1 - (SYM 97) Emotional Responses to Climate Change: The Moral Dimension

Nationally representative surveys and a growing body of research indicates that many people are experiencing negative emotions in response to climate change. Many studies have focused on worry and anxiety, with emerging evidence that climate anxiety is associated with clinical levels of anxiety and depression. However, other emotions are also described, such as grief, guilt, and anger, as well as some positive emotions such as hope and excitement. This presentation will describe the range of emotions that have been reported, focusing in particular on the moral dimension: evidence that awareness of climate change is associated with moral distress.  Moral injury is a phenomenon that has been described, primarily among combat veterans, as a response to participating in, or witnessing, acts that violate one’s ethical standards. It has been associated with a loss of faith or meaning, sometimes resulting in post-traumatic stress disorder or self-harm, among other correlates. Witnessing climate change, similarly, can be said to comprise participating in acts that cause harm to the environment, and for some people this violates their ethical standards of value and respect for nature. This presentation will describe a new scale that measures moral distress in response to climate change, along with evidence for its reliability and validity. I will discuss the importance of attending to this moral response in understanding the potential impacts of climate change on mental health, and determining the most appropriate interventions to promote individual resilience.