How climate change affects your mental health | Britt Wray

譯者: Amanda Chu 審譯者: Zoe Chang

For all that's ever been said about climate change,

在所有關於氣候變遷的言論中，

we haven't heard nearly enough about the psychological impacts

探討全球暖化衝擊我們 心理層面的少之又少。

of living in a warming world.

If you've heard the grim climate research

如果你看過我類的科學傳播者

that science communicators like me weave into our books and documentaries,

在著述和紀錄片中探討的、 沉重無望的氣候研究，

you've probably felt bouts of fear, fatalism or hopelessness.

你可能覺得命運多舛， 恐懼、絕望襲上心頭。

If you've been impacted by climate disaster,

如果你親身經歷過氣候災難，

these feelings can set in much deeper,

這些感覺會更加深刻，

leading to shock, trauma,

造成心理上的衝擊、創傷、

strained relationships, substance abuse

人際關係緊張、藥物濫用、

and the loss of personal identity and control.

喪失自我認同及自我控制等問題。

Vital political and technological work is underway to moderate our climate chaos,

各國政府及科學家已經開始 緩解氣候混亂的問題，

but I'm here to evoke a feeling in you

而在這裡，我想提醒各位，

for why we also need our actions and policies

我們也需要行動和策略，

to reflect an understanding of how our changing environments

來因應已知的環境改變

threaten our mental, social and spiritual well-being.

對我們在精神、社會 和心靈福祉方面的威脅。

The anxiety, grief and depression of climate scientists and activists

氣候科學家及活動人士的 焦慮、悲傷、沮喪等等，

have been reported on for years.

多年來一直有報導。

Trends we've seen after extreme weather events

在桑迪和卡崔娜颶風 這類極端氣候事件過後，

like hurricane Sandy or Katrina

for increased PTSD and suicidality.

創傷後壓力症候群和自殺傾向 有明顯上升的趨勢。

And there are rich mental-health data from northern communities

在暖化速度最快的極區社群， 豐富的身心健康數據顯示：

where warming is the fastest,

like the Inuit in Labrador,

拉布拉多省的因努伊特原住民 面臨絕望的存在痛苦，

who face existential distress as they witness the ice,

因為他們一個重要的身份認同── 冰山──在眼前化為烏有。

a big part of their identity,

vanishing before their eyes.

Now if that weren't enough,

如果這還不夠，

the American Psychological Association

美國心理學會表示，

says that our psychological responses to climate change,

我們對氣候變遷的心理反應，

like conflict avoidance, helplessness and resignation, are growing.

像是逃避、無助及放棄的 心態，都在與日俱增。

This means that our conscious and unconscious mental processes

這意味著我們的有意識 及無意識的心理機制

are holding us back

阻礙我們尋找問題根源、

from identifying the causes of the problem for what they are,

研擬對策、

working on solutions and fostering our own psychological resilience,

更無法培養心理調適的韌性，

but we need all those things to take on what we've created.

而這些正是我們面對問題時 所需要的應對方法。

Lately, I've been studying a phenomenon

我最近在研究一種現象，

that's just one example of the emotional hardships

是目前我們所知的 各種情緒困境的其中之一。

that we're seeing.

And it comes in the form of a question

它反映在我這一代很多人 都很難回答的一個問題上，

that a significant amount of people in my generation are struggling to answer.

That being:

那就是:

Should I have a child in the age of climate change?

在氣候變遷的年代，我該生小孩嗎？

After all, any child born today

畢竟現在出生的孩子，

will have to live in a world where hurricanes, flooding, wildfires --

都必須活在一個颶風、水災 及森林大火──

what we used to call natural disasters --

以前我們稱之為天災──

have become commonplace.

現在卻司空見慣的環境裡。

The hottest 20 years on record occurred within the last 22.

史上最熱的 20 年 全發生在過去 22 年間。

The UN expects that two-thirds of the global population

聯合國預計，接下來的六年內，

may face water shortages only six years from now.

全球三分之二的人口 可能面臨水資源短缺。

The World Bank predicts that by 2050,

世界銀行預測 2050 年前， 全球將有 1.4 億氣候難民，

there's going to be 140 million climate refugees

in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and South Asia.

在撒哈拉沙漠以南的非洲大陸、 拉丁美洲及南亞地區。

And other estimates put that number at over one billion.

其他來源的預測則超過十億人口。

Mass migrations and resource scarcity

大規模移民和資源短缺，

increase the risk for violence, war and political instability.

提高了暴力、戰爭、 政局動盪等風險。

The UN just reported that we are pushing up to a million species to extinction,

聯合國最近報告，高達 百萬個物種將因人類而絕種，

many within decades,

許多在幾十年內就會消失，

and our emissions are still increasing, even after the Paris Agreement.

即使《巴黎協定》簽署之後， 我們的碳排放量仍在增加。

Over the last year and a half,

過去一年半的時間裡， 我一直在舉辦研討會，

I've been conducting workshops and interviews

針對氣候危機中養育後代的議題 採訪了數百人。

with hundreds of people

about parenting in the climate crisis.

And I can tell you

我可以告訴各位，

that people who are worried about having kids because of climate change

那些因為氣候變遷 而害怕生小孩的人，

他們的動機並非 出自禁慾主義的堅持，

are not motivated by an ascetic pride.

They're nerve-racked.

而是精神壓力大到不行。

There's even a movement called BirthStrike,

甚至有一場名為「生育罷工」的運動，

whose members have declared they're not going to have kids

參與者宣告他們不生小孩，

因為生態危機的現況，

because of the state of the ecological crisis

以及各國政府坐視不顧 這個威脅人類存亡的問題。

and inaction from governments to address this existential threat.

And yes, other generations have also faced their own apocalyptic dangers,

過去人類也面臨過 當時所謂的末日危機，

but that is no reason to disregard the very real threat to our survival now.

但我們不該因此而漠視 此刻這個關乎存亡的真實威脅。

Some feel that it's better to adopt children.

有些人主張生小孩不如收養

Or that it's unethical to have more than one,

或認為生超過一個孩子是不道德的，

especially three, four or more,

遑論生三四個或更多，

because kids increase greenhouse gas emissions.

原因是孩子會增加溫室氣體排放。

Now, it is a really unfortunate state of affairs

現下很悲慘的狀況是

when people who want kids sacrifice their right to

有些人愛小孩卻放棄生育的權利，

because, somehow, they have been told that their lifestyle choices are to blame

因為不知何故，他們選擇的 生活型態被指責是錯的，

when the fault is far more systemic,

但其實社會體系才是問題所在，

but let's just unpack the logic here.

讓我們來解析一下這個邏輯。

So an oft-cited study shows that, on average,

有一個常被引用的研究顯示，

工業國家每少生一個小孩，

having one less child in an industrialized nation

can save about 59 tons of carbon dioxide per year.

平均每年就可減少 59 噸的二氧化碳排放。

While in comparison,

相較之下，

living car-free saves nearly 2.5 tons,

無車族平均少了 2.5 噸排放，

avoiding a transatlantic flight -- and this is just one --

少一趟跨大西洋飛行── 單趟，不是來回喔──

saves about 1.5 tons,

可以減少 1.5 噸排放，

and eating a plant-based diet can save almost one ton per year.

蔬食飲食每年可減少近一噸排放。

And consider that a Bangladeshi child

再看看，在孟加拉出生的小孩，

only adds 56 metric tons of carbon to their parents' carbon legacy

一生只將父母的碳遺產 往上提高 56 噸而已，

over their lifetime,

while an American child, in comparison, adds 9,441 to theirs.

相較之下，在美國出生的孩子 則是將其父母碳遺產增加 9441 噸。

So this is why some people argue

這就是為什麼有些人認為 在碳足跡巨大的國家，

that it's parents from nations with huge carbon footprints

who should think the hardest about how many kids they have.

想生育下一代的人要 嚴正考慮生育的數目。

But the decision to have a child and one's feelings about the future

但決定生育與否

以及對未來的感覺是絕對主觀的，

are deeply personal,

and wrapped up in all sorts of cultural norms,

並與各種文化傳統、宗教信仰、

religious beliefs, socioeconomic status, education levels and more.

社會經濟地位、 教育水準等密切相關。

And so to some, this debate about kids in the climate crisis

因此，這場氣候危機 與生育孩子這場辯論，

對某些人來說，好像是 來自另一個星球的事。

can seem like it came from another planet.

Many have more immediate threats to their survival to think about,

因為許多人面臨著比這個 更迫切的生存威脅，

例如：為了養孩子 而做三份工作的單親媽媽、

like, how they're going to put food on the table,

when they're a single mom working three jobs,

愛滋病帶原者、 以篷車為家的難民們。

or they're HIV positive or on the move in a migrant caravan.

Tragically, though, climate change is really great at intersectionality.

悲慘的是，氣候變遷 與很多其他問題重疊交集。

It multiplies the stresses marginalized communities already face.

加劇了社會邊緣族群 所面臨的壓力。

A political scientist once said to me that a leading indicator

一位政治學家曾對我說，

氣候變遷在心理層面 影響之大的主要指標

that climate change is starting to hit home, psychologically,

would be an increase in the rate of informed women

是越來越多有教育學養的女性 決定不生小孩。

deciding to not have children.

Interesting.

有趣吧。

Is it hitting home with you, psychologically?

氣候變遷是否也已 對你的心理造成影響？

Are you perhaps someone with climate-linked pre-traumatic stress?

你是否也承受著 「氣候相關創傷前壓力 」？

A climate psychiatrist coined that term,

一個氣候精神病學家 創了這個新名詞，

and that's a profession now, by the way, shrinks for climate woes.

這個新的「氣候精神病學」 有專治氣候悲傷的心理醫生。

They're getting work at a time when some high schoolers

他們的工作來自於現下一些 高中畢業生不想去念大學，

don't want to apply to university any longer,

because they can't foresee a future for themselves.

因為他們看不見自己的未來。

And this brings me back to my main point.

這又回到我所說的重點，

The growing concern about having kids in the climate crisis

面臨氣候危機是否該生小孩 是一個緊迫的指標，

is an urgent indicator of how hard-pressed people are feeling.

顯示出人們遭受到強大的心理壓力。

Right now, students around the world are screaming for change

現在世界各地的學生都在 絕望而尖銳地吶喊，要求改變。

in the piercing voice of despair.

And the fact that we can see how we contribute to this problem

一旦清楚原來是我們的行為 促成了今日這個威脅，

that makes us feel unsafe

is crazy-making in itself.

那真的是讓人懷疑自己是否瘋了。

Climate change is all-encompassing

氣候變遷的影響無所不在，

and so are the ways that it messes with our minds.

它擾亂我們心理的方式也包羅萬象。

Many activists will tell you

許多環境運動人士說，

that the best antidote to grief is activism.

消除悲傷最好的解藥 就是加入他們的運動。

And some psychologists will tell you the answer can be found in therapy.

有些心理學家則說， 心理治療是解決之道。

Others believe the key is to imagine you're on your deathbed,

還有些人相信最好的方式是

想像自己死亡在即， 躺在床上回顧一生；

reflecting back on what's mattered the most in your life,

so you can identify what you should do more of now,

如此就能把握剩下的時間， 做更多該做的事。

with the time that you have left.

我們需要更多類似這樣的想法，

We need all these ideas, and more,

to take care of our innermost selves

來照顧內心深處的自我，

as the environments we've known become more punishing towards us.

因為以往熟悉的環境氣候 只會越來越殘酷嚴峻。

And whether you have children or not,

無論是否有下一代，

we need to be honest about what is happening,

我們都需要誠實地面對 正在發生的事情，

and what we owe one another.

以及對彼此有何虧欠。

We cannot afford to treat

我們不能漠視氣候變遷 所造成的心理衝擊，

the psychological impacts of climate change

as some afterthought,

等到真的發生再處理，

because the other issues, of science, technology and the politics and economy,

就因為其他氣候變遷相關的 科技、政治、經濟等問題，

feel hard, while this somehow feels soft.

感覺都很嚴重，

而心理問題似乎很輕微。

Mental health needs to be an integral part

心理健康是氣候變遷下 生存策略不可或缺的一環，

of any climate change survival strategy,

requiring funding, and ethics of equity and care,

需要資金、公平和關懷的倫理規範，

and widespread awareness.

以及大眾的廣泛認知。

Because even if you're the most emotionally avoidant person on the planet,

就算你是這個星球上 最會規避心理影響的人，

there's no rug in the world that's big enough to sweep this up under.

世上也沒有那麼大的地毯 能蓋掉眼前的這些問題。

Thank you.

謝謝大家。

(Applause)

（掌聲）