Psychiatric Conditions Potentially Linked to Climate Change

Minorities Face Disproportionate Impacts from Climate Change

Most conversations around climate change impacts involve projections for the end of the century, but one study led by Virginia Tech researchers looks at short term and existing hazards. Their research found that flooding could affect one out of every 50 residents in 24 coastal cities in the United States by 2050. Many studies look at sea level rise when looking at the impacts of land, but fail to take into consideration the impact of land subsidence at the same time, which would provide a more holistic projection of potential risks. The study found that out of the 32 coastal cities examined, 24 are sinking more than 2 millimeters per year, with half of those cities sinking faster than the global sea levels are rising. The study also found that ethnic minorities could face disproportionate impacts, with minorities constituting roughly 43% of the population in the 11 Gulf Coast cities included in the study. However, they’re expected to represent between 64 to 72% of the population at risk of flooding by 2050.

Moriah McDonald, Inside Climate News

Psychiatric Conditions Potentially Linked to Climate Change

Growing rates of anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, Alzheimer’s, and motor neuron disease could be related to rising temperatures and other extreme environmental changes. In a 10 year study that began with pregnant women during Superstorm Sandy, conclusions reveal that children who were in utero during Sandy bear an inordinately high risk of psychiatric conditions today. In a variety of other fields, psychologists and behavioral economists have illustrated ways in which temperature spikes drive surges in everything from domestic violence to online hate speech. Cognitive neuroscientists have charted the routes by which extreme heat and surging CO2 levels impair decision-making, diminish problem solving abilities, and short-circuit our capacity to learn. Vectors of brain disease such as ticks and mosquitos are seeing their habitable ranges expand as the world warms. Extreme weather events such as hurricanes and wildfires have been known to cause PTSD in survivors and even their offspring who weren’t born yet.

Clayton Page Aldern, The Guardian

Major Species Turnover by 2100

North American cities may see a major species turnover by the end of the century. A recent study of more than 2,000 animal species in the 60 most populous U.S. and Canadian cities suggests a shift in animal species is imminent due to climate change. Cities with high historic species richness were predicted to have the largest declines and fewest gains in species. Geographically cooler, wetter cities such as Omaha and Kansas City may welcome the most new species, with Quebec, Ottawa, and Winnipeg nearly doubling their species roster. Warmer cities with higher precipitation such as coastal California may lose the most species. Arid southwestern cities like Phoenix and Albuquerque are not expected to see a dramatic species shift. Modeling used in the study suggests 54 species may vanish entirely from the 60 tested cities. Canines, amphibians, and aquatic birds may experience the greatest losses in cities, while turtles, mice, toads, and pelicans become more common overall.

Public Library of Sciencce, Phys.org

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