Psychology in Action – Leading for the Climate

Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly

New York,

19 November 2021

Excellencies, friends,

I thank the Global Psychology Association for inviting me to speak.

There is a reason I chose ‘Hope’ as the underlying theme of my Presidency. One very much tied to addressing the mental health needs of our 8 billion constituents.    

Ladies and gentlemen, the past two years have taken a heavy toll on our collective psyche.

COVID-19 has left us a legacy of human tragedy and socio-economic devastation.

Faced with new realities of working from home, temporary unemployment, loss of income, home-schooling of children, isolation, bereavement, and fear have triggered mental health conditions or have exacerbated existing ones

The pandemic compounded the existing challenges brought on by rapid urbanization, communal disintegration, and growing disparities in wealth.

Meanwhile, our news stories are dominated by headlines of political strife and conflict, social inequality and exclusion, and the existential dangers posed by the climate crisis.

This feeds our anxieties and leaves us fearful.

Excellencies,

Climate change is creating a generation of climate distress and hopelessness.

Extreme weather events have been associated with increases in aggressive behavior and domestic violence.

Flooding and prolonged droughts have been associated with elevated levels of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorders.

Many potential long-term impacts of climate change, such as population migration, food scarcity, loss of employment and loss of social support, have consequences for mental health.

Everyone is at risk, but not everyone is affected equally.

Groups that are especially vulnerable to the mental health impacts of climate change include children, the elderly, and women.

Also at risk are disadvantaged groups, those with existing mental illness, and those with close ties to the land, including farmers and tribal communities

Today, nearly 1 billion people live with a mental health disorder. 

Alarmingly, more than 75 percent of people in low-income countries do not receive treatment for it. These numbers will only get worse if we do not act.

My friends,

We must act to counter the dispiriting narrative that the future will bring only more tragedy and loss.

People do not act when they feel hopeless… they act when they are reminded of what is possible, what has been achieved, what CAN be achieved.

This is why I have chosen hope as the theme of the 76^th session of the General Assembly.

Hopeful narratives can remind us that humanity has overcome numerous challenges before, and that we can still take control of our own destiny.

Hope can remind us that it is in our hands to recover better from the pandemic and rescue our planet from climate disaster.

Hope can mobilize the grassroots coalitions to take urgent action to create the future we want.

We must draw upon and demonstrate our successes, our examples of goodwill, and of global cooperation to inspire hope. This in turn will help us heal from the massive mental health crisis affecting our communities and mobilize us to act.

Empowered by that hope we can approach our global environmental challenges with fresh energy, mindful that we do indeed have the capacity to make a difference.

And we can give hope to future generations, ensuring that they do not endure the stress and anxiety of being uncertain about the fate of their communities.

That was the underlying spirit of the climate event I held on the 26^th of October in the lead up to COP26. And that drives my every move this year.

As a small islander, I vividly feel the threat of rising sea levels to my native Maldives, yet I remain hopeful. I must be hopeful.

Trust that during my Presidency of Hope, I will do all that I can to support your efforts to combat the climate crisis through a psychological lens and alleviate its many negative repercussions on mental health.

In turn, I hope I can count on your support in mobilizing grassroots, whole-of-society responses to build the hopeful future we want.

Thank you.