© Reuters"Emotional injury, stress and despair": the impact of climate change on health.
The paper, prepared for the Climate Institute, says loss of social cohesion in the wake of severe weather events related to climate change could be linked to increased rates of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and substance abuse.
As many as one in five people reported ''emotional injury, stress and despair'' in the wake of these events.
The report, "A Climate of Suffering: The Real Cost of Living with Inaction on Climate Change," called the past 15 years a ''preview of life under unrestrained global warming''.
''While cyclones, drought, bushfires and floods are all a normal part of Australian life, there is no doubt our climate is changing,'' the report says.The paper suggests a possible link between Australia's recent decade-long drought and climate change. It points to a breakdown of social cohesion caused by loss of work and associated stability, adding that the suicide rate in rural communities rose by 8 per cent.
''For instance, the intensity and frequency of bushfires is greater. This is a 'new normal', for which the past provides little guidance...
''Moreover, recent conditions are entirely consistent with the best scientific predictions: as the world warms so the weather becomes wilder, with big consequences for people's health and well-being.''
