Climate Change, Mental Health, and a Disappearing Community

Climate Change, Mental Health, and a Disappearing Community

Climate Change, Mental Health, and a Disappearing Community

Where Land Disappears

This report follows a brothel community in Bangladesh living under constant climate stress, where rising environmental pressures threaten not only physical space and livelihoods but also mental health, safety, and dignity. The story examines how climate change compounds existing social vulnerability, showing what it means to live with uncertainty, stigma, and loss as land and stability slowly disappear.

This project is a reported journalistic piece published by Asian Dispatch, supported by the Earth Journalism Network, and produced in collaboration with my colleague Usraat Fahmidah.

Non-economic loss and damage is easy to ignore in climate negotiations, so we focused on the mental health, dignity, and everyday uncertainty climate stress creates—turning what’s usually invisible into evidence.

Non-economic loss and damage is easy to ignore in climate negotiations, so we focused on the mental health, dignity, and everyday uncertainty climate stress creates—turning what’s usually invisible into evidence.

At COP30, we screened the project at the Entertainment and Culture Pavilion and hosted a policy dialogue with a loss and damage policy researcher from ICCCAD on bringing non-economic loss and damage into climate negotiations.

At COP30, we screened the project at the Entertainment and Culture Pavilion and hosted a policy dialogue with a loss and damage policy researcher from ICCCAD on bringing non-economic loss and damage into climate negotiations.

We gathered audience reflections after the screening to understand what viewers were left feeling, thinking, and questioning.

We gathered audience reflections after the screening to understand what viewers were left feeling, thinking, and questioning.

While the story clearly resonated with audiences, the gap between its impact and my expectations around how it landed led me to begin studying what makes climate communication effective; work I’m continuing to develop.

Assessing Climate Communication Efficacy↗

While the story clearly resonated with audiences, the gap between its impact and my expectations around how it landed led me to begin studying what makes climate communication effective; work I’m continuing to develop.

Assessing Climate Communication Efficacy↗