Climate Change-Induced Migration and Mental Health or Displacement

Introduction

Moving from one place to another for a better future has its drawbacks. There are many reasons why someone might want to move from home to an uncharted land. From educational purposes to political and environmental changes, people always wanted what was best for them and their families (A H Haugen, et al. 2022). In this paper, we are going to focus on environmental changes and their correlation to migration, specifically caused by climate change. Meanwhile, the purpose of the paper is to shine light on the problems that climate change-induced migration causes on the human mind, body, and social elements; and try to create a cure. The paper will consist of graphs, data, and specific problems ranging from family problems, trauma, discrimination, mental health support problems, global responsibility, anxiety, and grief. The unpredictability of climate change affects even realms outside of climate-induced migration, such as environmentally induced migrations (The International Organization for Migration definition: persons or groups of persons who, predominantly for reasons of sudden or progressive change in the environment that adversely affect their lives or living conditions, are obliged to leave their habitual homes or choose to do so, either temporarily or permanently, and who move either within their country or abroad) (S, James M., et al. 2018). Because of this, people face many difficulties like social losses and the exposure of migrants to trauma and violence (S, James M., et al. 2018). It is a known fact that climate change acts in a complex and compounding manner (L. F. Walter, et al. 2022). This compound nature damages many aspects of the environment, causing environmental-induced migration in the process. Some examples of this are rising sea levels, rising ocean and land temperatures, higher disaster risks, and acceleration of rural-to-urban transplantation. Rising sea levels happen due to the melting of polar ice from increasing temperatures, leading to the reduction of habitable land surface which damages coastlines, beaches, and especially islands such as the world’s 57 small island developing states. Meanwhile, rising ocean and land temperatures happen due to excessive carbon exposure in the atmosphere and other smaller variables that in the end create desertification, droughts, and drying trends which lead to food insecurity and public health crises. With ocean temperatures increasing, it changes the living, geographical, and migration patterns of fish and other organism populations. We can also draw parallels from these cases to land-living creatures, with humans included. When oceans heat most wildlife also tends to migrate to other locations, just as humans do. Meanwhile, we also have higher disaster risks like typhoons, floods, tornados, etc. That destroys human habitats and resources (Podder, S. K. et al. 2022). Lastly, the acceleration of rural-to-urban transplantation increases depression and causes mental problems, due to migrants having to face effects such as crowding, poverty, ghettoization, gang violence, and even competitive disadvantages due to a lack of urban employment skills.