Earlier scientific assessments have found that communities that rely on the natural environment for sustenance and livelihood, as well as populations living in areas most susceptible to specific climate change events, face an increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes. These findings are applicable to the indigenous communities of the Eastern Himalayas, who are at a higher risk of hardship from impacts like flooding because of pre-existing socioeconomic vulnerability, history of exploitation and conflicts, and social stigma. 

Despite insignificant contributions to the accumulation of greenhouse gases, indigenous people are among the first to face the direct impacts of warming. These communities are proudly connected to the natural world and biological diversity is celebrated in their art and music. Loss of forest cover, decline of native biodiversity and proliferation of invasive vegetation, and the consequent loss of indigenous food sources have emerged as direct threats to the food security of forest or fringe forest dwellers dependent on natural resources for sustenance.

It must be mentioned that the latest State of Forest Report showed a further decrease in the area under forest cover across the northeast region, despite an overall increase for India, in continuation of a declining trend since 2009. Compounding the problem is rampant encroachment, with 60% of India’s encroached forest areas located in the northeast, and Assam again being the worst affected.

Personally, I believe that ensuring indigenous people can access traditional foods in the face of warming impacts is climate justice. Most food, medicines, and ingredients for traditional liquor are derived from the native vegetation, and preserved according to traditions passed down from one generation to the next. These are important to their cultural identity and societal fabric, but also vital for health and well-being, affecting personal immunity, community resilience, and fulfillment. 
 
Indigenous peoples are vital to creating a dynamic adaptation and mitigation pathway and there are many examples of how different communities interpret and react to the impacts of climate change, drawing on traditional knowledge and other technologies to find creative solutions which may help society at large to cope with impending changes. Traditional ways of preserving food, like smoking or fermentation, practised by indigenous communities are perhaps the best insurance for their food security, and mental and physical health in times of disasters. Planning for the future should include enhancement and support for the adaptive capacity of indigenous peoples integrated with disaster preparation, land-use planning, environmental conservation, physical and mental health support, and sustainable development strategies. 
 
At the camps for the flood-affected, the elderly people are despondent about a lifetime spent fighting poverty and hunger, but the children must be mentally readied to fight a system that fails to address their basic human development aspirations. Considering the vulnerabilities of the Eastern Himalayas, it is imperative for policy-makers to integrate mental health into the agenda for proactive mitigation responses during climate-induced disasters. 

Developed countries like the USA and Japan have incorporated mental health elements like the deployment of psychiatric teams, nutritional advisories, and help centres into the protocol for emergency responses. Countries of the Global South could leverage their experiences in crisis preparedness for an integrated global system in highly vulnerable areas like the Eastern Himalayas. The government must strive to ensure the opportunity to overcome the protracted effect of climate change on mental health for an equitable and sustainable future. 

The empowerment of community leaders is important and hopefully, these marooned children growing up on the roads will someday represent India in global fora to negotiate the allocation of climate funds for the region. Conspicuously absent from global climate negotiations are indigenous people representatives from India, particularly from the Eastern Himalayas, despite being among the worst affected. Finally, the deliverance of climate justice, like all other aspects, is tied to climate finance, and it should be our endeavour to have representation from the affected indigenous communities in these negotiations for the allocation of funds to the region.