Climate, Mental Health & Solastalgia

Trauma, grief, and mental health: climate change is disrupting our relationship with the environment as we know it, causing a sense of loss, sudden detachment, and depression - a set of experiences some refer to as solastalgia. In this episode of Race & Health, we discuss mental health and solastalgia with Land Body Ecologies (LBE), a research group that explores this concept with the Ogiek (Kenya), tribal communities in the buffer zone around the Bannerghatta National Park (India), northern Finnish border region communities including the Sámi, and the Batwa (Uganda). We hone into the colonial habits of intended solutions to climate change, such as conservation projects, and how resulting forced displacement has produced more harm for traditional and land dependent communities.

Babitha George is an LBE partner at Quicksand, and is one of the co-founders of the UnBox Festival, leading on networks and collaborations bringing together efforts around social change, art and culture, thoughtful design and open research. IG: @BabeGeorge , @QuickSandStudio | Twitter: @UnwindingBlues , @HelloQS

Daniel Kobei  is the founder and Executive Director of Ogiek Peoples’ Development Program (OPDP), an NGO in Kenya that promotes the human and land rights of the indigenous Ogiek and a core team member of the Land Body Ecologies project. Twitter: @kobskobei , @OgiekPeoples | IG: @ogiekpeoplesdevprogram

Samrawit Gougsa is Head of Communications at Minority Rights Group International, an NGO working to safeguard the rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples worldwide. She is interested in the social determinants of health among marginalised communities, and the intersection between land rights and mental health. Website: https://minorityrights.org/ | IG: @MinorityRightsGroup | Twitter: @SamGougsa , @MinorityRights

Land Body Ecologies: IG: @LandBodyEcologies | Twitter: @LBecologies