Climate Anxiety: We Live in Frightening Times
氣候焦慮：我們生活在一個可怕的時代
When psychologists warn that global heating could cause trauma to become normalized, world leaders should take notice.
當心理學家警告說全球變暖可能導致心理創傷正常化時，世界各國領導人應該引起注意了。
"Disasters on the scale of Australia’s recent bush fires and Indonesia’s floods can be expected to produce severe mental as well as physical reactions, particularly in children and other vulnerable groups."
“澳大利亞最近發生的森林大火和印度尼西亞的洪水等災難，預計會對人的身心產生嚴重的影響，尤其是兒童和其他弱勢群體。”
“It makes sense” is the first thing to say about the phenomenon being described by psychologists as climate anxiety. Wherever in the world you live, there are very good reasons to feel anxious about the rate of global heating and the lack of adequate action to tackle it by governments, businesses and organizations of all sorts.
對于心理學家稱之為氣候焦慮的現象，首先要說的是“這是有道理”。無論你生活在世界上的哪個地方，都有充分的理由對全球變暖的速度以及政府、企業和各種組織遠遠不夠的應對行動感到焦慮。
The predicted consequences are frightening: hotter weather in already inhospitable places, sea-level rises caused by melting ice sheets, and increased disruption of weather systems leading to floods, fires, hurricanes, food and water shortages – with the linked biodiversity crisis another cause for grave concern.
我們所預知的后果是可怕的：本已不適宜居住的地方天氣更熱，冰原融化導致海平面上升，天氣系統的破壞加劇，導致洪水、火災、颶風、糧食和水資源短缺，與此相關的生物多樣性危機是另一個令人嚴重擔憂的原因。
Depending on the steps that are taken (or not) over the next decade, a period during which the UN estimates that carbon emissions need to be cut by 7.6% annually if we are to avoid temperature rises above 1.5C, the disruption caused to human societies could be immense. For countries such as Bangladesh, the effects are likely to be devastating.
聯合國估計，如果我們在未來十年要避免氣溫上升超過1.5攝氏度，碳排放量需要每年減少7.6%，取決于我們在這一時期采取（或不采取）的措施，這對人類社會造成的破壞可能是巨大的。對孟加拉國等國來說，其影響可能是毀滅性的。
Given all this, it arguably makes more sense to be anxious than not. And climate anxiety is one way of describing the motivations of every person or organization that is trying to do something to limit or to mitigate the effects of global heating – whether an individual altering their diet, a charity switching energy supplier, a council setting emissions targets or the Guardian deciding to stop selling advertising space to fossil fuel companies.
考慮到這一切，可以說焦慮比不焦慮更有意義。氣候焦慮癥是描述每一個人或組織試圖采取措施來限制或減輕全球變暖影響的一種方式，無論是個人改變飲食習慣，還是慈善機構轉換能源供應商，議會制定減排目標又或是衛報決定停止向化石燃料公司出售廣告空間。
But, as with all negative emotions, the trick is to distinguish ordinary feelings – what Sigmund Freud famously called “common unhappiness” – from those that are disproportionate, or so intense and prolonged as to be debilitating.
但是，就像所有的負面情緒一樣，訣竅在于將普通的情感——西格蒙德·弗洛伊德（Sigmund Freud）稱之為“普通的不快樂”——與那些不成比例的、或如此強烈和持續到讓人衰弱的不快樂區分開來。
While it makes sense to be worried about the climate emergency, becoming overwhelmed is counterproductive. The sound advice from psychologists that actions, however small, can help to alleviate feelings of distress and powerlessness echoes the experiences of activists including Jane Fonda that “the minute you start doing something, the depression goes away”.
雖然擔心氣候緊急情況是有道理的，但變得不知所措反而適得其反。心理學家提出的合理建議是，無論行動多么微小，都可以幫助緩解痛苦和無力感，這與包括簡·方達在內的活動家的經歷相呼應，“一旦你開始做某件事，抑郁就會消失”。
Not all low moods are readily lifted, however, and warnings of worsening mental health as a result of climate disruptions and hardships should be taken seriously.
然而，并不是所有的低落情緒都能輕易解除，而氣候變化和艱苦環境導致精神健康惡化的警告應該被嚴肅對待。
Already there is cause for concern, with research showing that people who have experienced extreme weather such as floods in the UK are 50% more likely to suffer from problems including depression. Resilience may be a desirable quality, but is much more easily developed by those who are cushioned by income or advantage.
我們已經發現了引起了人們的擔憂的原因，研究顯示，在英國經歷過洪水等極端天氣的人患抑郁癥等問題的可能性要高出50%。韌性也許是一種可取的品質，但一般是那些被高收入和自身優勢所安慰的人才能培養出這種品質。
Growing demand for psychological support should be met by professionals who are able to distinguish everyday worries from post-traumatic stress or other symptoms. Disasters on the scale of Australia’s recent bush fires and Indonesia’s floods can be expected to produce severe mental as well as physical reactions, particularly in children and other vulnerable groups.
越來越多的心理支持需求應該由能夠區分日常憂慮和創傷后壓力或其他癥狀的專業人士來滿足。澳大利亞最近發生的森林大火和印度尼西亞的洪水等大規模的災害預計會在精神和身體上產生嚴重的反應，特別是兒童和其他弱勢群體。
In some parts of the world, trauma is already normalized, and when psychologists write of their fear that it could become ubiquitous, policymakers everywhere should take notice.
在世界的一些地方，創傷已經正常化了，當心理學家寫到他們擔心創傷可能無處不在時，各地的決策者都應該引起注意了。
But it’s important to remember that there are reasons to hope, as well as despair. As the environmental scientist Vaclav Smil said last year, “We [humans] are stupid, we are negligent, we are tardy. But on the other hand, we are adaptable, we are smart and even as things are falling apart, we are trying to stitch them together”.
但重要的是要記住，希望和絕望都是有原因的。正如環境科學家瓦茨拉夫·斯米爾去年所說，“我們（人類）愚蠢，我們疏忽大意，我們行動遲緩。但另一方面，我們適應能力強，我們很聰明，即使事情正在分崩離析，我們也在努力將它們縫合在一起”。
（來源：Guardian）
