For the July edition of the teap webinar we hosted Professor Youngabi Anchang, A professor of Public Health, Infectology, and Phytobiotechnology to share with us his experience and work on the intersection between Climate Change, Mental health, and Climate mitigation. The session was moderated by our project lead Ms. Jennifer Uchendu.

From the perspective of public health, Prof. Anchang examined the relationship between mental health and climate change. He discussed the causes of climate change and its possible direct or indirect impacts, classifying mental health problems as one of the latter. This also includes health effects and illnesses caused by contaminated water and food. He also discussed how the low socio-economic variables and infrastructure on the African continent make it more susceptible to climate change. As a result of climate change, people are more susceptible to a variety of chronic illnesses, which is another cause of poor mental health.

He elaborated on further ways in which the mental and emotional discomfort brought on by climate change might manifest itself, including eco-anxiety, eco-grief, eco-stress, eco-sadness, and eco-sadness. He used a case study from the Ibanikom Climate Mental Health Literacy Evolution and Intervention Project, a community intervention in western Cameroon. The goal of the intervention is to promote community climate resilience by utilizing homegrown climate change adaptation strategies developed by local residents. He explained that motivating people to make use of their influence and resources produced a sense of accomplishment, significantly lowering the respondents’ feelings of helplessness and anxiety whenever they encountered a crisis.  According to the observations, the intervention was quite effective in lowering the community’s residents’ level of environmental anxiety.

In conclusion, the intervention was based on the ideologies of the Kom people and employed the strategy of establishing a safe space for community members to voice their concerns, fostering personal growth, and advocating for policy changes with the government. A decentralized and localized intervention method and solution, as recommended by Prof. Anchang, is a surefire way to build a more resilient society.