The Climate-Mind Connection: Exploring Psychosocial Risks In A Polluted World
- IJLLR Journal
- 6 days ago
- 1 min read
Jithin George, Christ (Deemed to be University)
Vijaishree Dubey Pandey, Christ (Deemed to be University)
ABSTRACT
Climate change is reconfiguring the occupational safety and health (OSH) landscape at an unprecedented pace, creating overlapping physical, ecological, and psychosocial hazards. This article employs the One Health framework to examine the nexus between ambient air pollution, climate- induced occupational risks, and the psychosocial well-being of workers in India, with particular focus on the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR). Drawing on a cross-sectional empirical survey of Delhi workers, relevant Indian legislation, and an analysis of landmark constitutional and environmental jurisprudence, the article demonstrates that chronic exposure to particulate matter (PM) and other air contaminants generates measurable neuropsychological harm, including burnout, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and diminished cognitive performance. The article argues that the existing statutory framework anchored by the Factories Act 1948, the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020, the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981, and the Environment (Protection) Act 1986 is insufficiently integrated to address the compound psychosocial dimensions of climate-related occupational hazards. An intersectional analysis reveals that gender, immigration status, socioeconomic vulnerability, and organisational culture operate as powerful multipliers of exposure and harm. The article concludes by proposing an interdisciplinary, One Health-aligned policy architecture that places mental health explicitly within OSH regulatory frameworks, and calls for enhanced judicial and legislative action grounded in Articles 21, 48A, and 51A(g) of the Constitution of India.
Keywords: Climate change; occupational safety and health; air pollution; psychosocial risks; One Health; Delhi NCR; Indian environmental law; mental health; Articles 21 and 48A; OSH Code 2020
