Scoping the mental health impacts of climate change on food sovereignty in Indigenous Peoples

Intern

Aria Ngarimu, Victoria University of Wellington

Supervisor

Dr Kenneth Taiapa, Te Whare Wānanga o Ōtākou, University of Otago

Overview

Global climate change has been a defining intergenerational issue, increasingly undermining public health initiatives and outcomes both within and across borders (Bennett et al., 2020). Weather instability, rising temperatures, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, extreme droughts, and floods have placed, and will continue to place, significant pressure on humanity’s ability to survive on Earth (Willett et al., 2019). As a result, internationally, climate change and 'eco-anxiety' (Coffey et al., 2021) — referring to distress caused by ecological crises — has increasingly been recognised as a key driver of mental and emotional distress (Hickman et al., 2021).

Due to their close connections with the natural world, Indigenous Peoples have been among the most vulnerable to experiencing adverse mental health impacts from climate change (Vecchio et al., 2022; Coffey et al., 2021). Despite this recognition, there has been a notable lack of literature on the correlation between climate change and mental health, especially the mental health impacts on Indigenous Peoples globally. Recent damage caused by Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle in Te Tai Rāwhiti has been matched by the profound emotional toll on whānau and communities who depend on growing and gathering kai for sustenance.