Foreword (August 2024, Health and Welfare Policy Forum)

Abstract

We are in the midst of the sultry, high summer of 2024. Although the Earth is not yet quite 1.5 degrees warmer than it was in pre-industrial times, as warned by the IPCC, the heatwaves are streaming in with overwhelming force. Projections indicate that the pace of climate change will accelerate. The World Economic Forum also predicts that climate change will pose some of the greatest threats to humanity from 2024 onward for decades. Climate change not only affects our living environments and ecosystems; it is a matter of health and life. Yet, we are not doing enough to develop systems that would help us manage the health impacts of climate change. Following the IPCC's emphasis on the mental health impacts of climate change in its 6th Assessment Report, particularly regarding climate anxiety, the relationship between mental health and climate change has become a global topic that merits further attention. This is the background against which we chose to devote the August issue of the Health and Welfare Forum to the theme of “The Accelerating Climate Change and Our Mental Wellbeing”. The aim is to discuss in depth the impact of climate change on mental health and explore strategies for the government to help Korean people stay mentally healthy in times of the climate crisis. Climate change is forecast to bring changes to the frequency and intensity of such extreme meteorological events as typhoons and floods. Korea has started addressing extreme climate events as natural disasters within law in the latter half of the 2010s—heat waves in 2018 and fine dust in 2019. The loss and damage caused by climate change pose significant threats that necessitate effective government protection and response. As experiencing climate-related disasters firsthand can lead to severe trauma, increasing the risk of acute stress disorder and PTSD, it is crucial to review the current state of our national psychosocial support system and address the challenges it faces. Compared to the efforts made at the international level and in selected countries, the participation of health and medical professionals is insufficient in Korea in discussions of and responses to climate change and its mental health impacts. We examine expert participation at the international level in addressing climate change and propose ways to encourage the engagement of health and medical professionals in tackling the mental health effects of climate change. A key proposal that we present in the August issue of the Forum is to emphasize the importance of understanding climate anxiety accurately. Climate anxiety will persist as we are increasingly inundated with information on climate change. However, concerns about climate that are ungrounded in evidence might keep ratcheting up climate anxiety to a point where it hinders effective responses to climate change. The discussion provided here is a call for what I hope will be a more thorough, evidence-based policy dialogue that helps people be better prepared for a healthy life amid the climate crisis.