Climate Change and Mental Health in British Columbia

While it makes sense that the changing climate would impact our mental health, we rarely hear about how we experience this locally or what we should do about it. Living in British Columbia, we are at unique risk of both wildfire and flood, and have experienced several disasters in the past few years, each labeled as ‘unprecedented’ as the impacts of the current climate crisis increase. We have seen communities cut off from needed supplies in the face of disaster, causing a shortage of food, water, and supplies when roads are washed out. We have seen communities hit by wildfire twice, causing folks to lose their homes again shortly after rebuilding. We have seen culturally significant landmarks destroyed. Even the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) lists climate change as a significant contributor to poorer health outcomes, highlighting hopelessness, fear, stress, and anxiety.

Additionally, we know many of us live on the west coast intentionally for the access to nature this gives us. Feeling a reliance on outdoor activities to regulate our mental health can cause us to feel vulnerable when those activities are jeopardized. In Vancouver, there are many summers where outdoor activities have become hazardous due to significant quantities of particulates in the air as a result of climate-related wildfires. Not only does witnessing these events increase our stress, but we are also unable to use the tools we have come to depend on to help regulate our stress and anxiety.

BC's Environmental Landscape

The environment in BC makes us vulnerable to several events, including extreme heat, flooding, and wildfires. All of these can also impact food safety and security, and water shortages. Many communities have been affected in recent years.

Extreme Heat

Recent years have seen unseasonably warm temperatures, causing a 'heat dome' that saw over 600 people lose their lives in the summer of 2021. Folks who are already suffering due to chronic illness or who reside in homes that are not well insulated are more vulnerable, particularly the senior population. We have also seen vast impacts on local economies, including crops devastated and livestock lost. The food supply can be impacted for years to come when we experience these devastating events, and folks' livelihoods are affected. For example, the wine-growing regions of the Okanagan in BC have been particularly hard hit.

Flooding

Along with the immediate risk of loss to property and lives, flooding can increase the spread of infectious diseases, causing a broader health crisis. Lack of remediation leads to mold growth, which can also have adverse health impacts. Recently, we have seen flooded communities in BC impacted by washed-out highways and roads, cutting off access to much-needed aid and supplies. Experiencing an event like this could cause a trauma response, even leading to PTSD. In addition, even those not directly impacted could experience an increased level of anxiety and stress.

Wildfires

Most communities in BC have been impacted by wildfires or smoke in the past few years. Smoke inhalation has severe adverse health impacts. The experience of losing your home and belongings to a fire can also cause trauma and increased stress. Home insurance policies require your home to be rebuilt on the same site, and as a result, there are many homes in BC that have been threatened by wildfire multiple times, causing significant distress for residents.

The Psychological Toll of Environmental Change

As these events become more common and social media makes access to photos and videos easily attainable, folks living in threatened areas are vulnerable to increased anxiety, stress, and fear. Feeling our security threatened over the long term can cause increased cortisol and adrenaline in the body, leading to a host of adverse health outcomes.

Ecological Grief in BC

Naming folks' experiences as Ecological Grief, or the anticipated or experienced losses due to acute or chronic environmental change, allows for a starting place to process the anxiety, stress, and emotion that can be connected with these types of natural disasters. It also provides a place to focus one's action, showing that we are not helpless, that changes to policy, different building regulations, and an ongoing effort at environmental conservation and activism can make an impact.

If you are living in BC and suspect some of the mental health effects you have experienced over the past decade are related to ecological grief and the impacts of the climate crisis, we are here to help. Therapy can provide space to process and focus on what comes next, and regain an understanding of the areas where you do have some influence to make change.