Climate-anxious youth from poorer countries “unheard” due to digital disconnection

People and cattle in southern Madagascar seek shelter under a tree from extreme heat

Young people from the lower-income countries most vulnerable to the effects of the climate crisis, including the toll it takes on their mental health, are being “overlooked” because their lack of internet access prevents them from taking part in research and accessing online support, a new study has found. 

The study, published in the BMJ Mental Health, builds on a paper published last year highlighting high rates of climate-related anxiety and depression among young people in Southern Madagascar. The researchers found adolescents were struggling with uncertainty about the future, the loss of household resources and disruption to their coping mechanisms. 

“It breaks your heart because you realise the climate is changing” 

One young person from the Bongolava region told the researchers: "If there’s extreme heat… people get worried because their yearly harvest determines their future. And if that’s compromised, your future is too, because you haven’t produced enough, and that leads to a lack of means to prepare for the next year. It breaks your heart because you realise the climate is changing." 

Now, the new paper shows that the voices of these young people risk not being heard. The researchers found that the communities most harmed by climate change are the least able to participate in the online research designed to study that harm, because they tend to lack reliable electricity supplies and internet connectivity. 

The most climate-vulnerable have least internet access 

Isabelle Mareschal, Professor in Visual Cognition at Queen Mary University of London, who worked on the paper, said:  

“Since the Covid-19 pandemic, so much has moved online. That includes a great deal of mental health research and support.  

“Analysing publicly available data on climate vulnerability and internet access, we show that the most climate-vulnerable populations also have the least access to the internet. Not only does that make it more difficult for them to access mental health support online, but it also means they may be excluded from the very research that seeks to understand their situation. This means that the evidence base used to develop policy or interventions may not be adequately developed for the people who need the most help.” 

Dr Nambinina Rasolomalala from the Catholic University of Madagascar added: 

“Climate and mental health is just one, particularly timely, example of this problem. Whilst online testing has undoubtedly been advantageous in extending the range of groups and populations taking part in research, this trend has an equity cost as well, skewing the evidence towards richer, better-connected populations.”