From 21 October to 1 November, the UN Conference on Biodiversity (COP16) will be held in Colombia. And the COP29 climate conference will take place in Azerbaijan from 11 to 22 November. ‘Will giving up hope help us overcome the climate crisis?’ – This is the rhetorical question The Guardian offers to discuss the challenges of global climate change that will be discussed from high places.
The publication refers to a recent study () that demonstrates interesting patterns: stress can motivate people to take action and adapt, there is a link between climate stress and participation in climate action, and collective action can promote positive emotions and social connections.
Climate change causes stress, anxiety and depression
Climate change has been documented to have an impact on mental health. A study conducted in the US shows that one in six people experience stress due to climate change. Latin Americans, Democrats, young people, people with low incomes, urban residents, and Generation Z/millennials are particularly sensitive to this.
Climate change affects health, including mental health, through more frequent extreme weather events. Vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, pregnant women and indigenous peoples, are most affected. Almost half of young people say that their concerns about climate change affect their daily lives. Research shows that climate anxiety can even lead to depression and anxiety in expectant mothers.
Scientists use the term ‘climate change-related psychological distress’ to describe depression, anxiety and other reactions. People can fight climate change individually (e.g. by reducing energy and waste consumption) or through collective action (volunteering, participating in climate movements, advocating for climate policy). These actions help to influence government policy and promote social norms aimed at protecting the environment.
How climate stress correlates with human climate action
Research shows that those experiencing climate stress are more likely to engage in collective action, such as contacting government officials or participating in climate campaigns. This is true for those surveyed with different political views, regardless of age, gender, race, education, or income.
It is worth noting that participation in problem solving helps to maintain mental health. Collective action on climate change, even protests or contacting officials, can be effective in addressing climate change-related stress.
Historically, communities of colour, especially black and indigenous peoples, have been key leaders in environmental movements. They are also more likely to engage in collective action on climate change. It can be summarised that systemic and environmental racism have contributed to the development of resilience and leadership among these communities. Communities of colour are actively addressing environmental issues and supporting policies that fight injustice.
Different groups have different levels of climate stress, which may be related to socioeconomic and racial differences. Research shows a weak link between mental health and climate stress, but climate stress is highly predictive of engaging in collective action on climate change, even when accounting for common symptoms of depression.
People with higher levels of climate-related depression are less likely to talk about global warming with loved ones. Discussing the climate is considered an important collective action that can help change opinions about the climate. Participating in such discussions is beneficial for mental health and for addressing climate issues.
What fictional optimism, hope and doubt lead to
In summary, the study shows that people experiencing climate problems are more likely to engage in collective action. At the same time, history shows that false optimism can lead to complacency and avoidance of responsibility.
Politicians and business leaders emphasise the importance of positive thinking and belief in a better future. These messages are likely to be echoed at the UN Biodiversity Conference COP16 in Cali, Colombia, and the Climate Conference COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Although there are few prospects for concrete action, there will be ambitious plans for the future: roadmaps, commitments, goals. This will be heard most loudly in the US presidential election, where candidates are vying for allegiance to the American dream of endless expansion.
In the 1990s, hope and doubt were used as an antidote to the precautionary principle of fossil fuels. President Bush initially wanted to regulate the oil industry because of its impact on the climate, but refused, hoping for future technologies. This resulted in inaction.
The British Labour government is now demonstrating a similar tactic, promising £22 billion for carbon capture and storage projects. This technology is expensive and does not work at the scale required, often used by the oil industry to extend production.
There are more constructive types of hope based on common sense, science, and action today, not in the future. Hope that supports our planet, not the colonisation of Mars. There is some positive news about the environment: renewable energy is expanding faster than expected; carbon emissions may decline this year, though not enough to prevent global warming; and the human population may peak in mid-century, which will help other species.
Hope is a belief that cannot be imposed on others, especially those who suffer the consequences of the actions of the wealthier. In the Amazon rainforest, the situation is deteriorating, despite President Lula’s better policies than Bolsonaro’s. Dry seasons and fires destroy forests, turning them into carbon sources. By 2050, half of the Amazon could reach a critical state due to water shortages, land clearing, and climate change. Locals are facing an apocalyptic reality, and promises of help often fall on deaf ears. Aylton Crenac, a Brazilian indigenous intellectual, notes that indigenous peoples have learned to distrust hopes based on economic development. He emphasises that the situation may get worse before it gets better, and it is important to learn to abandon illusions.
This suspicion runs deep and is not limited to Brazil. Christian missionaries promised a better afterlife, colonisers offered access to civilisation, and the capitalist market offered wealth in exchange for nature. The promise of a better tomorrow is attractive to cultures that value pleasure today.
Yanomami people have no word for hope, live in the present and focus on relationships. Their famous shaman, Dawi Kopenawa, has called the climate crisis ‘nature’s revenge’ and is calling for action.
Other indigenous peoples also see a connection between hope and colonialism, believing that hope distracts from the problems of the present. Cultures affected by carbon capitalism understand how hope can encourage risk-taking rather than responsibility. Ignoring environmental problems can be the result of fear, doubt or complacency. We are leaving these problems to our children – where is the hope in that?
Climate instability and nature’s extinction are making the Earth a more ugly, risky and uncertain place, drying up water supplies, driving up food prices, displacing people and animals, and hitting cities and ecosystems with more severe storms, floods, heat waves, droughts and wildfires. It could get even worse as we approach the extinction of the Amazon rainforest, disruption of ocean circulation, collapse of the ice cap and other unimaginably horrific but increasingly possible disasters.
This creates an urgent need for efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve natural resources and adapt to climate change.
If despair is the worst sin, hope is the greatest virtue. This is especially true as we enter the season of UN mega-conferences, where national leaders try to convince humanity of a brighter future, even when the evidence suggests otherwise.
But what if hope was the antidepressant that kept us all comfortably numb when we had every right to be sad, worried, driven to action, or just plain angry?
Tetiana Morarash
