愛污传媒

Skip to main content

Crisis in B.C. will contribute to climate mental health woes: expert

Share
TORONTO -

The crisis in B.C. will contribute to the ongoing mental health issues surrounding the anxiety and depression some people have in response to climate change and extreme weather events tied to it, according to Dr. Husein Moloo, the interim director of planetary health at the University of Ottawa.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a really difficult situation out in B.C. right now, the people out in B.C. have had to face鈥ire, there鈥檚 been drought, there鈥檚 been heat domes and now flooding 鈥 that is difficult,鈥 Moloo said on 愛污传媒 Channel on Saturday.

The terms eco-anxiety, environmental grief and solastalgia 鈥 meaning a feeling of homesickness when home changes around you 鈥 have become more mainstream as climate change has moved front and centre in global headlines, but the concept of mental health being tied to climate change is not new.

In 2013, Memorial University professor Ashlee Cunsolo released a paper on the Inuit in the Labrador community of Rigolet, where people spoke of the sorrow they felt about being cut off from places they鈥檇 visited for generations because of vanishing sea ice.

A 2019 report prepared by the Conservation Council of New Brunswick was published on climate change affecting the mental health of the people in the province after flooding and ice storms.

A 2021 report from the British Medical Journal explored the growing levels of 鈥渆co-anxiety鈥 in young people, which they called 鈥渟ignificant and potentially damaging.鈥

鈥淚t鈥檚 a complicated issue, I think what I would say for people in B.C., these type of events they鈥檝e been going through on a regular basis now 鈥 that has a definite affect on mental health, and indirectly, the rest of us Canadians who are looking at this,鈥 Moloo said. 鈥淲e talk about things now, the nomenclature has become a little bit more widespread in terms of eco-anxiety [and] ecological despair.鈥

Moloo said the crisis in B.C. can affect anyone, not just those living through it.

鈥淎ll of that it affects you, it affects the people around you 鈥 it doesn鈥檛 matter what age group you look at,鈥 he said, using the examples of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Harvey in the U.S. 鈥淎 lot of people who went through that had symptoms of post traumatic stress after.鈥

When asked about how to respond to the issue of eco-anxiety and mental health struggles tied to climate change, Moloo said the response has to be 鈥渇rom all different levels鈥 of government and society.

鈥淭here is different tiers to the response here, there is the government response, in terms of policy to support especially people who are marginalized and those of lower socio-economic status who are more vulnerable,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey are disproportionately affected not only in Canada but worldwide by this.鈥 

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.

A memorial is growing outside a Walmart in Halifax after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside an oven in the store Saturday night.

A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

Local Spotlight

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.