Showing posts with label climate change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label climate change. Show all posts
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Hope for the Sahel: The Great Green Wall
Ten thousand years ago, following the last ice age, North Africa was a well-populated land of savannah, woodlands, and wetlands. Then, over the next few millennia, the climate dried across a belt of latitudes circling the globe from Africa through the Middle East to East Asia and even to the Americas. This drying created most of the great deserts of the world that we know today, including the Sahara, Negev, Arabian, Thar and Gobi.
This desertification hit existing agricultural societies hard. Just as today we see refugees fleeing drought-stricken areas, our ancestors would have been faced with the choice of dying of hunger and thirst, or moving to new land. But unoccupied lands were scarce as the productivity of the land declined throughout this huge area. In order to survive, some hitherto peaceful peoples became aggressive, brutal nomadic invaders, forcing those living around oases and along rivers to raise armies to defend themselves. As this relentless process continued generation after generation, so civilization as we know it was born. Out of the trauma experienced by peaceful, cooperative, egalitarian farming cultures emerged the violent, warlike, hierarchical, male dominated states of Egypt and Mesopotamia. We still live with their legacy today.
In her classic book, The Chalice and the Blade, Riane Eisler characterised this process as the transition from partnership to dominator cultures. We tell the story of this transition in far more detail in our book, Hope for Humanity. There, we draw on many sources, including research on climate change, archaeology and anthropology, and books on the subject such as James DeMeo’s Saharasia, and Steve Taylor’s The Fall, as well as the work of Riane Eisler. (click the links on the right for further information)
For the last few decades, the Sahara has been on the march again, this time southwards into the nations of the Sahel - a region wracked by poverty and conflict. The reasons for this desertification are complex. They include decades of drought, population growth, the impact of misguided agricultural developments, and the breakdown of the traditional symbiotic relationship between farmers and nomadic herders - peoples who, over centuries, had developed a deep understanding of how to live sustainably and peacefully in this fragile region. Climate change due to global warming may also be a factor, but the extent of its influence is not yet clear.
What of the future? Are we about to see a repeat of the traumas of prehistory? Will further climate change bring more hunger and conflict to the peoples of the Sahel, or will the better rains of recent years continue? Computer models of global climate disagree on the answer. Some predict reduced rainfall for the region, while others predict an increase. (See UNEP report ClimateChangeSahelCombine.pdf) The reasons for these different predictions was investigated by Alessandra Giannini. She concluded that there will be drying if the effects of ocean warming dominate the climate, but there could be increased rainfall if regional land effects are stronger.
It is well-known that forests can increase rainfall across large regions by holding moisture in the landscape, and stimulating the formation of rain-bearing clouds. So one of the best ways to try to push the sahelian climate in the right direction is to plant trees. Enter the Great Green Wall project. The idea of planting a belt of trees across Africa to halt the advancing desert was first put forward in the 1980’s. But it was only recently that the idea received official approval and promises of international funding of up to $3bn under the UN’s Convention to Combat Desertification.
15km wide, and stretching 8000 km from the Horn of Africa in the east to the coast of Senegal in the west, the Great Green Wall will pass through 11 of the poorest countries in the world: Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sudan. As well as planting drought-tolerant trees and shrubs, the project will create water retention ponds, new agricultural production systems and other economic activities, and social infrastructure. Besides stopping desertification and erosion it will protect water sources such as the shrinking Lake Chad, and restore or create biodiversity. It will bring economic development to local communities, helping to stem the tide of youth emigration, and providing them with energy resources, fruit, vegetables and other foods. And perhaps most importantly, it will foster political stability through cooperation at all levels from the international to the community. If it is to succeed, good science and technology are not enough. The project must also gain the support and involvement of local communities. The fact that this has been recognised at the highest levels at the outset augurs well.
This project brings hope to a huge region of fragile and degraded ecosystems, poverty and conflict. It offers hope of a transition to sustainability rather than the trauma of war, starvation, and displacement. It demonstrates how the challenge of climate change may be met in ways that foster the evolution of a new partnership society and an era of prosperity, peace and equality.
This desertification hit existing agricultural societies hard. Just as today we see refugees fleeing drought-stricken areas, our ancestors would have been faced with the choice of dying of hunger and thirst, or moving to new land. But unoccupied lands were scarce as the productivity of the land declined throughout this huge area. In order to survive, some hitherto peaceful peoples became aggressive, brutal nomadic invaders, forcing those living around oases and along rivers to raise armies to defend themselves. As this relentless process continued generation after generation, so civilization as we know it was born. Out of the trauma experienced by peaceful, cooperative, egalitarian farming cultures emerged the violent, warlike, hierarchical, male dominated states of Egypt and Mesopotamia. We still live with their legacy today.
In her classic book, The Chalice and the Blade, Riane Eisler characterised this process as the transition from partnership to dominator cultures. We tell the story of this transition in far more detail in our book, Hope for Humanity. There, we draw on many sources, including research on climate change, archaeology and anthropology, and books on the subject such as James DeMeo’s Saharasia, and Steve Taylor’s The Fall, as well as the work of Riane Eisler. (click the links on the right for further information)
For the last few decades, the Sahara has been on the march again, this time southwards into the nations of the Sahel - a region wracked by poverty and conflict. The reasons for this desertification are complex. They include decades of drought, population growth, the impact of misguided agricultural developments, and the breakdown of the traditional symbiotic relationship between farmers and nomadic herders - peoples who, over centuries, had developed a deep understanding of how to live sustainably and peacefully in this fragile region. Climate change due to global warming may also be a factor, but the extent of its influence is not yet clear.
What of the future? Are we about to see a repeat of the traumas of prehistory? Will further climate change bring more hunger and conflict to the peoples of the Sahel, or will the better rains of recent years continue? Computer models of global climate disagree on the answer. Some predict reduced rainfall for the region, while others predict an increase. (See UNEP report ClimateChangeSahelCombine.pdf) The reasons for these different predictions was investigated by Alessandra Giannini. She concluded that there will be drying if the effects of ocean warming dominate the climate, but there could be increased rainfall if regional land effects are stronger.
It is well-known that forests can increase rainfall across large regions by holding moisture in the landscape, and stimulating the formation of rain-bearing clouds. So one of the best ways to try to push the sahelian climate in the right direction is to plant trees. Enter the Great Green Wall project. The idea of planting a belt of trees across Africa to halt the advancing desert was first put forward in the 1980’s. But it was only recently that the idea received official approval and promises of international funding of up to $3bn under the UN’s Convention to Combat Desertification.
15km wide, and stretching 8000 km from the Horn of Africa in the east to the coast of Senegal in the west, the Great Green Wall will pass through 11 of the poorest countries in the world: Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sudan. As well as planting drought-tolerant trees and shrubs, the project will create water retention ponds, new agricultural production systems and other economic activities, and social infrastructure. Besides stopping desertification and erosion it will protect water sources such as the shrinking Lake Chad, and restore or create biodiversity. It will bring economic development to local communities, helping to stem the tide of youth emigration, and providing them with energy resources, fruit, vegetables and other foods. And perhaps most importantly, it will foster political stability through cooperation at all levels from the international to the community. If it is to succeed, good science and technology are not enough. The project must also gain the support and involvement of local communities. The fact that this has been recognised at the highest levels at the outset augurs well.
This project brings hope to a huge region of fragile and degraded ecosystems, poverty and conflict. It offers hope of a transition to sustainability rather than the trauma of war, starvation, and displacement. It demonstrates how the challenge of climate change may be met in ways that foster the evolution of a new partnership society and an era of prosperity, peace and equality.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The Australian Canary
I try to bring messages of hope in this blog. But there are times when hope is hard to find.
A friend of mine calls Australia the canary of climate change. Just as dying canaries once gave miners warning of dangerous gas levels in coal mines, so Australia is giving the world warning of what we can expect as climate change continues. Australia has always been a land of flood, drought and fire, but recent events, beamed to TVs around the world, have been creating new records. These are consistent with predictions made by climate scientists for many years that extreme weather events will become more frequent as the planet warms. So, following a decade of drought, Australia has experienced unprecedented flooding over areas larger than France and Germany combined, one of the biggest and most powerful cyclones (hurricanes) ever seen, and devastating bush fires.
In rebuilding after these natural disasters, we might expect the government to look for ways to reduce the risk of similar events in future. Certainly, they are looking at protecting more infrastructure and communities from devastating damage. But the link to climate change and the need to reduce global carbon emissions seems to have been missed. In looking for ways to cut the budget to pay for reconstruction, the government targeted support for solar power, which has the potential to reduce carbon emissions. It took one or two far-sighted independent members of the Parliament, and the Greens to force a change in this short-sighted policy.
In just the last week, Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced a plan to introduce a carbon pricing scheme within 18 months, but so far she has failed to make the connection with extreme weather events. The government’s intention is not to take a lead in the world, but simply to make sure Australia isn’t left behind in the shift to a low carbon economy. In this regard, the decision reflects comments by Professor Ross Garnaut, author of an influential government report on climate change. He recently called for Australia to stop being a drag on the rest of the world.
This modest step has created a political furore. Even before any of the details have been thrashed out, the opposition party has sworn to fight this new ‘tax’ every inch of the way, and to repeal it when they get back into power. It seems that conservative forces in rich nations around the world are intent on burying their heads ever deeper in the sand, and continue to place priority on short-term economic growth and the demands of large corporations, rather than on long-term sustainability and the needs of the community.
In a wider context, Australia has traditionally been a major food exporter, but production has been severely affected - first by the years of drought, and now by the destruction of bumper crops by floods and hurricane winds. It seems Australia may even become a net food importer. Meanwhile, the price of food is skyrocketing worldwide following crop failures in Russia, China and elsewhere, combined with surging demand for food as incomes rise, particularly in China. It only needs one more major crop failure to wipe out stocks of some basic commodities, and turn the fear of shortages into reality. Already, millions more have been pushed into absolute poverty, and the rising price of bread has been an important factor in the unrest in North Africa and the Middle East.
Australia is not alone in its failure to come to grips with climate change. The USA is at least as resistant, and the UK is often marked more by rhetoric than achievement. Why is it that governments often seem so short sighted? There are many reasons. Democratic governments are hamstrung by the electoral cycle, unable to do anything for the long-term that would be unpopular with an electorate that is hooked on the hip-pocket and consumerism. Often, too, they are heavily influenced by big corporations which bankroll their election campaigns, fund huge numbers of lobbyists, control the flow of information through media ownership, and foster the addiction to consumerism through advertising. Corporations focus almost exclusively on their share price, and short-term returns to shareholders - not to mention huge salaries and bonuses for directors. To them the long term may be no more than 5 years. Underpinned by unquestioned belief in the free-market, these factors create a powerful barrier to visionary action.
A second barrier comes in the form of psychological defence mechanisms. Many people are simply too caught up in the challenges of career, family, status, leisure and consumption to find space to consider issues that will affect their children and grandchildren in 20 or 50 years time. Many, too, are affected by traumas of which they may not even be aware that originated in infancy, or even with their parents or grandparents. As a result, they may suffer from relationship and family problems, or anxiety, depression, phobias, denial and other psychological defence mechanisms that prevent them from facing up to the reality of a future that is too terrifying to face. These limitations apply as much to government and corporate leaders as to members of the general public. Such denial amongst individuals creates a collective denial in which whole communities and nations ignore the disasters headed their way.
Given this gloomy picture, it’s sometimes hard to see the signs of hope. And yet Australia is home to many seeds of hope too.
• Australia’s natural disasters stimulated an outpouring of generosity. Strangers helped each other through the hardest times. People came as volunteers to help clean-up. Donations poured in. These actions will do much to limit the trauma, and will create enduring community bonds and spirit that will outlast the events.
• Australia currently has a minority government dependent on the support of a few independents and Green party members. The result is a more open, flexible and creative process that is undoubtedly producing some good decisions.
• New forms of political action are emerging to support important values and long-term goals. Examples include GetUp! in Australia and Avaaz internationally. They are using the power of public opinion and thousands of small donations to influence governments on key issues. Similar methods are being used by many traditional campaigning organisations, including Friends of the Earth and Amnesty International.
• Organisations and individuals are using the internet to wrest control of information from the media corporations, and challenge government secrecy, as shown by the publicity given to wikileaks.
• The web and cell phones are also being used to coordinate more direct actions against government and corporate policies, and to undermine the power of dictatorial regimes. In the UK, UK Uncut is campaigning against the government’s stringent budget cuts, and tax-avoiding corporations. Similar tactics are being used to coordinate public protests across North Africa and the Middle East.
• Some corporations are recognising the reality of climate change, and are adopting forward-looking strategies that will give them a competitive advantage in the emerging low-carbon economy.
A friend of mine calls Australia the canary of climate change. Just as dying canaries once gave miners warning of dangerous gas levels in coal mines, so Australia is giving the world warning of what we can expect as climate change continues. Australia has always been a land of flood, drought and fire, but recent events, beamed to TVs around the world, have been creating new records. These are consistent with predictions made by climate scientists for many years that extreme weather events will become more frequent as the planet warms. So, following a decade of drought, Australia has experienced unprecedented flooding over areas larger than France and Germany combined, one of the biggest and most powerful cyclones (hurricanes) ever seen, and devastating bush fires.
In rebuilding after these natural disasters, we might expect the government to look for ways to reduce the risk of similar events in future. Certainly, they are looking at protecting more infrastructure and communities from devastating damage. But the link to climate change and the need to reduce global carbon emissions seems to have been missed. In looking for ways to cut the budget to pay for reconstruction, the government targeted support for solar power, which has the potential to reduce carbon emissions. It took one or two far-sighted independent members of the Parliament, and the Greens to force a change in this short-sighted policy.
In just the last week, Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced a plan to introduce a carbon pricing scheme within 18 months, but so far she has failed to make the connection with extreme weather events. The government’s intention is not to take a lead in the world, but simply to make sure Australia isn’t left behind in the shift to a low carbon economy. In this regard, the decision reflects comments by Professor Ross Garnaut, author of an influential government report on climate change. He recently called for Australia to stop being a drag on the rest of the world.
This modest step has created a political furore. Even before any of the details have been thrashed out, the opposition party has sworn to fight this new ‘tax’ every inch of the way, and to repeal it when they get back into power. It seems that conservative forces in rich nations around the world are intent on burying their heads ever deeper in the sand, and continue to place priority on short-term economic growth and the demands of large corporations, rather than on long-term sustainability and the needs of the community.
In a wider context, Australia has traditionally been a major food exporter, but production has been severely affected - first by the years of drought, and now by the destruction of bumper crops by floods and hurricane winds. It seems Australia may even become a net food importer. Meanwhile, the price of food is skyrocketing worldwide following crop failures in Russia, China and elsewhere, combined with surging demand for food as incomes rise, particularly in China. It only needs one more major crop failure to wipe out stocks of some basic commodities, and turn the fear of shortages into reality. Already, millions more have been pushed into absolute poverty, and the rising price of bread has been an important factor in the unrest in North Africa and the Middle East.
Australia is not alone in its failure to come to grips with climate change. The USA is at least as resistant, and the UK is often marked more by rhetoric than achievement. Why is it that governments often seem so short sighted? There are many reasons. Democratic governments are hamstrung by the electoral cycle, unable to do anything for the long-term that would be unpopular with an electorate that is hooked on the hip-pocket and consumerism. Often, too, they are heavily influenced by big corporations which bankroll their election campaigns, fund huge numbers of lobbyists, control the flow of information through media ownership, and foster the addiction to consumerism through advertising. Corporations focus almost exclusively on their share price, and short-term returns to shareholders - not to mention huge salaries and bonuses for directors. To them the long term may be no more than 5 years. Underpinned by unquestioned belief in the free-market, these factors create a powerful barrier to visionary action.
A second barrier comes in the form of psychological defence mechanisms. Many people are simply too caught up in the challenges of career, family, status, leisure and consumption to find space to consider issues that will affect their children and grandchildren in 20 or 50 years time. Many, too, are affected by traumas of which they may not even be aware that originated in infancy, or even with their parents or grandparents. As a result, they may suffer from relationship and family problems, or anxiety, depression, phobias, denial and other psychological defence mechanisms that prevent them from facing up to the reality of a future that is too terrifying to face. These limitations apply as much to government and corporate leaders as to members of the general public. Such denial amongst individuals creates a collective denial in which whole communities and nations ignore the disasters headed their way.
Given this gloomy picture, it’s sometimes hard to see the signs of hope. And yet Australia is home to many seeds of hope too.
• Australia’s natural disasters stimulated an outpouring of generosity. Strangers helped each other through the hardest times. People came as volunteers to help clean-up. Donations poured in. These actions will do much to limit the trauma, and will create enduring community bonds and spirit that will outlast the events.
• Australia currently has a minority government dependent on the support of a few independents and Green party members. The result is a more open, flexible and creative process that is undoubtedly producing some good decisions.
• New forms of political action are emerging to support important values and long-term goals. Examples include GetUp! in Australia and Avaaz internationally. They are using the power of public opinion and thousands of small donations to influence governments on key issues. Similar methods are being used by many traditional campaigning organisations, including Friends of the Earth and Amnesty International.
• Organisations and individuals are using the internet to wrest control of information from the media corporations, and challenge government secrecy, as shown by the publicity given to wikileaks.
• The web and cell phones are also being used to coordinate more direct actions against government and corporate policies, and to undermine the power of dictatorial regimes. In the UK, UK Uncut is campaigning against the government’s stringent budget cuts, and tax-avoiding corporations. Similar tactics are being used to coordinate public protests across North Africa and the Middle East.
• Some corporations are recognising the reality of climate change, and are adopting forward-looking strategies that will give them a competitive advantage in the emerging low-carbon economy.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Lessons from the Floods
The last year has seen unprecedented flooding around the planet. Last July, the world watched in horror as Pakistan disappeared under a tide of brown water. And in just the last couple of months we have seen devastation in Australia, Brazil, South Africa and Sri Lanka. These floods have killed thousands, destroyed millions of homes, wiped out livelihoods and vital food crops, and disrupted transport networks, power supplies, and industries. Untold millions are at risk of psychological trauma as they face their losses and try to rebuild their lives. Many are grieving the death of loved-ones, and the loss of their precious homes, possessions, livelihoods and communities. Many more are facing horrific memories of scenes they witnessed as people and animals were swept away, or buried in mudslides.
When we are faced with a life-threatening situation, our bodies prepare for ‘flight or fight’. Non-essential functions, such as digestion, shut down and energy is diverted to the major muscles. When we take action, this energy is discharged. If we are unable to act for some reason, the energy may remain trapped in the body. If left unprocessed and unhealed, trauma results, with long-term consequences for the affected individuals and their families, friends and communities.
The experience may resurface in debilitating flashbacks and nightmares; result in unreasonable fears and phobias; lead to depression and anxiety disorders; encourage alcoholism and other addictions; produce inappropriate outbursts of anger and aggression; or lead to physical disorders such as muscular tensions and suppression of the immune system. Behaviours flowing from trauma can devastate relationships and family life, affecting the lives of grandchildren as well as children.
This leaves us with several questions. What can the victims do to process and heal these experiences before they become trapped as trauma? What can the community and government do to help them? How can those who do suffer trauma be helped to heal? What lessons can we learn from the Australian floods about handling such crises in the future?
In Australia, when people left their homes ahead of the flood they often went to refuges where they were looked after. This forced inactivity was stressful, leading to anxiety, frustration, and occasional anger. Their state of mind often improved when they were able to return to their wrecked homes because at least they could do something to start the cleanup. By contrast, in poorer and less well organized nations, those who flee the floods often end up as refugees, struggling for very survival, but helpless to do anything but wait.
With a few notable exceptions, the floods in Australia were mostly slow-moving and predicted accurately so that the residents of many towns were able to build temporary levees and otherwise protect their properties. Communities pulled together in this task, individuals often working round the clock to protect the homes and businesses of strangers. The resulting sense of support and caring helped many to face what was to come with less distress, even when the defences were overtopped.
In a similar way, an army of volunteers turned out to help clean up once the flood peak passed. Many home-owners were emotionally overwhelmed by this generosity - a feeling which sometimes helped them release their pent-up grief and loss. Similarly, many volunteers said they couldn’t just stand by and watch events on TV, but had to do something to help. This suggests that perhaps they, too, were releasing pent-up emotional energy and preventing potential trauma that might have arisen due to empathy with the victims.
This reaffirmation of the Aussie spirit of ‘mateship’ was truly heart-warming, and will do much to heal individuals and communities. It will also strengthen the sense of belonging, with far-reaching benefits for community life in the good times as well as the bad times ahead.
Australia, as a wealthy country, is also well-placed to provide counselling support to those affected - something that is often overlooked in the rush to provide food, water, shelter and other physical needs. This was recognised by the Australian campaigning organisation GetUp! which focused its fundraising appeal on providing trauma counselling for victims. It is not yet clear what psychological support the government will provide, but it is to be hoped that this will be a substantial component of its recovery strategy.
In Queensland, psychologists have warned teachers in the affected areas to watch out for children suffering mental distress. Dr Jane Shakespeare-Finch was quoted as saying "Some will be scared, some will be feeling anxious, some will be feeling a little bit unsure about what's happening next. … With children in particular in the long-term, trauma can manifest itself in the body. So, for example, there might be unexplained headaches or stomach aches or aching legs or a sense of being dizzy. … Things that look like they are physical but they are actually the body remembering trauma. … A sense of safety is vital for children now that the disaster is over. Knowing what will happen next is a really important thing. … What happened for a lot of children in this flood is that it took away their view of the world being a predictable place, and we need to re-establish that idea of predictability and safety.”
Despite these positive outcomes, the floods will leave many people with a legacy of trauma. The stoic spirit of the Aussie battler, who gets on with cleaning up and rebuilding, who turns his or her back on the past, is admirable in many ways, but can result in traumatic memories being buried. Such memories may include the dangers survived, the loss of family or friends, horrendous scenes of devastation, the loss of treasured possessions and family mementos, and a home which will never be the same again. In some cases, people may even lose their sense of identity which was closely attached to their homes and possessions, or businesses. These people need on-going understanding and support from family, friends and community if they are to come through, just as war veterans do when they return from the trauma of combat.
As climate change continues, we will see more catastrophic floods and more potential for trauma to wreak havoc in the lives of individuals, families and communities. Hope for the future in vulnerable areas lies in minimizing the risks, particularly to people, and providing essential support. Some elements of a flood strategy include:
• Improved flood forecasting and effective warning systems
• Development of survival strategies, including identification of and publicity about safe refuges
• Provision of well trained and equipped emergency services, based in local communities where appropriate
• Training of military personnel in disaster relief work
• Strengthening the bonds in local communities during the good times, so that they will pull together in adversity
• Encouraging people to express emotions such as loss, grief and fear. Rather than stoic endurance, they should be encouraged to allow their tears to flow and their bodies to shake as they release potentially traumatic experiences
• Increasing the number of people trained to identify trauma and facilitate its healing. These need not be psychologists, but can be ordinary, trusted members of local communities such as teachers and health workers.
When we are faced with a life-threatening situation, our bodies prepare for ‘flight or fight’. Non-essential functions, such as digestion, shut down and energy is diverted to the major muscles. When we take action, this energy is discharged. If we are unable to act for some reason, the energy may remain trapped in the body. If left unprocessed and unhealed, trauma results, with long-term consequences for the affected individuals and their families, friends and communities.
The experience may resurface in debilitating flashbacks and nightmares; result in unreasonable fears and phobias; lead to depression and anxiety disorders; encourage alcoholism and other addictions; produce inappropriate outbursts of anger and aggression; or lead to physical disorders such as muscular tensions and suppression of the immune system. Behaviours flowing from trauma can devastate relationships and family life, affecting the lives of grandchildren as well as children.
This leaves us with several questions. What can the victims do to process and heal these experiences before they become trapped as trauma? What can the community and government do to help them? How can those who do suffer trauma be helped to heal? What lessons can we learn from the Australian floods about handling such crises in the future?
In Australia, when people left their homes ahead of the flood they often went to refuges where they were looked after. This forced inactivity was stressful, leading to anxiety, frustration, and occasional anger. Their state of mind often improved when they were able to return to their wrecked homes because at least they could do something to start the cleanup. By contrast, in poorer and less well organized nations, those who flee the floods often end up as refugees, struggling for very survival, but helpless to do anything but wait.
With a few notable exceptions, the floods in Australia were mostly slow-moving and predicted accurately so that the residents of many towns were able to build temporary levees and otherwise protect their properties. Communities pulled together in this task, individuals often working round the clock to protect the homes and businesses of strangers. The resulting sense of support and caring helped many to face what was to come with less distress, even when the defences were overtopped.
In a similar way, an army of volunteers turned out to help clean up once the flood peak passed. Many home-owners were emotionally overwhelmed by this generosity - a feeling which sometimes helped them release their pent-up grief and loss. Similarly, many volunteers said they couldn’t just stand by and watch events on TV, but had to do something to help. This suggests that perhaps they, too, were releasing pent-up emotional energy and preventing potential trauma that might have arisen due to empathy with the victims.
This reaffirmation of the Aussie spirit of ‘mateship’ was truly heart-warming, and will do much to heal individuals and communities. It will also strengthen the sense of belonging, with far-reaching benefits for community life in the good times as well as the bad times ahead.
Australia, as a wealthy country, is also well-placed to provide counselling support to those affected - something that is often overlooked in the rush to provide food, water, shelter and other physical needs. This was recognised by the Australian campaigning organisation GetUp! which focused its fundraising appeal on providing trauma counselling for victims. It is not yet clear what psychological support the government will provide, but it is to be hoped that this will be a substantial component of its recovery strategy.
In Queensland, psychologists have warned teachers in the affected areas to watch out for children suffering mental distress. Dr Jane Shakespeare-Finch was quoted as saying "Some will be scared, some will be feeling anxious, some will be feeling a little bit unsure about what's happening next. … With children in particular in the long-term, trauma can manifest itself in the body. So, for example, there might be unexplained headaches or stomach aches or aching legs or a sense of being dizzy. … Things that look like they are physical but they are actually the body remembering trauma. … A sense of safety is vital for children now that the disaster is over. Knowing what will happen next is a really important thing. … What happened for a lot of children in this flood is that it took away their view of the world being a predictable place, and we need to re-establish that idea of predictability and safety.”
Despite these positive outcomes, the floods will leave many people with a legacy of trauma. The stoic spirit of the Aussie battler, who gets on with cleaning up and rebuilding, who turns his or her back on the past, is admirable in many ways, but can result in traumatic memories being buried. Such memories may include the dangers survived, the loss of family or friends, horrendous scenes of devastation, the loss of treasured possessions and family mementos, and a home which will never be the same again. In some cases, people may even lose their sense of identity which was closely attached to their homes and possessions, or businesses. These people need on-going understanding and support from family, friends and community if they are to come through, just as war veterans do when they return from the trauma of combat.
As climate change continues, we will see more catastrophic floods and more potential for trauma to wreak havoc in the lives of individuals, families and communities. Hope for the future in vulnerable areas lies in minimizing the risks, particularly to people, and providing essential support. Some elements of a flood strategy include:
• Improved flood forecasting and effective warning systems
• Development of survival strategies, including identification of and publicity about safe refuges
• Provision of well trained and equipped emergency services, based in local communities where appropriate
• Training of military personnel in disaster relief work
• Strengthening the bonds in local communities during the good times, so that they will pull together in adversity
• Encouraging people to express emotions such as loss, grief and fear. Rather than stoic endurance, they should be encouraged to allow their tears to flow and their bodies to shake as they release potentially traumatic experiences
• Increasing the number of people trained to identify trauma and facilitate its healing. These need not be psychologists, but can be ordinary, trusted members of local communities such as teachers and health workers.
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