From heavy rains and hurricanes to prolonged droughts and extreme heat, the effects of climate change in Puerto Rico are increasingly evident. For many, these alterations are of great concern, but there is still no study detailing their impact on the mental health and emotional of the population on the island.
Faced with this reality, the organization Friends of the SEA He launched “Taking Roots in the Face of the Climate Crisis”a research project aimed at understanding the effects of environmental phenomena and government management on the thoughts, feelings, and behavior of residents.
“You cannot address what you do not name. There is no study that can name the consequences of these phenomena on the emotional and mental health of Puerto Ricans, of the people who live in this country.”he explained Vanessa Uriarteco-director of the environmental organization with almost three decades of experience.
The methodology for data collection is divided into face-to-face interviews with between 60 and 80 people from representative communities throughout the country, and the responses of 2,500 people to an anonymous questionnaire, available at crisisclimaticapr.comParticipants must be 21 years of age or older and have lived in Puerto Rico for at least seven years.
Uriarte explained that the initiative arose from comments they received from the participants of the Coast Map –which Amigxs del MAR created in 2023–, which collected different feelings, such as frustration and anxiety, regarding the impact they saw in their communities due to the climate crisis.
The anguish of the Puerto Rican population regarding environmental changes is not, however, a new or unknown issue, since, in 2019, the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources published the results of A studywhich revealed that 80.4% of the sample of 1,000 households understood that this phenomenon was very or fairly important, and for 71.1% its effects were of great or quite a concern..
This type of measurement, Uriarte pointed out, has been done in other parts of the world. The results have led to people starting to talk about pathologies such as “eco-anxiety” and “solastalgia,” which he uses to define “the hopelessness in the face of a bleak future with the climatic implications that are occurring,” he explained.
On the other hand, he highlighted the inclusion of mental health in the Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation and Resilience Planwhich was pending approval in the last and final legislative session of the four-year period. Although briefly, he said, The fact that “the word and the mention exist, in this sense, is a recognition that there is a need that must be addressed”.
For this reason, Uriarte believes that the study of this correlation between mental health and the climate crisis must come “from the groups that are working to defend nature, in order to be able to name and, therefore, address in a correct and sensitive way all these implications that will not stop, and these consequences will continue to grow if they are not addressed seriously.”
The co-director of Amigxs del MAR – an entity that has two professionals in clinical and community psychology on its staff – explained that the implications for mental health are not only limited to the climatic event, but also to the ability to cope with it, which includes – in the Puerto Rican context – the weak electrical system, both in the general population and in particular groups, such as the LGBTQ+ communities and the older adults.
In fact, this is the intention based on the analysis of the data collected in the survey – which will be sent to public policy-making spaces, communities and organizations – to serve as a basis for the management of projects based on the needs identified. The results will also be available from the summer of 2025.
For Uriarte, this is a “first attempt” to approach the issue and open the door to dialogue. “It was time to break away from the taboo and name, yes, the lack of responsible attention to taking measures to adapt and survive in our country in the face of climate change also affects our mental health.”said.
The questionnaire – which takes between 10 and 20 minutes to complete – will be available until mid-September. crisisclimaticapr.comIn addition, a list of service centers was included, which supports the Government Health Plan, since the organization recognizes the difficulty in accessing mental health care.
“For us, knowledge is power and knowing what is happening specifically, as a country, helps us move towards collective solutions. That is the first step.”he explained.
Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation and Resilience Plan