Environmental Studies: Ethics, Ideas and Nature: Climate Change, Emotions & Health

The 2021 Report of the Lancet Countdown showed the negative effects climate change has on human health. This article emphasizes how the warming of the planet is quickly affecting public health daily. The facts of the report pointed out serious concerns such as air pollution, the spread of disease due to climate change, and the worsening of heat waves. It also elaborates on how climate infectious diseases are at an all-time extreme high and are growing the concerns of humans worldwide and environmental sustainability for the transference of these diseases. This report stressed the urgent need to take control of these effects, addressing both climate change and public health provocation for a healthier near future.
The 2021 Report of the Lancet Countdown relates to the course of environmental ethics because it provides evidence that climate change is precisely related to public health. This report adds a comprehensive analysis of the present health impacts that are caused by climate change daily. It specifically highlights the importance of immediate action that needs to be taken. This report reinforces the interrelation between climate change and human health, which aligns with other professional environmental opinions, which stress the protection of nature while also protecting human well-being. Nevertheless, this report counters the idea that environmental ethics is strictly based on nature's health and not human health. The report does stress the need for improvement in human health but, health implications might conceal the need for the ecosystem beyond their impact on humans. However, I would highly recommend this report because it provides scientific data that climate change is indeed affecting human health negatively. It emphasizes the urgent need for change in our environment. It also focuses on how human health needs to be discussed worldwide urgently to protect society's justice and safety. - Annotation by Anonymous, Fall 2023

The article presents the results of a large-scale investigation into climate anxiety in children and young people across ten countries. The study found that a significant number of respondents reported feelings of worry, sadness, anxiety, and powerlessness related to climate change, which negatively affected their daily functioning. Additionally, the study found that respondents rated government responses to climate change negatively, with a perceived failure to respond adequately to the crisis associated with increased distress. The article argues that the emotional impact of climate change on children and young people is an urgent area of research and highlights the need for governments to take urgent action on climate change to validate their distress.
The source provides a comprehensive and timely investigation into the prevalence and impact of climate anxiety in children and young people globally. The study adds to the growing body of research highlighting the emotional toll of climate change, particularly on vulnerable populations. The study reinforces the need for urgent action on climate change by governments to address the distress experienced by young people. Overall, the source provides valuable insights for policymakers, educators, and mental health professionals to develop effective strategies for addressing climate anxiety in children and young people. Therefore, I would highly recommend this source to anyone interested in understanding the emotional impact of climate change on young people and the urgent need for action. - Annotation by Angilo Allen, Spring 2023

Author Dr. Elin Kelsey is an environmental science communicator who specializes in evidence-based hope. She is also an award-winning author of children's and adult books. In this letter, Dr. Kelsey is responding to a friend of hers who was struggling with climate grief. She is recognizing the feeling of impending doom her friend was feeling, and reassuring her that this is not a feeling she needs to feel. She reassures and provides hope, that the environment and world are proving to be more resilient than ever imagined before. If her friend accepts “doom and gloom” as the only truth, then she is engaging in the killing of the human species and every other species on this planet. By becoming aware of the resiliency of this planet, there is no reason why humans should not be resilient as well. There should not be a focus on only the fragility of the Earth, but the renewal as well. The article, “A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety” by Sara Jacquette Ray, is parallel to the letter written by Dr. Kelsey. Ray discusses that we must feed what we want to grow, and learn to establish resiliency. These two writings affirm that we must feed ourselves good news about the positives to stay motivated. - Annotation by Margaret Worley, Spring 2023

This article discusses how climate change affects the physical and mental health of people, and the long-lasting effects that can have on a person. The main points of this article are to emphasize how climate change affects all aspects of life, not just the economy. Climate change impacts our physical health because the rising and falling temperatures lead to and/or worsen chronic health conditions. Natural disasters are more likely to occur with climate change worsening, which leads to death, injuries, and destruction. Climate change also directly affects a person's mental health; floods, droughts, and natural disasters are associated with higher levels of anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Extreme heat can lead to suicide, violence, and aggression; destructions from natural disasters causes grief, distress, and emotional pain, which directly affects a person’s ability to work or socialize.
This article definitely relates to texts we read in class, especially during the environmental justice week. This article relates to “The Wrong Complexion for Protection” and “Wrath of Grapes.” Both of these highlighted the injustices marginalized groups face when it comes to climate change in relation to pollution, natural disasters, and government action. This article highlights the negative outcomes all people face as climate change gets worse, which is worsening mental and physical health. This adds a new perspective for us, which is that everyone suffers due to climate change. Even those who benefit from making climate change worse, will end up suffering in the end because climate change affects the individual. I would recommend the source because it really emphasizes the mental and physical health aspects of climate change. It points out how and why climate change affects these categories, and what our health systems can do to combat this. - Annotation by Anonymous, Spring 2023

This piece by Ginny Hogan reveals the perspective of a young woman who used climate activism as a way to hide her eating disorder. She talks about the “No Plastic Challenge” she enforced on herself and how that led to her eating less and using less plastic. However, she realized the guilt that her eating behaviors were stemming from was destroying her faster than the environment was. This realization is how she came to peace with herself and what she eats. This source applies to various aspects of the course including the topics of Food and Agriculture, Nonhumans, and Climate Change Emotions, & Health. Paring this piece with “ Thinking and Eating At the Same Time” by Michelle R. Loyd-Paige would result in an interesting discussion. They do not necessarily counter each other, but focus on different aspects of eating. Ginny Hogan highlights the importance of eating to sustain life and mental health. while Michelle R. Loyd-Paige highlights how a change in diet to veganism can improve health, especially among people of color. They agree that vegetarianism and veganism is a good thing but Hogan warns her readers to avoid committing to the diet to the point it begins to cause them mental, emotional, and physical harm. - Annotation by Emily Foster, Fall 2023

The source I have selected is a poem written by Franny Choi, titled “How to Let Go of The World.” Choi, an Asian American writer, shares her interpersonal grief and the grief she holds for our Earth mixed with her climate anxiety in this piece (Choi, 2019). Poetry, unlike other written scholarly works, often paints vivid mental pictures and calls us to look at our own lives. Franny, through sharing her grief, holds up a mirror to the pain that many of us experience in response to the climate crisis. She shares her experience losing a loved one to suicide and the anxiety she feels about the dying of our world. An effective resource used to call people to action is through Pathos-based arguments, calling on our emotions and connection as human beings to take issues, such as climate change, seriously. Through our own emotions, we feel inspired to change what we can, which is why artistic sources like poetry are so important. This source was impactful after our class discussion that touched on the way emotions and dread can be intertwined with talking about the environment, regardless of whether the topic is related to climate change or simply being outdoors. - Annotation by Reegan Virnoche, Fall 2023