The research was conducted in July 2021 in Faridabad, a city located in North India, and Jubilee Hills, a region in Hyderabad in South India.

Strong social networks of supportive relationships and collective resilience of the community would help deal with both climate change and pandemics like COVID-19, says latest Lancet research.

The study argues for the inclusion of youth from marginalized communities in intercommunity programmes as they are physically and psychologically more vulnerable to adverse climate events. It makes a case for building social capital to combat the stress that adverse climatic events generate.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about the realization that cities need to focus on improving the conditions of their slums,” the study points out. “Research has shown that COVID-19, much like the plague pandemic in the 1300s, has made affluent residents of cities realize that they are deeply inter-connected and dependent on household help, who largely live in slums and are at high risk for disease transmission.”

The study calls for concerted action by a wide range of stakeholders, including policymakers, industrialists, health professionals, and society at large.

“Health professionals can empower young people to manage their mental health by making use of technology to self-monitor their mental health and promote peer support,” it adds.

Titled “Psychological Responses to Climate and COVID-19 Crises in Young People in Indian slums,” the research was conducted in July 2021 in Faridabad, a city located in North India, and Jubilee Hills, a region in Hyderabad in South India.

The findings highlight the impact of COVID-19 and climate change on the everyday lives of adolescents and young people living in urban slums.

The study shows that climate change and COVID-19 have had similar negative impacts on these communities, including loss of income, mobility, and social contact. However, the findings also reveal that positive effects were observed when the participants were involved in environmental improvement efforts, and when they engaged in leisure activities that promoted good mental health and alleviated the adverse effects of stressful experiences.

The research is significant as it confirms the concern among adolescents and young people about the climate crisis, even in poorer settings, and it provides insights into the strategies they have adopted to face the situation and their sense of agency to contribute to changes for the future.

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