Is climate change affecting the mental health of Nunavummiut?

Numerous researches reveal that climate change can affect the food, individual’s safety and mental health. Mental health effects related to climate changes can include severe Eco-anxiety, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) guilt and intricate grief, depression and fatigue as a result of extreme weather change as floods, hurricanes heat waves and wildfires. Recent studies show that severe climate change affects human’s psychological emotions directly and increases stress level, uneasiness, and feelings of approaching fate identified with the overall familiarity with environmental change and the dangers.

In our current reality where environmental change has become an unavoidable and the significance of psychological wellness discussions is at a record-breaking high, it bodes well to keep inquiring about it. Environmental change is quickly turning into a burden on the worldwide wellbeing system, not simply from the physical wounds related with natural disasters but in addition to the psychological illness.

An international research between 27 organizations, the “Lancet Countdown: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change”, prepared a report on connection between climate change and psychological disorders such as anxiety, stress and depression. The report states: "Environmental change is the greatest worldwide wellbeing risk of the 21st century, and handling it could be our most prominent wellbeing opportunity."

Arctic food shrinkage and hunting

A survey in 2007 declared that 60% of individuals were stressed over discovering enough food due to low budget and expensive food items. Absences of access to the food is a boundless of Canadian Arctic with 28% of families in Nunavut revealing extreme or moderate food weakness. Climate change increases food security issues as temperature is increasing to cold, melting ice and precipitation change causes increases fuel costs and repress access to hunting.

Shortages of houses

High expenses of construction in Canada causing shortages in houses, where almost 53% homes are overcrowded. Increase in dangerous climate occasions, increasing expenses of fuel and material vehicle, and difficulties of softening permafrost all connected climate change to shortage of houses in the North and represent a physical danger: poor ventilation in stuffed homes builds the proportion of irresistible illnesses, for example, tuberculosis, and has been appeared to expand danger of respiratory contamination in babies.

Loss of Traditional Knowledge

The loss of sea ice, traditional spaces and on-the-land skills for Inuit can erode a sense of identity, cultural connection and emotional ties to people and place. The following have been noted as impacted by climate change.

Vulnerability

Weakening of cultural activities and identity
Erosion of land-based skills and knowledge alters the ability to engage with the land, ice or snow safely
Weakening of customary mental health strategies

Resilience

Mental or emotional strength from cultural continuity
Cultural strategies for dealing with mental health challenges
Community cohesion and cultural practices as a ground for mental wellness
Land-based knowledge provides mental and emotional strength

Individual or Family Poverty and Inequality

Vulnerability

Intergenerational trauma from residential schools
Lack of access to mental health services and supports
Lack of disposable income for equipment, tools and supplies for hunting or land-based activities

Resilience

Programs to reduce poverty and increase economic opportunities supports mental health, employment and financial opportunities
Focus on family support and community cohesion

Institutional Capacity

Vulnerability

ugh rates of addiction, suicide and intergenerational trauma increases demand for mental health services
Lack of access to mental health services
Changing climatic conditions make the mental health programs difficult to run
Suspicion of western mental health services an approach

Resilience

Cons:

Support the development of community wellness workers for cultural and language connection
Incorporate traditional Inuit approaches to mental wellness and healing
Support youth and Elder programming to transmit traditional skills and knowledge to support safety, identity and connection