Climate change is negatively affecting the mental health and emotional wellbeing of people around the world. The literature shows that:
- There is a clear relationship between increased temperatures and number of suicides;
- There is clear evidence for severe distress following extreme weather events;
- People who meet criteria for mental illness are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change on physical as well as mental health;
- The climate crisis threatens to disrupt the provision of care for people with a mental illness diagnosis;
- Climate change exacerbates mental distress, particularly among young people, even for individuals who are not directly affected (e.g. ‘eco-anxiety’).
These impacts:
- Will get worse without meaningful interventions, driving and exacerbating health and social inequalities which themselves worsen mental health;
- Are currently ‘hidden costs’, unaccounted for in policy and planning;
- Are likely to be vastly underestimated as despite the serious effects, this has been a neglected area of research
The warming planet is worsening mental illness and distress. Researchers need to work out the scale of the problem and how those who need assistance can be helped.
Nearly one billion people worldwide — including one in seven teenagers — have a mental disorder. A growing body of research suggests that climate change is worsening people’s mental health and emotional well-being. Acute heatwaves, droughts, floods and fires fuelled by climate change cause trauma, mental illness and distress. So can chronic effects of global warming, such as water and food insecurity, community breakdown and conflict, as we report in a News feature.
Surveys are revealing that experiencing the effects of climate change — and awareness of the threat — can lead to psychological responses such as a chronic fear of environmental doom, known as eco-anxiety. Eco-distress, climate anxiety and climate grief are other terms used. In a 2021 survey of 10,000 people aged 16–25 in 10 countries, nearly 60% of respondents were highly worried about climate change, and more than 45% said their feelings about climate change affected their daily lives, such as their ability to work or sleep
Such reactions to an existential threat are expected, and many people can handle these feelings on their own — but some need specialist help. Although there is anecdotal evidence that people with eco-anxiety are increasingly going to clinics, the psychological toll of climate change tends to be invisible — one reason why it has been neglected.
Researchers and governments need better ways to measure the wide-ranging extent of climate change’s effects on mental health. Data scientists, climate scientists and climate-attribution researchers, among others, should join mental-health researchers in furthering the underlying science. Mental-health professionals also need training and support to provide help. Mental illness is already underdiagnosed and stigmatized, and mental health care in most countries is shockingly insufficient. Climate change makes the case for addressing this crisis even more urgent.
There are win-win opportunities (co-benefits) for improving mental health and emotional wellbeing associated with taking actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a warming climate.
- Establish an international network including key stakeholders (e.g. government, healthcare systems, community groups, academics, emergency responders) to catalyse knowledge-sharing, target research efficiently, and identify and scale up successful interventions.
- Conduct robust, interdisciplinary and collaborative research to fully understand the true impact of climate change on mental health and emotional wellbeing.
- Ensure that the cost of climate change on mental health, and the multiple benefits of climate action are fully considered in the decision-making process.
- Prioritise successful climate mitigation and adaptation actions that have co-benefits for mental health and reducing social inequalities. Such actions could include: improving air quality, providing equitable access to nature and improving the energy efficiency of housing.
- Implement appropriate strategies to manage and reduce the severity of any negative mental health impacts when they do occur.
Download: The impact of climate change on mental health and emotional wellbeing: current evidence and implications for policy and practice [PDF]