Climate change: Aiming to create a coordinated response

Tony Wainwright is  a member of the BPS Climate and Environment Action Coordinating Group (CEACG) and the DCP Climate and Environment Action Group. He writes:

As members of the CDT Section will be well aware, we are living through disruption of the climate and environmental systems that support life on the planet. The name of your section links directly with all this  -  a climate and environmental crisis, leading to a vastly increased number of 'natural' disasters, which have traumatic consequences for millions of people.

The skills and knowledge you have are central to the efforts that the members of the BPS are undertaking to produce a coordinated response in terms of influencing policy makers on how to prevent more harm and to respond to the consequences of existing disruption.

BPS position statement

In December 2023, The BPS CEACG published its position statement  on the climate and ecological crisis . It says:

'The BPS recognises the severe impacts of climate and environmental harm on individual, community, national, and global mental health. We acknowledge the impact climate shifts may have on human rights, displacement , education, and opportunities, and understand that these changes will often have a disproportionate effect on the poorest in our world.

'We will always advocate for the needs of those whose voices are silent. We will work with other disciplines to develop and share psychological understandings, support and advise on the implementation of effective interventions rooted in psychological evidence to lead to a healthier sustainable future.'

The DCP has a website with some publications and also a list of actions clinical psychologists can take in this area. I would be happy to link up with any members of the section who would like to work on this issue. Please email me.  

Global change and trauma

What the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies says in relation to climate change:

'As human beings, our physical and mental health cannot be separated from the environment. Climate change, if left unaddressed, is projected to have catastrophic consequences on entire populations.' (ISTSS,2021)

The ISTSS briefing paper describes the current state of knowledge in relation to global climate change and traumatic stress, highlighting gaps to inform future public health, policy, clinical and research initiatives.

In addition to addressing the harms of climate change, the report emphasises the need to support communities to develop resilience, promote mental health and wellbeing, and contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation, using a 'whole systems approach'. Read the full briefing paper.

Links of interest:

Diversity and inclusion, climate and environment action, British Psychological Society

Managing the sisks of extreme events and disasters to advance climate change adaptation, Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Managing the risks of extreme events and disasters to advance climate change adaptation full report, IPCC