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Evaluation ViewAttendees 4

Climate Change
Symposia

Symposium 70 - Weathering the Storm Together: Uniting Climate, Racial Justice, and Mental Health

Saturday, November 16, 2024
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM EST
Location: Congress A, Fourth Floor, Loews Hotel
CE: 1.5

Keywords: Climate Change, Disaster Mental Health, Global Mental Health
Level of Familiarity: Basic to moderate
Recommended Readings: Petheram, L., Zander, K. K., Campbell, B. M., High, C., & Stacey, N. (2010). ‘Strange changes’: Indigenous perspectives of climate change and adaptation in NE Arnhem Land (Australia). Global Environmental Change, 20(4), 681-692.,   Shahid, S., Chaudary, M. A., Majeed, A., & Siddique, R. A. (2021). Mental disorders emerging from the climate change: A need to mitigate the eco-anxieties. FUUAST Journal of Biology, 11(1), 69-73.,   Kashwan, P., Biermann, F., Gupta, A., & Okereke, C. (2020). Planetary justice: Prioritizing the poor in earth system governance. Earth System Governance, 6, 100075.,   ,  

The crisis of climate change is particularly salient to youth and people of color. Psychologists and community leaders must use their clinical skills, teaching, and advocacy to urgently respond to the increasing threat that climate change poses to these vulnerable groups and to our planet. We present scientific data as well as creations from Indigenous Peoples that highlight the many ways we can take collective action in our practices, schools and communities. Two of the studies present data on contexts where youth learn about climate change (school, social media) and impacts on youth well-being and engagement in climate action. One study presents the novel Climate and Racial Justice Scale, which is the first scientifically validated tool to measure knowledge of the relationship between climate change and racial justice. The current findings present minimal methodological limitations and strong results for sparking continued advocacy, policy making and activism. We aim to continue to build programs and measures that  reach youth, people of color and all people who believe we must act now to make a difference. This work aligns with ABCT’s mission of building relationships with diverse stakeholders, public education through partnerships, and ethical delivery of science-based interventions. This symposium was developed through the work and collaborations of expert clinicians and researchers who are dedicating their careers to use science, psychology, art and engineering to actively mobilize actions to combat climate change.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
  1. Identify the ways programs can mobilize youth toward collective action through education and engagement initiatives.
  2. Describe how Black, Indigenous and People of Color are disproportionately impacted by climate change.
  3. Describe how the new Climate and Racial Justice Scale aims to inform policy that reduces harm from climate change.
  4. Identify ways in which the sociopolitical context of vulnerable environments confers risk to residents.
  5. Explain future directions for refining evidence-based programs that mobilizes climate activism.

Presentations:

  • 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM EST
    (SYM 70) The Climate Change Social Media Movement and Youth Mental Health

    Speaker: McKenna F. Parnes, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Washington School of Medicine

  • 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM EST
    (SYM 70) The Influence of Climate Change Education on Climate Change Anxiety, Hope, Action, and Justice Perspectives

    Speaker: Sarah E. O. Schwartz, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Suffolk University

    Co-author: McKenna F. Parnes, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Washington School of Medicine

    Co-author: Anna G. Larson, M.S. – Suffolk University

  • 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM EST
    (SYM 70) Indigenous Voices and Climate Change

    Speaker: Anpotown Jenson, M.S. (she/her/hers) – Pine Ridge Reservation

  • 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM EST
    (SYM 70) The Climate and Racial Justice Scale: Associations with Race and Ethnicity, Black Lives Matter Activism and Climate Change Concerns

    Speaker: Regina Musicaro, PhD (she/her/hers) – The Albert einstein College of Medicine

    Co-author: McKenna F. Parnes, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Washington School of Medicine

    Co-author: Sarah Lowe, Ph.D. – Yale School of Public Health

    Co-author: Susan Clayton, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – The College of Wooster

    Co-author: Cheryl L. Holder, M.D. – Florida International University

    Co-author: Sarah E. O. Schwartz, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Suffolk University