The Environmental Trinity: A Link Between Mental Health, Nature, and Climate Change
Between 1997 and 2003, there was a fifty percent decline in the proportion of children aged nine to twelve who spent time doing outdoor activities. The lives of today’s youth are becoming increasingly dominated by attention-grabbing computers, TV’s and electronics. A survey of parents revealed that while 71 percent of today’s mothers recalled playing outdoors every day when they were children, only 26 percent said their own kids play outdoors daily. The results of this phenomenon is what author Louv calls the Nature-Deficit Disorder which he defines in his book, Last Child in the Woods, as “the human costs of alienation from nature,” including “diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional illness.” Louv asserts that exposure to nature is not only beneficial, but integral to the healthy physical and emotional development of youth. The downward trend of child-nature interaction is correlated with another phenomenon: Climate change. Natural areas untouched by anthropomorphic activity are disappearing just as fast as children’s interest in them. Global warming has an impact of its own on mental health: It can induce stress and anxiety in children and adults alike. I agree, to a great extent, with Louv’s argument that the environment and the human mind are intertwined in a highly complex manner. Nature-Deficit Disorder and climate change are two issues that meet at the junction of mental health and the environment, but show different sides of the nature-human link.
Civilization itself implies a certain distance from nature. However, since the invention of electronics, humans have become more disconnected from the natural world around them than ever and studies show that this behavior has unintended consequences. It is known that sedentary lifestyles dominated by TV and computers are linked to obesity and mental health problems. Louv argues that this, coupled with a lack of exposure to nature, can have serious consequences for the mental health and development of children. North Carolina State University professor Robin Moore states that “[c]hildren live through their senses. Sensory experiences link the child’s exterior world with their interior, hidden, affective world. […] [F]reedom to explore and play with the outdoor environment through the senses in their own space and time is essential for healthy development.” The era of technology has also been accompanied by a sharp increase in child ADHD diagnoses. While this may be partially attributable to improvements in medical technology, studies suggest that nature-deficit disorder is “one factor that may aggravate attentional difficulties for many children.” Evidently, the relationship between nature and the human mind is highly complex. Further supporting this argument, studies also suggest that “nature may be useful as a therapy for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), used with, or when appropriate, even replacing medications or behavioral therapies.” The transition from a rural to highly urban culture has resulted in increased productivity and improved technology, but it may also be taking us away from a natural aspect of life that is more significant than we previously thought.
Exposure to nature benefits all people, not just children with ADHD. This is best illustrated by attention-restoration theory — The idea that a healthy mind requires a balance between directed attention, or voluntary focus, and undirected attention, or fascination. Louv reveals that “too much directed attention leads to what [scientists] call ‘directed-attention fatigue,’ marked by impulsive behavior, agitation, irritation, and inability to concentrate.” According to research, the automatic human fascination with nature is one of the most effective forms of relief from attention-fatigue. People who regularly spend time in nature or even just have a view of greenery at work are shown to be more productive, relaxed, and exhibit more positive emotions. There is an evident and significant link between human behavior and exposure to nature. Despite the current technology trend, Professor of Oceanography Paul Dayton believes that humans must always maintain a connection with nature saying “[r]eality is the final authority; reality is what’s going on out there, not what’s in your mind or on your computer screen.” Humans are drawn to nature, as evidenced by the fact that the majority of the creative public figures of the mid 20th century and earlier cite a nature-filled childhood as their primary source of artistic inspiration. The world is undeniably moving away from this archetype of childhood, however, more importantly, we as a global community are not as much losing an interest in nature as we are losing nature itself as a result of global warming. The inherent human connection with nature explored by Louv provides a strong source of inspiration for raising awareness for climate change and its impacts on mental health.
The environmental repercussions of global warming have been present in public and political discourse for decades. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that climate change impacts mental health, specifically in children, in ways that are not currently being discussed. Journalist Kathiann Kowalski’s article about the mental health risks that climate change poses to youth explains that “[t]he brains of children and teens are still growing and developing” and “[t]hose growing brains make young people particularly vulnerable to environmental stressors.” Global warming poses the threat of altering or even destroying the environments that children are growing up in. The same fascination that draws kids towards nature can cause them elevated levels of distress when they realize the danger that the environment is in.
Stress induced by the state of the natural world is not only observed in children. In an article about the mental and emotional ramifications of climate research on atmospheric scientists, the author David Corn reveals that some scientists develop anxiety and depression disorders as a result of an extreme sense of hopelessness they get from their work. Priya Shukla, pH.D. student at the University of California Davis who is studying how climate change affects sea life, explains how she “was ‘emotionally exhausted’ by the toll of constantly scrutinizing the ‘huge tragedy’ happening” to the planet. It is not uncommon for scientists who spend their entire careers in a certain field to be passionate about their work. However, for a climate scientist, watching society as well as the government mischaracterize the gravity of the climate crisis when he or she knows the true extent of the consequences that the world will face can lead to devastating mental effects. Shukla, as well as other scientists have gone as far as “decided not to have children out of a concern about contributing to climate change.” The link between mental health and the environment is not subtle and must be introduced to the global warming conversation.
Louv addresses the state of the environment in a section of his book where he asks the question “[w]here with the future stewards of nature come from?” While nature conservation efforts are stronger now than ever, the unfortunate fact is that, in our electronic world, the pool of environmentalists and conservationists is shrinking. New conservation efforts are strictly aimed to protect the nature that is left instead of inspire a new generation of environmentalists. Louv highlights studies which show “that adult concern for, and behavior related to, the environment derives directly from participating in […] wild nature activities.” Studies also show that unstructured “free play in nature is far more effective than mandatory, adult-organized activities in nature.” Today’s strict conservation laws dramatically restrict the amount and quality of unstructured play that children can experience in nature. This is not conducive to inspiring a love of nature in children, because it inhibits the very activities that generated a deep connection with nature in today’s adult environmentalists. Kowalski’s article adds to this by stating that “many kids worry about how the impacts of climate change are expected to only worsen.” Constant worry for the environment is not a circumstance which encourages a positive relationship with nature. Louv and Kowalski offer two outcomes from this. Louv suggests that it may cause children to become consciously unattached to nature, a results which is good for neither the child nor the environment. Kowalski paints a different picture, one of youth who take the energy from their emotions and turn it towards climate activism. This effect is already being observed, as a large portion of the climate activism community is made up of young people.
As evidenced by Louv and the climate psychology articles, there is a highly complex relationship between humans, the environment, and climate change. Louv shows that humans need a connection to nature to be emotionally healthy and maintain a productive lifestyle. The articles illustrate a contrasting effect: When nature is hurt, humans are hurt. Both converge at the idea that interaction with the environment is integral to the well-being of individuals as well as the world community. The human relationship with nature cannot be replaced by any amount of electronics. We must protect the environment for the sake of our well-being and the well-being of our children. In the words of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., “Our children ought to be out there on the water. This is what connects us, this is what connects humanity, this is what we have in common. It’s not the internet, it’s the oceans.” Whether it is bringing children together in the interest of creativity and play or bringing adults together in the interest of protection and preservation, the environment provides a source of connection and inspiration for all.
