July 2023 has been widely reported as the hottest month on record globally and possibly the hottest month in 120,000 years according to climate scientists. Whether it’s the devastating bushfires across North America and the Mediterranean or the unseasonably warm winter we’re experiencing in Australia, climate change is now clearly a lived experience for many.
This prompted United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to declare, “The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived.” For decades scientists and experts have warned us what lies in the wake of the global climate catastrophe, including more frequent and severe weather events (bushfires, droughts and floods), extreme temperatures and poorer air quality. The psychological implications of this on individuals and communities cannot be understated.
There’s a lot of work to be done to reduce the potential impacts of environmental disaster, which is why we were determined to contribute to the Government’s National Health and Climate Strategy, which aims to reduce the carbon footprint of the health system, increase the connections between climate and public health policy, and ensure Australia’s health system is well equipped to respond to the impacts of climate change.
What APS is asking for
In order to achieve these important goals, APS believes that the federal government needs to:
Ensure the mental health impacts of climate change are at the forefront of this strategy. We know from extensive research that environmental disasters can have long lasting mental health impacts. Many members are also reporting higher levels of climate anxiety for their clients and themselves.
Use psychological science to support initiatives which may help Australia adapt to the effects of climate change and motivate positive behavioural change. We believe this will encourage the entire community to work towards a common goal.
Adopt expert-backed frameworks. As a leading member of the Climate and Health Alliance, the APS strongly advocates for the adoption of the Healthy, Regenerative and Just Framework, which would cut emissions, support biodiversity and community resilience and strengthen emergency and disaster-preparedness.
Use the right language when talking about climate change. Often, calls for climate action are written in future tense. However, this is an issue impacting us in the here and now. In order to create a stronger sense of urgency, we need to start communicating about this issue using present tense language.
More support for psychologists
Another of our key recommendations in the submission is to provide further support to psychologists impacted by the climate crisis and natural disasters.
Psychologists are a key part of the solution, which is why it’s critical that we invest in their wellbeing to ensure they can continue supporting their clients and building climate resiliency into our communities.
To get to this point, we need to expand the psychology workforce to create some breathing room for our stretched profession As part of our submission, the APS continued our call for more workforce support, including appropriate funding for psychology university places, supporting paid psychology placements and their coordination, and providing adequate provisions for supervisors (including training).
This support would go a long way towards boosting our sector and thereby contribute to developing a happier, healthier and more resilient community.
There’s no doubt that we’re in for some difficult times in the near future, especially as we’re about to head into our own bushfire season. Now is the time to ramp up support and arm our nation’s psychology sector with the tools and resources it needs to support the community.
You can see the full list of recommendations by reading our submission here.
