Changing Snowscapes & Health

How will changes to the Alps affect the health of communities connected to them? The ‘Our Changing Snowscapes’ report provides a thorough overview of the ecological, economic and social damages climate change will bring. This article expands on the downstream health impacts of these changes, analysing how the various communities connected to the Alps could experience worse health outcomes.

What is health?

It’s important to outline what health means to provide a starting point. Health is more than just the absence of disease or infirmity; health encompasses complete “physical, mental and social wellbeing”¹. Appreciating that health extends beyond the body is crucial for understanding how many of climate change’s short-term impacts will negatively impact communities connected to the Alps.

Who are the stakeholders?

The report identifies how stakeholders in Alpine environments extend throughout Australia, but this article will focus on four key groups: alpine communities, winter alpine area users, farmers in Alpine regions and across the Murray-Darling Basin, and First Nations peoples.

Alpine Communities

Alpine communities live in the Alps throughout the year and consequently have one of the strongest connections to the landscape. One of the most immediate impacts of climate change on these communities is solastalgia. Coined by the Australian environmental professor Glenn Albrecht, the term encompasses feelings of loss and distress for residents who perceive negative transformations of their traditional homes due to climate change². Studies on populations around the globe demonstrated how slow changes to the environment are associated with feelings of helplessness, chronic distress and anxiety³. A 2023 study on climate change effects on Italian alpine communities found that most residents saw the changes as negatively impacting their wellbeing. Beyond the immediate concern for the landscapes they call home, residents also described the constant fear and worry about what the future may hold, especially with increased unpredictability brought by climate change3. Whilst there is no current research on Australian communities’ perceptions of alpine climate change, it is likely with the decreased precipitation and changes to ecology that the loss of familiar landscapes could cause similar threats to identity by affecting connection to place and traditional understandings³.

Winter Alpine Area Users

Winter alpine area users receive great physical and mental health benefits by participating in winter sports. A review of the physical, social and mental benefits of skiing showed how the sport is associated with improved aging, increased muscle strength, improved balance, and a host of mental health benefits including immersion in nature⁴. In Australia, a report has demonstrated that Victorian snow fields annually contribute $137 million to the economy through improved visitor mental and physical health⁵. The decline of the winter season and tourism brought by climate change threatens the physical and mental benefits of snow sports for alpine area users.

Farmers

Farmers are an integral part of regional alpine communities and have well-documented mental health challenges due to climate change. Farmer mental health is negatively impacted by ecological, social and economic factors including weather unpredictability and water issues. Drought has been associated with distress, mental disorders and suicide⁶ and the climate modelling in the report predicts precipitation in the Alps will decrease between 5% and 24% by 2050; increasing existing pressures. The Alps provide 29% of the inflows of the Murray-Darling Basin, a system with already-contested water resources, and decreased precipitation could increase this competition. Irrigation farming prevalent in the Basin had some of the highest levels of psychological distress nationally, and the pressures irrigators face will only increase with decreased inflows from the Alps⁷.

First Nations Australians

First Nations Australians have been extensively dispossessed and generally excluded from decision-making about the Alps despite having the strongest connections to the regions through thousands of generations of history. The solastalgia felt by local alpine communities is experienced on a whole other level by First Nations peoples whose concept of health includes connection to and care for Country. A lot of research has detailed the feelings of loss accompanying the need to stay on Country, but seeing their Country change before them⁸. Additionally, significant emotional distress wrought by climate change on Country is producing high levels of suicidality, apathy and chronic disease amongst both young and Elders⁹. There is little research on the cultural significance of the Alps for First Nations Australians, and this gap needs urgent filling for meaningful conversations to occur into the future of alpine conservation.

What you can do

The health impacts of our changing snowscapes are connected and complex. They extend beyond the Alps and encompass physical, social, mental and cultural health. The effects of climate change on alpine ecosystems and economies are an important part of the discussion, but we must not forget the importance of these environments for our own health.

With strong climate action focused on mitigation we can protect the health of Australians connected to our alpine ecosystems and Australians across the country. Taking action is essential to safeguarding our health: we must work at an individual and collective level to stop the degradation of the environment.

Take Action:

• Read the ‘Our Changing Snowscapes’ Report
• Call or email your local MP and demand climate action now.
• Volunteer or donate to POW and/or other environmental organisations.