Mourning a Dying Planet – Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo on Grief and Climate Change
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We will all, at some be point, be touched by loss – whether that be the loss of a loved one, or maybe the loss of a pet. Recently, research has shown that ecological loss has no less effect on our well-being. According to top researchers, the changing climate is now causing symptoms of grief similar to what we see in our personal lives.
Speaking at the closing of the StFX ‘Climate and Democracy Week’ on November 21, Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo, Director of the Labrador Institute of Memorial University, says she and her colleagues are seeing increased mental health issues among the Inuit population in Labrador, whose lives are being greatly affected by the changing climate. Cunsolo is a passionate researcher and environmental advocate. She is a community-engaged social science and health researcher and has particular interest in the social, environmental and cultural determinates on Indigenous health, learning and dialogue. She is recognized nationally and internationally for her community-based research and science outreach.
Dr. Cunsolo gave an extensive and emotional slide and video presentation of the people and community of Rigolet, Labrador and the emotional impact climate change is having on their lives. Rigolet is an Inuit community of about 300 in Northern Labrador, which has been home to Indigenous peoples for hundreds of years. The community has a direct dependence on the land for food and subsistence, as well as for livelihood, and their very identities. Dr. Cunsolo says the anxiety, fear and stress faced by the community is very real because of that dependence.
The community of Rigolet has made great efforts to understand how climate change is affecting them. Elders, researchers and local administrators came together to study and investigate how the changing environment is affecting their homeland and their health. Residents were observing that the sea-ice, which is so vital to their economy, was beginning to disappear, and at the same time, they began noticing that locals were showing signs of distress and anxiety. Dr. Cunsolo says the research she and others have done is showing a direct link between this negative emotional impact and ice loss.
“When we are on the land, it keeps us grounded, we are part of it, and it is part of us. The land means everything to us.”
Studies carried out in the community (which included a documentary film about the land, the locals and the environment) show a disturbing mental health impact for the Inuit population. Dr. Cunsolo says the research team wanted to show how the connection to the land is so important, that it is part of the people, and that it brings a feeling of connection, kinship, belonging, and attachment. What the researchers are finding is that this connection is vital to the mental health of the residents of Rigolet. “There is an emotional attachment,” she says, “and the way they see themselves with the land is existential.”
One of the elders in the documentary spoke about the anxiety and stress people feel when they can’t get out onto the land. “When we are on the land,” he says, “it keeps us grounded, we are part of it, and it is part of us. The land means everything to us.”
This culture needs sea-ice, snow and a cold climate to exist, but unfortunately the ice is beginning to disappear both in quantity and in quality. Rain and fog are now replacing the usual much colder winter weather. Interviews with local Inuit are showing that they are now noticing dramatic changes in the land. The seasons are shorter, the ice comes in later and leaves earlier, and there is now, essentially, only a two-month shift in seasons. “It is affecting food delivery, travel and the ecosystem,” says Dr. Cunsolo, “and with it we are seeing strong emotional reactions among the residents such as anger, fear, sadness, helplessness and hopelessness. “They are hurting,” she says, about the Inuit.
She stressed that although there is no direct causal link, there is evidence of an increase in drug, alcohol and substance abuse in the region as well. Taking into consideration a long history of colonization, residential schooling and government neglect, climate change is now compounding the problems that already existed in Labrador. Now they have another stressor to add to this long, sad history, she says.
With shorter winter seasons, and fewer chances to get onto the land, the residents are forced to stay home, and as a result they are starting to lose their freedom, identity and meaning. The community is especially worried about the youth who may tend to turn to other things if they lose their way of life. Dr. Cunsolo also reported feedback she received from mental health workers in the area who are beginning to worry about their communities, their residents and even themselves. These front-line health workers are seeing the effects firsthand. There is a deep concern about the changes occurring and many are worried about losing their identity. “There are doubts about who they are and what their place is in the world,” she says.
To contextualize the issues facing Inuit populations within the greater climate discussion, Cunsolo referenced two additional case studies from two different parts of the world with contrasting environments, where they’re seeing the same challenges. One was from an ice-area, and the other from a drought-area. She said populations in both of these regions are now facing the same kinds of mental health problems and stressors as those in Rigolet. Environmental anxiety is widespread, and it is not just the Inuit who are suffering. “The stress is everywhere,” she says, “there are health worries, stress, anxiety and economic problems in whatever region you look at.”
This stress is called ‘ecological grief’ and the loss can be classified into three types: physical or ecological loss; cultural loss or loss of identity, and future loss. Grieving and mourning is very human. We all struggle with these emotions at some point in our lives. So, what do we do? We grieve over some things and not others, and she says we must decide. Will we grieve beyond ourselves as humans, and can we grieve for the animals, the environment, and ultimately our future? Dr. Cunsolo says that we must accept that environmental loss is here, and we must grieve for the planet, allowing us to change and grow, and then move towards the policy changes that are needed. “Grief is important for change, and we must intervene and challenge the systems and narratives. Grief can be unifying, and we can mobilize this emotion along with anger and fear and come together for action and change.”
