JULY CAPSTONE

Climate Change and Mental Health its impact in Education

Multi- Disciplinary Approaches.

DEFINE WAYS IN WHICH CROSS DISCIPLINARY / INTER DISCIPLINARY EFFORTS AND CROSS INDUSTRY
(PRIVATE - PUBLIC PARTNERSHIPS) MIGHT BE USEFUL IN ACHIEVING YOUR SOLUTION.

The idea of interdisciplinary research producing new creative solutions is pervasive and interdisciplinary
research has recently been put forward as a potential recipe for solving grand societal challenges such as
climate change ( Lyall & Fletcher 2013). Climate change is considered an interdisciplinary field of
research ( Hadorn et al 2008). It's development is viewed as being dependent on the knowledge and
skills of people from a variety of different disciplinary backgrounds. Researchers working on climate
change are increasingly organizing themselves into interdisciplinary centres and network, while research
funding organizations are calling more and better collaboration between scientist and social scientists.
This paper reviews some of the literature on the field of climate change in an attempt to understand the
current involvement of different disciplines and the view points of climate change researchers on
interdisciplinarity. Finally, we discuss how the concepts of interdisciplinary collaboration might be used
in further studies of research collaboration within the field of climate change.

In order to understand the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in climate change research it is

important to understand how climate change research has developed in recent years.

There are some biometric studies on the involvement of different disciplines in climate research
(Bjurston et al 2011a and 2011b) as well as narrative studies on the development of the relatively young
field of climate research ( Weart 2012, Monney et al). Some of the challenges are investigated , such as
communication and translation, research funding and evaluation, while other studies are more
normative , suggesting how interdisciplinary research should be organized and managed ( Lyall 2013).
Some of the main themes and arguments will be presented here. The following analysis identifies three
challenges to climate change where interdisciplinary collaboration might be relevant. These are
between the various scientific disciplines involved in climate research, between physical scientists and
social scientists and lastly between scientist and non scientist.

Weart (2012) has carried out a detailed study of how the field developed from isolated areas of
expertise such as meteorology, oceanography geography, hydrology, geology, glaciology and plant
ecology. Meteorologist recognized the need for interdisciplinary work and began to recruit students
from physical sciences such as physics , chemistry, and mathematics. Climate models were developed ,
but the climatologist continued working with practical observations and were often removed from the
academic developments . In the 60's and 70's more predictions were needed for example for civil
engineering project building dams and oil platforms, needed to know how a 50 year flood might be or a
100 year wave. More analytical methods were needed. The "old descriptive climatology" which was
mainly concerned with statistics and verbal interpretation of the weather began to evolve into " a new
mathematical or dynamic climatology with predictive capability based on physical mathematical
processes rather than extrapolation of statiscal measures"( Weart 2012 : 3661). A new research
community was emerging, a community which accepted that there was not "one" way of explaining
climate change, but many and most of them were interlinked. However, the biggest challenge to this
new community was that they needed huge and complex models with data from a range of different
sources and they needed to communicate with different groups in new ways . It is in the 1980's that we
begin to see a more conscious effort to create interdisciplinary research programs ; an international
geosphere - biosphere program was initiated , coordinating researchers from many different disciplines.
This program introduced a new approach of viewing the climate system of the whole planet including
everything form minerals to microbes. Another reason for increased collaboration in the 1980's came
about when the world's governments demanded a formal advisory procedure and the
intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was created. Bammer , G . ( 2010) Integration and
implementation sciences ; Building a new specialisation in Bhasker , R , Frank , C , Hoyer, K.G, Naess , P &
Parker , J( Eds ) Interdisciplinary and climate change (pp 95-107) Routledge ; Abingdon Oxon.

Interdisciplinary mental health research brings together expertise from multiple academic background
to better understand mental health. Mental Health research is inherently interdisciplinary. There is the
urgent need for efficacious interventions to combat the global mental health crisis and mental health
promotion and primary prevention approaches are paramount. The aim of this study is to examine
whether an online interdisciplinary intervention that incorporates evidence - based strategies from the
disciplines of Lifestyle Medicine and Positive Psychology improves measures of mental health and
emotional wellness.

Mental Health disorders have reached epidemic proportions world wide. In the United States (U. S) , the
burgeoning costs of mental disorders constituent the most costly medical condition

amounting to 201 billion U. S dollars annually, which surpasses heart conditions (147 billion U. S dollars)
trauma ( 143 billion dollars) and cancer ( 122 billion U.S dollars). The paradigm for the front line
treatment of affective disorders centres on pharmacological interventions. Anti depressant usage has
doubled over the past decade in the United Kingdom is now ranked in the top three most commonly
used therapeutic drug classes in the U. S and is the most commonly used psychotropic medication in
Australia.. Despite this increase, the incidence of depression continues to escalate. This has led to
repeated calls to address mental health on a population level using a more integrative approach that
includes non pharmacological startegies such as lifestyle interventions, mental health promotion,
education programs and Psychological therapies . Greater focus on mental health promotion &
prevention initiatives are needed to enhance the mental health on a population level to serve as a
protective buffer against mental illness and reduce the burden of mental health disorders.
Over the past few decades numerous evidence based strategies for improving mental health and
emotional wellness have emerged in the literature underpinning the disciplines of" Lifestyle Medicine
and Positive Psychology ". Lifestyle Medicine has historically focused on the prevention , management
and reversal of chronic diseases through the promotion of exercise a healthy diet and sleep, however,
there is growing evidence that these lifestyle practices also have positive benefits on mental health. For
example, considerable literature is showing that dietary interventions can be used as an effective
treatment strategy for depression.The online interdisciplinary intervention improved measures of
mental health and emotional wellness suggesting that such interventions maybe useful for mental
health promotion and prevention.

World Health Organizations Depression and other common mental disorders: Global health estimates .
2017 . http://www. Who.int/mental health/management/ depression/prevalence global health
estimates/en/. Accessed 27 June 2020.

Public Engagement is a critical aspect of the response to climate change. Achievement of the required
rapid social change with the consent and participation of the population demands effective
communication and the active engagement of the public. Rask, M, & Worthington, R(2017).
Communicating about Biodiversity, Public Engagement and Climate change. In Climate Science (Oxford
Research Encyclopedia. Oxford University Press.

The viability of the Public sector depends on taking climate change into account as a strategic risk . The
challenge is that public sector organizations will need to reduce their emissions and prepare for
consequences of climate change. _Tackling the impacts of climate change is not just an_ environmental
issue. It is about the long term security and resilience of communities across Wales.

Central and Local government are now realizing that there are opportunities to cut carbon emissions
while promoting local industry and creating jobs.

The public sector is already vulnerable to extreme weather events and is likely to be impacted more
frequently as the climate changes. Climate Change will affect all public sector organizations; the scale of
effects will depend on the factors such as each organizations activities and location. A review of weather
over the last ten years shows that public sector organizations are already exposed to impacts of extreme
weather events. As part of the changing climate, changing places adaptation project , Flintshire county
council developed a Local Climate Impact Profile ( LCLIP). The LCLIP identified 84 cases of extreme
weather related incident 15 of which involved significant impacts on Flintshire county council operations
( eg leisure, highways, environmental health, social services) between January 2023 and June 2008.
These incidents were associated with 62 severe weather events, the events which were reported as
having major impacts on council service delivery involved heavy rain with flooding, storms and high
winds . The overall recorded costs to Building maintenance, Highways and Drainage from weather
events was £ 9,680,427.20. However, as data was incomplete, this figure does not represent the full
cost. Carbon Trust Wales Public sector Advice and services.

At it's core , public participation is one of the key resources in implementing the vision of Article 6 of the
convention . It can transform society by giving people a voice and showing how their individual action
can make a difference. The partnership between governmental, non governmental and private
organizations can address the critical climate change issues faced by the world by pooling their
resources, conducting efficient projects, increasing awareness and engaging more people in sustainable
development.

Furthermore, cross sector partnership can build trust and legitimacy among the stake holders and the
public by demonstrating commitment and accountability as well as foster innovation and learning by
experimenting with new approaches and models.

Public awareness initiatives seek to enhance general understanding, impact attitudes and help people
make climate friendly choices. Popular media, such as television, radio and print , together with social
media are among the most important means of communication and outreach. This entails spreading
information about the causes and effects of climate change and creative solutions that are urgently
needed.

While Public awareness strategies are grounded on efforts to share information as widely as possible ,
they also enable diverse voices to contribute to global and local discussions.

Public awareness is a core element of Article 6 of convention because it has the power to create critical
mass engagement for one of the greatest challenges that we face.

Public participation recognizes that everyone has something important to say and gives everyone a voice
. Almost half a century ago , scientist and technical experts dominated national and global discussions on
environmental change. Today , the role of people, particularly a progressive private sector and civil
society, contributes to a diversity of voices that are fresh , vocal and innovative.

Public participation is about long term collaboration among different groups as much as it is about the
quality of how and the extent to which citizens partner with local and national governments to craft
policies. At it's core, public is one of the key resources in implementing the vision of Article 6 of the
convention. It can transform society by giving people a voice and showing how their individual action
can make a difference. Closely related to building public awareness are many actions that ensure climate
information remains transparent and accessible. Public access to information is not just about the
dissemination of knowledge. It brings into question wider community - based structures and societal
forces that shape how knowledge travels within multiple sectors and across local , national, regional and
international communities.

IDENTIFY OTHER PROFESSIONALS EXPERTS, COUNTRIES OR COMMUNITIES BESIDES

PSYCHOLOGY YOU SHOULD BE WORKING WITH TO MAKE YOUR SOLUTION A REALITY.

The science of climate change involves the complex intersection of disciplines from meteorology and
atmospheric chemistry, to oceanography, geochemistry and ecology. Coping with climate change
include anthropologist, historians, archeologist, Hittitologist and Assyriologist.
Collaboration is essential when addressing transversal questions such as how climate change affected
human groups at specific places and times in history because the data is simply so diverse and it would
be impossible for any one person to successfully analyze all that information. What is so different about
this particular collaboration is that it does not involve our colleagues from the Natural sciences. This is
not because we are choosing to ignore their findings but rather because we deliberately chose to focus
on human- environmental relations an aspect of the discussion usually left in the shadows, scholars
focusing on ancient societies are in a unique position to influence modern discourse and policy by
addressing timely questions like how we consider human environment relationship in the past, how we
define modernity's environmental history against antiquity and how we envision humanity's agency in
contrast to environmental forces. This collaboration have three main goals with climate change.The first
is to present a more nuanced understanding of historical processes than what can be achieved when
focusing on only large scale studies or cases of supposed abrupt change, as have been the prevailing
approaches until now.

Second, we hope that by fostering collaboration, not only between institutions, but between students
and faculty, we can encourage a new generation of scholars that will value collaboration and seek to
find new ways to develop interdisciplinary projects.

Finally, we hope that through the combination of the seminars, the conference and poster exhibits as
well as the public information that will be made available, we can stimulate debates on the interactions
between societies and their environments in contexts of climate change, both ancient and modern.
Climate change is one of the most complicated and challenging problems the world has ever faced. It is a
global problem and one that requires global action to manage the impacts and minimize the risks. Here
at Harvard we are fortunate enough to have faculty members with expertise across many disciplines,
who contribute through their teaching, their research and their leadership to a broad effort to help lead
the world toward solutions.

Harvard climate scientists bring together their many different perspectives using insights from all
aspects of the earth system, past and present, to better understand how the climate system is changing
now and into the future.

Climate change is affecting all life on earth from polar to tropical ecosystems as well as human
population across the planet.

Harvard scientist are working to understand the impacts of climate change, allowing us to anticipate
damages and make decisions that will help us more effectively prepare for the challenges that lie ahead.

As the risks of climate change become more apparent, perspectives from across the University are
required to provide leadership on how we can manage the impacts and limit the risks . Harvard faculty
from economics, public policy, business, law, architecture, the arts and humanities, as well as many
other disciplines all provide critical insights for how to proceed with tackling one of the greatest
challenges of our time. Division of the Humanities. The University of Chicago. 1115 East 58th street.Main
office Dean of students.
Collaboration between schools and other public organization has been consistently associated with
improved student level outcomes (Splett et al 2017) specifically, Bates et al (2019) demonstrated that
collaboration between educators, school - employed mental health staff and community based mental
health professionals improved absenteeism, office disciplinary referrals, academic achievement and
behavioral health outcomes. Studies have also suggested that collaboration helps increase access to
interventions and supports students and families leading to improved knowledge of community
resources and decrease burnout among school professionals (Anderson - Butcher & Ashton , 2004;
Mellin & Weist 2011).

Recent studies have also identified facilitators and barriers of cross sector collaboration between
schools and community organizations. Successful collaborative relationships rely on a strong foundation
of knowledge, clear communication, interpersonal professional relationships and skills.

References.
Burgess et al, 2016, Mellin et al 2010, Lyall &Fletcher 2013, Hadorn et al 2008, Bjurston et al 2011a and
2011b, Weart 2012, Monney et al.Lyall 2013. Weart 2012.

Bammer , G, (2010) Integration and implementation sciences; Building a new specialisation in Bhasker ,
R, Frank, C, Hoyer, K.G, Naess, P & Parker J,(Eds) Interdisciplinary and climate change (pp 95-107)
Routledge : Abingdon - Oxon. Klein, T.J.(1990) Interdisciplinarity, History, Theory & Practice.Detroit.
Wayne State University.Division of HumanitiesDefra

Adapting to climate change: Helping key sectors to Adapt to climate change (2011).

Splett et al 2017. Bates et al 2019, (Anderson - Butcher & Ashton, 2004 ; Mellin & Weist 2011.)

Burgess et al, 2016 , Mellin et al 2010. Rask, M, & Worthington, R (2017). Communicating about
Biodiversity, Public Engagement and Climate change. In Climate Science (Oxford Research Encyclopedia)