The UN News published an article on 21st October 2021 titled: “Plastic pollution on course to double by 2030.” This appalling statistic combined with increased anticipation of the COP26 conference and its outcomes lead the climate crisis to be once again flooding the top news stories. The COP26 conference, to be held between October 31st to November 12th is being heralded as a “make-or-break” opportunity. It attempts to bring numerous countries together to address global climate crisis concerns and hopefully accelerate initiatives set by the Paris Agreement and UN framework Convention on Climate Change. There are many expectations, especially from the youth, that world leaders will act on this issue. However, this is mixed with cynicism fostered by a trend of empty promises.
Overwhelming developments surrounding the climate crisis have a profound effect on mental health and can lead to a phenomenon called compassion fatigue, in which people become desensitised due to overexposure to distressing news. This ultimately translates either to climate-related apathy or to elevated levels of daily anxiety that can hinder one’s ability to participate in everyday activities. While the gusto and conviction of recognised climate change activists like Greta Thunberg, Xiye Bastida, Jayden Foytlin, and so forth are admirable, it is also important to recognise that the onus placed upon youth to take a stand against corporations and global leaders can be an overwhelming burden.
Compassion fatigue is likely exacerbated by the history of climate-related conferences being rather underwhelming in terms of providing tangible solutions and policies. Empirically, the UN’s environment report as of October 2021 has noted that even with “new national climate pledges combined with other mitigation measures”, the earth is still projected to heat to a catastrophic 2.7°C by the end of the century. This report was released as a precursor to the COP26 conference, in an effort to set the tone for what the conference aims to tackle. With the conference unfolding as we speak, articles have been published for public discourse. They highlight how the COP26 conference appears to be a bureaucratic event negotiating the fate of the planet, rather than actively working jointly on implementing impactful initiatives such as to effectively cap global warming below the 1.5°C threshold. Some mention how previous targets to meet this ambitious goal have not been met, therefore the expectations for supposedly “the most important international climate conference” have been plagued by criticisms that major world leaders have not adequately met previous targets. Therefore, the likelihood that this year’s COP conference will make concrete progress is a cynical hope at best. This is especially disappointing given that G20 countries, which are responsible for approximately 80% of GHG emissions, released a statement “urg[ing] for meaningful and effective action”; a statement that does not portend to any tangible commitments outside of rhetoric.
According to the 2013 IPCC assessment report, in 8 years the following has been ascertained: global temperature is still rising, flooding and droughts are expected to increase, changing weather patterns are implicated in human health and biodiversity, and so forth. Additionally, the US Fourth National Climate Assessment has dedicated a chapter on human health, citing the overlooked effects of the climate crisis, including its physical and mental implications. Medical literature has also found a link between climate change and complications associated with the kidney, including the association of hyperosmolarity and the presence of kidney stones, heatstroke, obesity, diabetes, and so forth. This is not to mention how limited resources will continue to jeopardise food and water security and also increase widespread malnutrition, and waterborne infections. Additionally, it is vital to note that countries in the Global South contribute the least to GHG emissions yet suffer its consequential detrimental impacts the most. Moreover, for many countries whose economies rely on agriculture, the changing weather patterns will directly affect people’s livelihoods, not just through their economic enterprises but also through their health in terms of nutritional deficiencies and food insecurity.
The correlation between climate change and the effect of mental health can be a complicated phenomenon to discuss. Thus, it may be valuable to illustrate how the factors affecting one’s physical health from the climate crisis are part-and-parcel to effects on mental health. To give an example, the increased projection of natural disasters will leave many without a home, food, and water. The stress due to a lack of concrete commitments by one’s respective government can manifest through physical conditions like ulcers or a worsened immune system or through mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. There also exists the side-effect of encouraging unhealthy coping mechanisms such as substance abuse, which simultaneously disrupt people’s fitness and activity levels responsible for sustaining a healthy lifestyle.
At the end of the day, words are not enough to create actionable change in crucial climate markers. Although some data shows that global emissions declined slightly during the COVID-19 pandemic, holding onto this glimmer of hope is not sustainable with what contemporary data suggests. As we transition to a world where COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted, the trend shows that emissions are returning to levels similar to those that existed pre-pandemic. The physical and mental consequences of the climate crisis, emphasised through the experience of compassion fatigue, are real; and all this reiterates the importance of the results from the COP26 conference. It is absolutely imperative that the bureaucracy of climate change negotiations is translated into actionable change. If this conference does not hold large GHG emitting countries accountable for their role in the climate crisis, the consequences as laid out above will be dire.
Edited by Misbah Lalani
Sokhema Sreang is in her last year at McGill University and she is pursuing a major in International Development and a minor in Sociology. She has joined Catalyst as a staff writer and is particularly interested in the politics of developing countries, social protection and social change.