Solastalgia and the Gendered Nature of Climate Change: An Example from Erub Island, Torres Strait
Open accessAbstract
This communication focuses on respected older womens' ('Aunties') experiences of climate and other environmental change observed on Australia's Erub Island in the Torres Strait. By documenting these experiences, we explore the gendered nature of climate change, and provide new perspectives on how these environmental impacts are experienced, enacted and responded to. The way these adverse changes affect people and places is bound up with numerous constructions of difference, including gender. The responses of the Aunties interviewed to climate change impacts revealed Solastalgia; feelings of sadness, worry, fear and distress, along with a declining sense of self, belonging and familiarity.
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Studies conducted with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from Australia highlight the environmental impacts of climate change on emotional wellbeing, including increased community distress from deteriorating the connection to country.
“Studies conducted with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from Australia also highlight the environmental impacts of climate change on emotional wellbeing, including increased community distress from deteriorating the connection to country [75,76].”
From Climate Change and Mental Health: A Scoping Review (2021) · cites this paper as [75]
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Khanam, F., Rafa, N., & Uddin, S. M. N. (2025) · Regional Environmental Change · doi:10.1007/s10113-025-02430-9 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“Altered pondscapes also disrupt “sense of place,” challenging individuals’ emotional ties to their surroundings (Warsini et al. 2014) and undermining feelings of belonging (McNamara and Westoby 2011).”
A Critical Reading of Solastalgia Through Indigenous and Care Ethics Lenses
Baker, E., Jones, D. K., & Brannelly, T. (2025) · Ethics and social welfare · doi:10.1080/17496535.2025.2539837 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
“McNamara and Westoby (2011) include Indigenous voices but could further enhance its alignment with care ethics by ensuring co-production of the research with the community, thereby embodying the principles of responsibility and solidarity.”
The Impacts of Landscape Loss on Industrial Communities: Solastalgia in Coal Regions
Adams, A. E., & Shriver, T. E. (2024) · Social Currents · doi:10.1177/23294965241275210 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“Scholars have analyzed the consequences of loss in a variety of contexts such as the loss of sacred spaces (Amato 2002), neighborhoods and gentri fi cation (Shaw and Hagemans 2015), and climate change (McNamara and Westoby 2011; Phillips and Murphy 2021; Tschakert et al. 2017).”
Community controlled health services: What they are and how they work
Ward, R., Fredericks, B. L., & Best, O. (2018) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108123754.007 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
The Language of Australian Human-Ecological Relationship: Identity, Place, and Landscape
Lawson, J. T., & Kingsley, J. (2018) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-73400-2_54-1 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Disentangling the association between climate emotions and mental health outcomes
Deneault, A., Lorteau, S., Neville, R. D., & Stern, J. A. (2026) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2026.121697 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Indigenous, gendered health perspectives
Fredericks, B. L., Adams, M., & Best, O. (2018) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108123754.006 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Climate Change and Global Mental Health
Charlson, F., Patrick, R., & Dey, C. (2024) · CABI eBooks · doi:10.1079/9781800620025.0026 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Solastalgies. Changements climatiques et deuils inégaux
Uhl, M., & Niemeyer, K. (2025) · Frontières · doi:10.7202/1117111ar · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Indigenous birthing in remote locations: Grandmothers’ Law and government medicine
(2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108894166.010 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
O suicídio indígena Guarani-Kaiowá no antropoceno: solastalgia e schlammbugrismo
Estellita-Lins, C. (2021) · Revista NUPEM · doi:10.33871/nupem.2021.13.29.224-256 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
A history of health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
(2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108894166.004 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Ahmed, S. P., & Kalarivayil, R. (2025) · GeoJournal · doi:10.1007/s10708-025-11331-7 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Based on a study on Indigenous Irub Island women, McNamara and Westoby (2011) similarly state that for them “the diminishing ability to ‘read’ the landscape, particularly in terms of weather, seasons, tides and plants and animals’ cycles was causing sadness and a diminishing sense of identity and…”
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander quantitative research
(2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108894166.014 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
(2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108894166.018 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
The Language of Australian Human-Ecological Relationship: Identity, Place, and Landscape
Lawson, J. T., & Kingsley, J. (2019) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-02438-3_54 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Solastalgia : A comparative corpus-based study of environmental lexicon
Abbamonte, L., & Hughes, B. (2025) · Russian Journal of Linguistics · doi:10.22363/2687-0088-42421 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing
(2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108894166.006 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Indigenous-led qualitative research
(2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108894166.013 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and health practitioners
(2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108894166.012 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
EXPLORING THE SOLASTALGIA: PREDICTING THE COGNITIVE FAILURES AMONG DROUGHT PRONE FARMERS
Pandey, M. S. (2022) · Era s journal of medical research · doi:10.24041/ejmr2022.06 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Cultural understandings of Aboriginal suicide from a social and emotional wellbeing perspective
Ward, R. (2018) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108123754.013
Hartz, D. L., McAullay, D., & Bennett, J. (2018) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781009626897.016
- Authors
- McNamara, K. E., & Westoby, R.
- Affiliations
- University of the South Pacific (FJ)
- The University of Queensland (AU)
- Corresponding author
- McNamara, Karen Elizabeth
- Venue
- EcoHealth
- Published
- 2011-06
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 233-236
- ISSN
- 1612-9202 (ISSN-L)
- 1612-9210
- OpenAlex
- W2047370571
- Cited by
- 124
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 4
- FWCI
- 3.57
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Licence
- other-oa
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- EcoHealth (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Griffith Research Online (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Indigenous Studies and Ecology
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Climate Change Communication and Perception
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration
- Keywords
- solastalgia, climate change impacts, older women, Torres Strait, environmental change, sense of belonging
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Australia, Mental Disorders, Environment, Female, Humans, Internal-External Control, Interviews as Topic, Sex Factors, Stress, Psychological, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Climate Change
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