Seminar by John Jamir Benzon R. Aruta: Climate Change and Mental Health in the Global South: Perspectives and Experiences in the Philippines

John is a counseling and environmental psychologist and Associate Professor at De La Salle University, Philippines. He is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of Environmental Psychology Research (British Psychological Society & Wiley), and the Founder and Inaugural Director of the Sustainability Psychology and Planetary Health Research Laboratory (SPPHERE Lab). He is the current Chair of the Environmental Psychology Special Interest Group of the Psychological Association of the Philippines. His research focuses on environmental psychology, climate change and mental health, and pro-environmental actions, with a strong emphasis on Global South contexts and environmental justice.

This lecture focuses on the mental health impacts of climate change in the Philippines, one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. Using Global South and climate justice perspectives, the lecture looks into how climate injustice is linked with the disproportionate impacts of the climate crisis on people in the Philippines, and its mental health implications. The session also showcases the efforts to build a community of practice for climate change and mental health intersections in the country.