatic stress, PTSD, depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts due to life disruption, loss of life, resources, and social networks. Indirect impacts include chronic environmental stress, uncertainty about the future, and broader societal effects like forced migration, conflict over limited resources, and economic instability. These can lead to feelings of helplessness, fear, loss of identity, and various psychological issues, including depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.
3. What are some of the specific mental health consequences linked to different climate change phenomena?
Different climate change phenomena are linked to specific mental health consequences:
Floods: Can cause PTSD, depression, anxiety, increased substance abuse, and domestic violence due to mourning, displacement, and loss of lives and belongings. Children, women, the elderly, and those with disabilities are particularly vulnerable.
Wildfires: Lead to general mental health problems, post-traumatic disorders, psychosomatic illness, and alcohol abuse. Effects can be delayed and persist for years, even affecting populations not directly hit by the fires.
Increased Air Temperature/Heat Waves: Can compromise the central nervous system, alter biochemical levels (serotonin, dopamine), disrupt thermoregulation, and lead to sleep disturbance, exhaustion, and heat stress, which is associated with suicide. There's also a correlation with increased hospital admissions for mood disorders, substance abuse, and behavioral disorders, and a risk of aggression and self-harm.
Droughts: Can cause significant psychological stress, including job insecurity and other psychological issues, especially for farmers dependent on predictable weather patterns. They are also linked to forced migration and conflicts over natural resources, and in some regions, an increase in suicide rates.
Sea Level Rise: Causes persistent worry and thoughts of relocation for people in low-lying areas and small islands, leading to specific fears of "encirclement or siege by the sea" and potential mental health distress due to forced migration.
Deforestation/Landscape Modification: Can induce a profound sense of loss, detachment from the environment, and maladaptive disorders. For indigenous populations, this impact is particularly deep due to their strong connection to the land, while western populations may experience "biospheric concern" – stress from seeing vulnerable nature.
4. Are there newly coined terms to describe mental health issues related to environmental change?
Yes, recent observations on the impact of climate change on mental health have led to the coining of new terms to better describe these emerging psychological phenomena. These include:
Eco-anxiety: Feelings of loss, helplessness, and frustration caused by an inability to cope with climate change.
Ecological grief: A specific form of grief and anxiety experienced, for example, by the native Inuit, describing what they have witnessed regarding environmental degradation.
Ecopsychology: A new field of treatment pioneered by psychotherapists to address growing eco-anxiety and biospheric concern, often teaching patients to accept their powerlessness.
Biospheric concern: A type of stress felt when people observe vulnerable nature, such as plants, animals, and the environment being damaged or lost.
These terms highlight the evolving understanding of how environmental changes intersect with human psychological well-being.
5. What populations are most vulnerable to the mental health impacts of climate change?
Certain groups and communities are disproportionately vulnerable to the mental health impacts of climate change due to pre-existing vulnerabilities and limited resources. These include:
Children and Adolescents: Show more severe disturbances like PTSD, anxiety disorders, and panic attacks after disasters.
The Elderly: Can struggle with re-adaptation to changing conditions.
The Chronically Ill and People with Mobility Impairments: Have reduced capacity to cope with environmental stressors.
Pregnant and Postpartum Women: May experience unique stressors related to climate events.
People with Pre-existing Mental Illness: Their conditions can be exacerbated by climate-related events.
Individuals with Lower Socioeconomic Status/Poverty: Have limited access to resources, information, and protection, amplifying negative impacts.
Indigenous and Traditional Native Populations: Experience profound distress due to their deep cultural and identity connections to the land, which is rapidly changing (e.g., Inuit's "being on the land").
Refugees and Migrants: Are already psychologically vulnerable due to displacement and often face further challenges related to climate-induced migration.
Ethnic and Linguistic Minorities: May face additional barriers in accessing support and resources.
Women: Are identified as a susceptibility factor in some contexts.
These groups often experience constant uncertainty, anxiety, loss, disruption, displacement, and fear, even before a disaster occurs, and climate change can worsen global economic inequality, further impacting vulnerable populations.
6. How do feelings of powerlessness contribute to environmentally induced distress?
Feelings of powerlessness significantly exacerbate environmentally induced distress. Solastalgia, for instance, is characterized by negative affect that is worsened by a sense of powerlessness or lack of control over unfolding environmental change processes, such as persistent drought or large-scale mining. When individuals perceive that they cannot cope with or influence the environmental transformations impacting their home, their psychological well-being is deeply affected. This loss of autonomy and control, coupled with the violation of their usual environmental context, can lead to deep psychological changes, a loss of individual and professional identity, and contribute to the emergence of feelings like helplessness, fear, and eco-anxiety.
7. What is the current state of psychiatric studies on mental disorders linked to climate change?
Psychiatric studies on mental disorders linked to climate change are still in their early stages and are relatively lacking compared to the scale of the issue. The complexity and novelty of this issue contribute to the delay in research. While an emerging body of work exists, there is a clear need for more specific literature and systematic studies to identify these new diseases and disorders. Current diagnostic manuals (DSM-5 and ICD-10) do not yet offer specific references to mental disorders directly related to climate change, though some conditions are listed under broader categories like "Economic Problems" or "Problems Related to other Psychosocial, Personal and Environmental Circumstances." Future research needs to be multidisciplinary, focusing on specific causal associations, and investigating how different vulnerable groups are affected.
8. What role does "sense of place" and identity play in environmentally induced distress?
"Sense of place" and identity play a crucial role in environmentally induced distress, particularly in the context of solastalgia. Solastalgia highlights the distress caused when environmental change impacts people while they are directly connected to their home environment, disrupting their established "sense of place." This disruption can lead to a profound sense of loss of connection and detachment from the familiar environment, akin to the psychological impact of forced migration. The "wound inflicted to this symbolic domain" can result in complex psychopathological consequences, including identity disorders and long-term personality changes. For indigenous populations, whose identity is often deeply intertwined with their land, environmental changes like melting ice or deforestation can impair crucial protective factors for mental health and well-being, leading to severe distress.
7. Table of Contents
Introduction: The Feeling of Environmental Loss
00:00 - Opening thoughts on returning to changed places and the unsettling nature of environmental transformation
Defining Solastalgia: A New Term for Environmental Distress
02:30 - Introduction of the concept of solastalgia versus traditional nostalgia; distress felt while still connected to a changing home environment
The Australian Origins: Drought and Mining
04:15 - Case studies from rural New South Wales examining communities affected by persistent drought and open-cut coal mining in the Hunter Valley
Powerlessness and Environmental Control
05:45 - Discussion of how lack of control over environmental changes intensifies psychological distress
Global Ecosystem Distress Patterns
06:30 - Examination of worldwide increases in ecosystem distress syndromes and corresponding human psychological impacts
Climate Change as Primary Driver
07:15 - Analysis of human activities, particularly fossil fuel burning, as major contributors to atmospheric changes and extreme weather events
The Mental Health Spectrum: From Stress to Clinical Disorders
08:00 - Overview of mental health consequences ranging from mild stress to clinical diagnoses including anxiety, depression, and PTSD
Loss of Sense of Place
09:30 - Exploration of how environmental changes affect our fundamental connection to home and familiar environments
Timeline of Climate Mental Health Impacts
10:15 - Acute Impacts: Immediate psychological trauma during extreme events like floods and fires 11:00 - Subacute Impacts: Emotional reactions from indirect exposure, including eco-anxiety and disorientation 11:45 - Long-term Effects: Systemic community impacts including social disruption and chronic environmental stress
Extreme Heat and Mental Health
13:00 - Connection between heat waves and mood disorders, with particular vulnerability of those with existing mental illness
Heat-Related Violence and Aggression
15:30 - Research linking higher temperatures to increased aggression, crime rates, and suicide, especially during early summer months
Water Disasters: Floods and Hurricanes
17:00 - Global impact of floods as frequent disasters, with specific statistics on PTSD, depression, and anxiety rates among victims 19:15 - Hurricane impacts on healthcare infrastructure and vulnerable populations 20:30 - Importance of community cohesion in recovery and resilience
Wildfire Psychology: Delayed and Persistent Effects
22:00 - Psychological impacts of large-scale fires, including delayed onset of symptoms months or years after events24:30 - Specific statistics from Australian, Californian, and Greek wildfire studies 26:00 - Particular vulnerability of children to fire-related trauma
Drought as Creeping Disaster
28:15 - Long-term psychological effects of drought, particularly on indigenous communities and agricultural populations29:30 - Connection between prolonged drought and increased suicide rates in rural communities
Slow-Onset Changes: Landscape Modification
30:45 - Psychological impacts of gradual environmental transformation and loss of territorial identity 32:00 - Comparison to trauma of forced migration while remaining physically in place
Global Temperature Rise and Brain Function
33:15 - Effects of gradual warming on central nervous system function and neurotransmitter pathways 34:30 - Increased hospital admissions for mental health conditions during hotter periods
Rising Sea Levels: Existential Coastal Threats
36:00 - Projected sea level rise impacts on low-lying areas and small island nations 37:15 - Psychological impact of feeling "under siege" by encroaching waters
Deforestation and Biospheric Concern
38:30 - Different psychological impacts on Western versus indigenous populations 39:45 - Contrast with mental health benefits of urban green spaces
Environmental Justice and Green Space Access
41:00 - Disparity in access to beneficial green environments based on socioeconomic status
Vulnerable Populations Identification
42:30 - Children, elderly, chronically ill, pregnant women, those with pre-existing mental health conditions, and low socioeconomic status populations 44:00 - Particular vulnerability of indigenous communities and connection to traditional land-based practices 45:15 - Link between environmental disruption and youth suicide in Inuit communities
Emerging Terminology: Beyond Solastalgia
46:30 - Introduction of eco-anxiety, ecological grief, and biospheric concern as new descriptive terms 47:45 - Development of ecopsychology as specialized therapeutic field
Research Synthesis and Complexity
49:00 - Acknowledgment of research challenges and multiple pathways of environmental mental health impacts 50:15 - Economic and social burdens affecting future generations
Future Research Directions
51:30 - Need for studies on specific types of gradual landscape change 52:15 - Call for multidisciplinary approaches and potential growth of eco-psychiatry
Conclusion: Interconnected Well-being
53:00 - Core message about the deep connection between planetary and psychological health 54:15 - Reflection on how environmental understanding should reshape climate adaptation and mental health support
Closing Thoughts: Recurring Themes
55:30 - Discussion of boundary dissolution, adaptive complexity, embodied knowledge, and quantum-like uncertainty as philosophical frameworks
8. Index
Acute impacts - 10:15, 49:00
Adaptation - 30:45, 53:00
Aggression - 15:30, 34:30
Alcohol consumption - 15:30, 22:00
Anxiety disorders - 08:00, 10:15, 17:00, 26:00
Australian bushfires - 22:00, 24:30
Biospheric concern - 38:30, 46:30
Brain chemistry - 33:15
Californian wildfires - 24:30
Central nervous system - 33:15
Children vulnerability - 22:00, 26:00, 41:00, 42:30
Climate change - 06:30, 07:15
Coal mining - 04:15
Community cohesion - 20:30
Depression - 08:00, 17:00, 38:30
Deforestation - 38:30
Displacement - 28:15, 36:00
Dopamine pathways - 33:15
Drought - 04:15, 28:15, 29:30
Eco-anxiety - 10:15, 46:30, 53:00
Ecological grief - 46:30
Ecopsychology - 46:30, 47:45
Ecosystem distress - 06:30
Elderly vulnerability - 42:30
Environmental change - 00:00, 08:00
Environmental justice - 41:00
Extreme heat - 13:00, 15:30
First Nations communities - 42:30, 44:00
Floods - 17:00, 19:15
Forced migration - 10:15, 28:15, 32:00
Fossil fuels - 07:15
Ghana - 28:15
Global warming - 07:15, 33:15
Greek wildfires - 24:30
Green spaces - 38:30, 41:00
Heat waves - 13:00, 15:30
Hospital admissions - 34:30
Hunter Valley - 04:15
Hurricanes - 17:00, 19:15
Hyperarousal - 24:30
Identity loss - 30:45, 32:00
Indigenous communities - 28:15, 38:30, 42:30, 44:00
Inuit peoples - 42:30, 45:15
Loss of sense of place - 09:30, 30:45
Mental health spectrum - 08:00
Migration - 28:15, 32:00, 36:00
Mortality rates - 13:00, 34:30
New South Wales - 04:15, 29:30
Nostalgia versus solastalgia - 02:30
Open-cut mining - 04:15
Polar ice melting - 36:00
Powerlessness - 05:45, 09:30
PTSD - 08:00, 17:00, 22:00, 24:30
Rising sea levels - 36:00, 37:15
Rural communities - 04:15, 28:15, 29:30
Sea level rise projections - 36:00
Serotonin pathways - 33:15
Slow-onset changes - 30:45, 33:15
Social disruption - 10:15, 20:30
Socioeconomic vulnerability - 42:30, 44:00
Solastalgia definition - 02:30
Subacute impacts - 10:15, 11:00
Substance abuse - 17:00, 22:00, 34:30
Suicide rates - 15:30, 29:30, 34:30, 45:15
Temperature rise - 33:15, 34:30
Three times mortality risk - 13:00
Turkana farmers - 28:15
Urban green spaces - 38:30, 41:00
Victoria, Australia - 29:30
Violence increase - 15:30, 34:30
Vulnerable populations - 13:00, 19:15, 42:30
Wildfire impacts - 22:00, 24:30, 26:00
Youth suicide - 45:15
9. Post-Episode Fact Check
Based on my search of current literature, the content in this podcast episode appears to be factually accurate and well-grounded in established research. Here are the key validations:
✓ Solastalgia Definition: The podcast's definition aligns perfectly with Glenn Albrecht's original concept - "the distress that is produced by environmental change impacting on people while they are directly connected to their home environment" PubMedSage Journals as opposed to traditional nostalgia experienced when separated from home.
✓ Heat-Mental Health Connection: Research confirms that "humidity and temperature – both of which are changing as a result of human-induced climate change – have been causally linked to a rise in manic episodes in people with bipolar disorder" Heat waves impact everybody's mental health, studies show | World Economic Forum and "Heat is associated with increased morbidity, a surge in psychiatric emergencies, and a significantly increased risk of dying from mental disorders" The Effects of Climate Change on Mental Health - PMC.
✓ Heat-Aggression Link: The connection between heat and violence is scientifically supported, with research showing that low serotonin levels (affected by heat) "are associated with depression, anxiety, impulsivity, aggression and occurrence of violent incidents" The ConversationTime and that "high temperatures, e.g., during heat waves, are associated with mood and behavioural disorders including increases in aggressive behaviour and crime" Mental health effects - Climate-ADAPT - European Union.
✓ Vulnerable Populations: Studies confirm that "aggressive behaviors, conflict, and violence are known to be higher in high temperature environments, and suicide is linked with increases in temperature and heat stress" Mental Health Impacts of Climate Change Among Vulnerable Populations Globally: An Integrative Review - PMC, supporting the podcast's discussion of increased risks for certain populations.
✓ Australian Origins: The podcast's reference to research from rural New South Wales and the Hunter Valley aligns with the documented origins of the solastalgia concept in these regions.
Minor Note: While the specific statistics cited in the podcast (such as "42% of populations showing psychiatric issues a year later" after bushfires) weren't directly verified in my search results, the general patterns and relationships described are consistent with the established research literature.
The podcast content demonstrates strong adherence to current scientific understanding of climate psychology and environmental mental health impacts. The sources and claims appear legitimate and are supported by peer-reviewed research from reputable institutions.
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