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CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Understanding ecological grief as a response to climate change-induced loss in Ghana
Climate and Development
2024
Abstract
The perceived effects of climate change on the environment are becoming a lived experience for many rural dwellers in poor countries. Several new concepts have emerged to describe the long-term mental health consequences of climate-induced effects, with ecological grief as a prime example. Yet empirical research showing how climate-related ecological loss drives grief and emotional distress among communities is limited, particularly within the context of sub-Saharan Africa. This study draws on in-depth interviews and a focus group with smallholder farmers in the Upper West region, Ghana’s most climate-vulnerable region, to develop an understanding of climate change-induced ecological grief. A key finding of the study is that smallholder farmers in the region are experiencing grief because of climate change-induced ecological loss including loss of livelihoods, loss of indigenous seeds and genetic resources, and loss of indigenous ecological knowledge. We further demonstrate that grief experienced by farmers manifests in various forms including feelings of anxiety, powerlessness, helplessness, hopelessness, and sadness, among others. Our findings have implications for climate change adaptation strategies and policies across the global South.
Details
- Title
- Understanding ecological grief as a response to climate change-induced loss in Ghana
- Authors/Creators
- James Boafo - Murdoch University, School of Humanities, Arts and Social SciencesThomas Yeboah
- Publication Details
- Climate and Development
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
- Number of pages
- 11
- Identifiers
- 991005703762607891
- Copyright
- © 2024 The Author(s).
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Indo-Pacific Research Centre; School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Citation topics
- 6 Social Sciences
- 6.153 Climate Change
- 6.153.558 Climate Change Adaptation
- Web Of Science research areas
- Development Studies
- Environmental Studies
- ESI research areas
- Social Sciences, general