What's Next? Climate change will increase mental illness.

There have been quite a few folks in the blogsphere mentioning a paper , prepared for the Climate Institute, titled A Climate of Suffering: The Real Cost of Living with Inaction on Climate Change. It was written up in The Sydney Morning Herald by Erik Jensen Health in an article titled: Mental illness rise linked to climate.

Health says:

RATES of mental illnesses including depression and post-traumatic stress will increase as a result of climate change, a report to be released today says.

The paper, prepared for the Climate Institute, says loss of social cohesion in the wake of severe weather events related to climate change could be linked to increased rates of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and substance abuse.

As many as one in five people reported ''emotional injury, stress and despair'' in the wake of these events.

Three things to note here:

1- The paper was prepared FOR and paid FOR BY one of the leading proponents of anthropogenic global warming so it is not surprising it would tout some harmful affects from global warming.

2- This is Australia we are talking about here. The might just think THIS was a documentary. Or maybe THIS.

3- Given Al Gore's recent rants and off-the-deep-end statements (see here and here), they may be right. The man is unhinged.

[UPDATE: Anthony Watts of Watts Up With That? posted on this fallacious little article linking mental illness to climate change here. He points out that the move from a northern state to Florida--even for a week's vacation at Disney World--would have a magnitude larger affect than global warming has had in the last century. As he also points out, this is not a new linkage. "This is recycled crazy from 2008. Climate change and mental health [by] Prabhat Kumar Chand* and Pratima Murthy" and Mr. Watts concludes:"Sounds familiar, there might be plagiarism afoot, better send in John Mashey. o_O"]