ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Britt Wray - Science storyteller, author, broadcaster
Britt Wray's work is about life and what we make of it: past, present and future.

Why you should listen

Author of the book Rise of the Necrofauna, cohost of the BBC podcast Tomorrow's World and guest host on Canada's legendary national science TV show The Nature of Things, Britt Wray shows audiences what's happening at the forefront of science, technology, ethics and environment, probing how it affects us. The New Yorker named her first book Rise of the Necrofauna: The Science, Ethics, and Risks of De-Extinction one of the "books we loved" in 2017 and the Sunday Times called it a "must-read." By making science accessible and illuminating its possible consequences, Wray's writing, broadcasting and talks help us understand how the world is changing, creating a rich space for conversation about how each of us can respond to those changes.

Wray has been a summer host on CBC Radio 1's flagship science show Quirks and Quarks, and produced several radio documentaries for outlets such as BBC Radio 4, CBC IDEAS, WNYC's Studio 360 and Love and Radio. She created the interactive audio diary platform for frank speech about science called Aurator (aurator.org) which won the 2018 Society for the Social Studies of Science Award. Wray has a PhD in science communication with a focus on synthetic biology from the University of Copenhagen and holds a BSc (Hon) in biology from Queen's University and an interdisciplinary master's in art, media and design from OCAD University. She has also been a visiting scholar at the NYU Arthur L. Carter Institute for Journalism and was a 2019 TED Resident. Wray is currently writing a book about intimate dilemmas in the climate crisis.

More profile about the speaker
Britt Wray | Speaker | TED.com
TED Residency

Britt Wray: How climate change affects your mental health

Britt Wray: Como afecta o cambio climático á túa saúde mental

Filmed:
1,885,604 views

"Con todo o que se leva dito sobre o cambio climático, aínda non oímos abondo sobre os impactos psicolóxicos de vivir nun mundo que está a quecer", afirma a divulgadora científica Britt Wray. Nesta rápida charla, explora como o cambio climático está a ameazar o noso benestar - mental, social e espiritual - e ofrece un punto de partida sobre o que podemos facer ao respecto.
- Science storyteller, author, broadcaster
Britt Wray's work is about life and what we make of it: past, present and future. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
For all that's ever been said
about climate change,
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Con todo o que se leva dito
sobre o cambio climático,
00:16
we haven't heard nearly enough
about the psychological impacts
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aínda non oímos o suficiente
sobre os impactos psicolóxicos
00:20
of living in a warming world.
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de vivir nun mundo
que está a quecer.
00:22
If you've heard the grim climate research
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Se oíron a sombría
investigación climática
00:24
that science communicators like me
weave into our books and documentaries,
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que os divulgadores coma min
tecemos nos nosos libros e documentais,
probablemente xa sentiron momentos
de medo, fatalismo ou desesperanza.
00:28
you've probably felt bouts of fear,
fatalism or hopelessness.
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00:32
If you've been impacted
by climate disaster,
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Se lles afectou o desastre climático,
00:34
these feelings can set in much deeper,
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estes sentimentos
poden profundar moito máis,
00:36
leading to shock, trauma,
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e provocar un shock, trauma,
00:39
strained relationships, substance abuse
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tensión nas relacións,
abuso de sustancias
00:41
and the loss of personal
identity and control.
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e a perda de identidade persoal e control.
00:44
Vital political and technological work
is underway to moderate our climate chaos,
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O traballo político e tecnolóxico vital
está en marcha para moderar este caos,
00:48
but I'm here to evoke a feeling in you
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pero estou aquí para espertar
un sentimento en vostedes
00:51
for why we also need
our actions and policies
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polo que tamén precisamos
que as nosas accións e políticas
00:54
to reflect an understanding
of how our changing environments
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reflictan unha comprensión
de como os nosos ambientes cambiantes
00:57
threaten our mental,
social and spiritual well-being.
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ameazan o noso benestar mental,
social e espiritual.
01:00
The anxiety, grief and depression
of climate scientists and activists
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A ansiedade, a dor e a depresión
de científicos e activistas do clima
01:04
have been reported on for years.
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é pública dende hai anos.
01:06
Trends we've seen
after extreme weather events
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O que vimos tras acontecementos
meteorolóxicos extremos
01:08
like hurricane Sandy or Katrina
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como o furacán Sandy ou Katrina
01:10
for increased PTSD and suicidality.
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foi o aumento do TEPT e os suicidios.
01:13
And there are rich mental-health data
from northern communities
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E hai moitos datos de saúde mental
das comunidades do norte
01:16
where warming is the fastest,
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onde o quecemento é máis rápido,
01:18
like the Inuit in Labrador,
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como os inuit de Labrador,
01:20
who face existential distress
as they witness the ice,
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que afrontan angustias existenciais
mentres ven que o xeo,
01:23
a big part of their identity,
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unha gran parte da súa identidade,
01:24
vanishing before their eyes.
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se esvaece ante os seus ollos.
01:27
Now if that weren't enough,
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E por se iso non fose suficiente,
01:28
the American Psychological Association
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a Asociación Psicolóxica Americana
01:30
says that our psychological
responses to climate change,
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di que as nosas respostas psicolóxicas
ao cambio climático,
01:33
like conflict avoidance, helplessness
and resignation, are growing.
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como evitar conflitos, o desamparo
e a resignación, están a medrar.
01:38
This means that our conscious
and unconscious mental processes
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Isto significa que os nosos procesos
mentais conscientes e inconscientes
01:41
are holding us back
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estannos impedindo
01:42
from identifying the causes
of the problem for what they are,
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identificar as causas do problema,
01:45
working on solutions and fostering
our own psychological resilience,
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e traballar en solucións fomentando
a nosa resiliencia psicolóxica,
pero necesitamos todas esas cousas
para asumir o que creamos.
01:48
but we need all those things
to take on what we've created.
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01:52
Lately, I've been studying a phenomenon
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Ultimamente estudei un fenómeno
01:54
that's just one example
of the emotional hardships
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que é só un exemplo
das dificultades emocionais
01:57
that we're seeing.
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que estamos a ver.
01:58
And it comes in the form of a question
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E vén en forma de pregunta
02:00
that a significant amount of people
in my generation are struggling to answer.
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que unha gran cantidade de xente
da miña xeración están tentando responder.
02:04
That being:
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E é:
02:06
Should I have a child
in the age of climate change?
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Debería ter un fillo
na era do cambio climático?
02:09
After all, any child born today
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Ao fin, calquera neno nado hoxe
terá que vivir nun mundo onde furacáns,
inundacións, incendios forestais -
02:11
will have to live in a world
where hurricanes, flooding, wildfires --
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02:14
what we used to call natural disasters --
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o que chamabamos desastres naturais -
02:16
have become commonplace.
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fixéronse comúns.
02:18
The hottest 20 years on record
occurred within the last 22.
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Os 20 anos máis quentes rexistrados
ocorreron nos últimos 22.
02:23
The UN expects that two-thirds
of the global population
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E a ONU prevé que dous terzos
da poboación global
02:25
may face water shortages
only six years from now.
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terá escaseza de auga
dentro de tan só seis anos.
02:29
The World Bank predicts that by 2050,
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O Banco Mundial prevé que para o 2050,
02:31
there's going to be
140 million climate refugees
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vai haber 140 millóns
de refuxiados climáticos
02:34
in sub-Saharan Africa,
Latin America and South Asia.
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na África subsahariana
América Latina e Sureste Asiático.
02:37
And other estimates put that number
at over one billion.
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E outras estimacións soben
a máis de mil millóns.
02:41
Mass migrations and resource scarcity
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As migracións masivas
e a escaseza de recursos
02:43
increase the risk for violence,
war and political instability.
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aumentan o risco de violencia,
guerra e inestabilidade política.
02:48
The UN just reported that we are pushing
up to a million species to extinction,
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A ONU acaba de informar que
se extinguirán ata un millón de especies,
02:52
many within decades,
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moitas tan só nunhas décadas,
02:54
and our emissions are still increasing,
even after the Paris Agreement.
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e as nosas emisións seguen aumentando,
incluso despois do Acordo de París.
02:59
Over the last year and a half,
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Durante o último ano e medio,
03:00
I've been conducting
workshops and interviews
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dirixín obradoiros e entrevistas
03:03
with hundreds of people
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con centos de persoas
03:04
about parenting in the climate crisis.
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sobre como educar aos fillos
na crise climática.
03:06
And I can tell you
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E podo dicirlles
03:07
that people who are worried about
having kids because of climate change
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que esa xente á que lle preocupa
ter fillos por mor do cambio climático
03:11
are not motivated by an ascetic pride.
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non están motivados
por un orgullo ascético.
03:13
They're nerve-racked.
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Están angustiados.
03:14
There's even a movement
called BirthStrike,
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Incluso hai un movemento
chamado BirthStrike,
03:16
whose members have declared
they're not going to have kids
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cuxos membros declararon
que non van ter fillos
03:19
because of the state
of the ecological crisis
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por mor do estado da crise ecolóxica,
03:21
and inaction from governments
to address this existential threat.
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e a inacción dos gobernos
para abordar esta ameaza existencial.
03:24
And yes, other generations have also
faced their own apocalyptic dangers,
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E outras xeracións tamén se enfrontaron
aos seus propios perigos apocalípticos,
03:28
but that is no reason to disregard
the very real threat to our survival now.
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pero iso non é motivo para ignorarmos
a ameaza real para a supervivencia.
03:32
Some feel that it's better
to adopt children.
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Algúns cren que é mellor adoptar fillos.
03:35
Or that it's unethical
to have more than one,
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Ou que é pouco ético ter máis de un,
03:37
especially three, four or more,
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especialmente tres, catro ou máis,
03:39
because kids increase
greenhouse gas emissions.
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porque os nenos aumentan as emisións
de gases de efecto invernadoiro.
03:42
Now, it is a really unfortunate
state of affairs
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É algo lamentable
cando a xente que quere nenos
sacrifica o seu dereito a telos
03:45
when people who want kids
sacrifice their right to
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03:48
because, somehow, they have been told
that their lifestyle choices are to blame
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porque, dalgún xeito, lles dixeron
que o seu estilo de vida é o culpable,
cando a falla é moito máis sistémica,
03:52
when the fault is far more systemic,
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03:54
but let's just unpack the logic here.
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pero estudemos esa lóxica.
03:57
So an oft-cited study
shows that, on average,
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Un citado estudo amosa que, de media,
03:59
having one less child
in an industrialized nation
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ter un fillo menos
nunha nación industrializada
04:02
can save about 59 tons
of carbon dioxide per year.
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pode aforrar unhas 59 toneladas
de dióxido de carbono ao ano.
04:06
While in comparison,
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En comparación,
04:08
living car-free saves nearly 2.5 tons,
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vivir sen coches
aforra case 2,5 toneladas,
04:11
avoiding a transatlantic flight --
and this is just one --
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evitar un voo transatlántico,
e este é só un,
04:14
saves about 1.5 tons,
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aforra aproximadamente 1,5 toneladas,
04:16
and eating a plant-based diet
can save almost one ton per year.
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e facer unha dieta baseada en prantas
pode aforrar case unha tonelada ao ano.
04:20
And consider that a Bangladeshi child
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E consideren que un neno de Bangladesh
04:23
only adds 56 metric tons of carbon
to their parents' carbon legacy
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só engade 56 toneladas métricas de carbono
ao legado de carbón dos seus pais
04:27
over their lifetime,
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ao longo da súa vida,
04:28
while an American child, in comparison,
adds 9,441 to theirs.
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mentres que un neno estadounidense,
en comparación, suma 9 441 aos seus.
04:34
So this is why some people argue
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Por iso é polo que algúns discuten
04:35
that it's parents from nations
with huge carbon footprints
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que son os pais de nacións
con enormes pegadas de carbono
04:38
who should think the hardest
about how many kids they have.
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os que deberían pensar máis
sobre cantos nenos teñen.
04:41
But the decision to have a child
and one's feelings about the future
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Pero a decisión de ter un fillo
e os sentimentos do propio futuro
04:45
are deeply personal,
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son profundamente persoais,
04:46
and wrapped up
in all sorts of cultural norms,
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e están envoltos
en todo tipo de normas culturais,
04:48
religious beliefs, socioeconomic status,
education levels and more.
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crenzas relixiosas, nivel socioeconómico,
nivel de estudos e moito máis.
04:53
And so to some, this debate
about kids in the climate crisis
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E así para algúns, este debate
sobre nenos na crise climática
04:56
can seem like it came from another planet.
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pode parecer cousa doutro planeta.
04:58
Many have more immediate threats
to their survival to think about,
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Moitos teñen ameazas máis inmediatas
para a supervivencia nas que pensar,
05:01
like, how they're going to put
food on the table,
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como como poñer comida na mesa,
05:04
when they're a single mom
working three jobs,
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cando es unha nai solteira
con tres empregos,
05:06
or they're HIV positive
or on the move in a migrant caravan.
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ou es seropositivo,
ou vas nunha caravana de migrantes.
05:09
Tragically, though, climate change
is really great at intersectionality.
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Traxicamente, o cambio climático
é moi grande na interseccionalidade.
05:13
It multiplies the stresses
marginalized communities already face.
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Multiplica as tensións que xa afrontan
as comunidades marxinadas.
05:18
A political scientist once said to me
that a leading indicator
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Un politólogo díxome unha vez
que un indicador importante
05:21
that climate change is starting
to hit home, psychologically,
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de que o cambio climático
está a chegarnos, psicoloxicamente,
05:24
would be an increase
in the rate of informed women
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sería un aumento
na taxa de mulleres informadas
05:26
deciding to not have children.
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que decidirían non ter fillos.
05:29
Interesting.
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Interesante.
05:31
Is it hitting home with you,
psychologically?
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Estalles afectando, psicolóxicamente?
05:34
Are you perhaps someone
with climate-linked pre-traumatic stress?
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Quizais teñen estrés pretraumático
ligado ao clima?
05:38
A climate psychiatrist coined that term,
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Un psiquiatra climático acuñou ese termo,
05:40
and that's a profession now, by the way,
shrinks for climate woes.
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e por certo, esa é unha profesión agora,
psiquiatra de aflicións climáticas.
05:44
They're getting work at a time
when some high schoolers
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E traballan con algúns
estudantes de secundaria
05:46
don't want to apply
to university any longer,
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que xa non queren ir á universidade,
porque non poden prever
un futuro para si mesmos.
05:48
because they can't foresee
a future for themselves.
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05:51
And this brings me back to my main point.
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E isto faime retornar
ao meu punto principal.
05:54
The growing concern about having kids
in the climate crisis
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A crecente preocupación
por ter fillos na crise climática
é un indicador urxente
de como se está a sentir a xente.
05:57
is an urgent indicator
of how hard-pressed people are feeling.
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06:03
Right now, students around the world
are screaming for change
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Agora mesmo, estudantes de todo o mundo
están a pedir un cambio a gritos
06:06
in the piercing voice of despair.
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coa penetrante voz da desesperación.
06:09
And the fact that we can see
how we contribute to this problem
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E o feito de que poidamos ver
como contribuímos ao problema
06:12
that makes us feel unsafe
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que nos fai sentir inseguros
06:14
is crazy-making in itself.
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é unha tolemia en si mesma.
06:16
Climate change is all-encompassing
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O cambio climático é totalmente global
06:18
and so are the ways
that it messes with our minds.
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e tamén o é a forma
coa que nos tolea a mente.
06:22
Many activists will tell you
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Moitos activistas lles dirán
06:24
that the best antidote
to grief is activism.
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que o mellor antídoto para a pena
é o activismo.
06:26
And some psychologists will tell you
the answer can be found in therapy.
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E algúns psicólogos lles dirán
que poden atopar a resposta na terapia.
06:30
Others believe the key is to imagine
you're on your deathbed,
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Outros cren que a clave é imaxinar
que están no seu leito de morte,
06:33
reflecting back on what's mattered
the most in your life,
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reflexionando sobre o que lles importou
máis na vida,
06:35
so you can identify
what you should do more of now,
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para poder identificar
o que deberían facer agora,
co tempo que lles queda.
06:38
with the time that you have left.
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Precisamos todas estas ideas
e moitas máis,
06:40
We need all these ideas, and more,
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06:41
to take care of our innermost selves
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para coidar o noso interior
06:43
as the environments we've known
become more punishing towards us.
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mentres os ambientes que coñecemos
nos castigan máis.
06:47
And whether you have children or not,
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E teñan fillos ou non,
06:49
we need to be honest
about what is happening,
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necesitamos ser sinceros
sobre o que está a suceder,
06:52
and what we owe one another.
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e sobre o que nos debemos
os uns aos outros.
06:55
We cannot afford to treat
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Non nos podemos permitir
tratar os impactos psicolóxicos
do cambio climático
06:56
the psychological impacts
of climate change
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06:58
as some afterthought,
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no derradeiro momento,
07:00
because the other issues, of science,
technology and the politics and economy,
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porque as outras cuestións, de ciencia,
tecnoloxía e política e economía,
07:04
feel hard, while this somehow feels soft.
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semellen máis importantes que isto.
07:08
Mental health needs to be an integral part
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A saúde mental debe ser parte integrante
07:11
of any climate change survival strategy,
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de calquera estratexia de supervivencia
ante o cambio climático,
07:13
requiring funding,
and ethics of equity and care,
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que require financiamento,
ética de equidade e coidado,
07:16
and widespread awareness.
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e unha conciencia xeralizada.
07:18
Because even if you're the most
emotionally avoidant person on the planet,
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Porque aínda que fosen as persoas
máis desapegadas do planeta,
07:22
there's no rug in the world
that's big enough to sweep this up under.
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non hai alfombra no mundo
tan grande como para ocultar isto.
07:25
Thank you.
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Grazas
07:26
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
Translated by Penny Martínez
Reviewed by Mario Cal

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Britt Wray - Science storyteller, author, broadcaster
Britt Wray's work is about life and what we make of it: past, present and future.

Why you should listen

Author of the book Rise of the Necrofauna, cohost of the BBC podcast Tomorrow's World and guest host on Canada's legendary national science TV show The Nature of Things, Britt Wray shows audiences what's happening at the forefront of science, technology, ethics and environment, probing how it affects us. The New Yorker named her first book Rise of the Necrofauna: The Science, Ethics, and Risks of De-Extinction one of the "books we loved" in 2017 and the Sunday Times called it a "must-read." By making science accessible and illuminating its possible consequences, Wray's writing, broadcasting and talks help us understand how the world is changing, creating a rich space for conversation about how each of us can respond to those changes.

Wray has been a summer host on CBC Radio 1's flagship science show Quirks and Quarks, and produced several radio documentaries for outlets such as BBC Radio 4, CBC IDEAS, WNYC's Studio 360 and Love and Radio. She created the interactive audio diary platform for frank speech about science called Aurator (aurator.org) which won the 2018 Society for the Social Studies of Science Award. Wray has a PhD in science communication with a focus on synthetic biology from the University of Copenhagen and holds a BSc (Hon) in biology from Queen's University and an interdisciplinary master's in art, media and design from OCAD University. She has also been a visiting scholar at the NYU Arthur L. Carter Institute for Journalism and was a 2019 TED Resident. Wray is currently writing a book about intimate dilemmas in the climate crisis.

More profile about the speaker
Britt Wray | Speaker | TED.com