How Climate Impacts Mental Health: Opportunities for Co-Benefits
Scientists and medical professionals have identified climate change as “the greatest threat to global public health.” Warming average temperatures and extreme weather events have extensive effects on all aspects of our health, but awareness of the intersection between climate and mental health specifically is growing.
There are many mechanisms through which climate can affect mental health. For example, direct impacts can exacerbate mental distress and contribute to sleep disturbance, substance use, depression, and violence. More indirect impacts of climate change such as economic loss, conflict, and displacement can also negatively impact mental health. Furthermore, it is increasingly common for people to report mental distress regarding the “existential threat of long-lasting changes…and a permanently altered and potentially uninhabitable physical environment.”
Terms have been created to describe the unique feelings that arise from living in a climate crisis (see eco-anxiety, solastalgia, pre-traumatic stress disorder, ecological grief). Such feelings have been described as a form of disenfranchised grief, meaning they are not typically acknowledged by society as an acceptable or legitimate response, which creates barriers to care. This is likely because some effects of climate change are experienced slowly and/or vicariously, and industry and politicians have normalized and minimized the severity of the climate crisis. Meanwhile, some are reluctant to pathologize eco-emotions and call for them to be treated as a natural and rational response to the global circumstances.
Emotional responses to climate change are complex and can include elements of shock, fear, sadness, despair, confusion, shame, helplessness, grief, exhaustion, anxiety, anger, and more. Climate-related extreme events have been found to be associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, phobias, panic, sleep disorders, attachment disorders, and substance abuse. Exposure to environmental stress early in life can have long-term consequences for mental health throughout life.
It is difficult to know the prevalence of climate-related mental health conditions due to lack of agreed upon standards and definitions. However, some recent studies have been conducted to gain understanding in this area. For direct impacts from acute events, it has been estimated that between 25 and 50% of those exposed to extreme weather events experience negative mental health outcomes. People that are younger, of lower socioeconomic status, have less education, history of mental illness, inadequate support systems, or were exposed to the death of a loved one are at higher risk.
In terms of more chronic eco-emotions, one study of 50 children ages 10-12 found that “82% expressed fear, sadness, and anger when discussing their feelings about environmental problems” and “a majority shared apocalyptic and pessimistic feelings about the future state of the planet.” In another study of 10,000 children and young people in 10 countries, 45% of respondents reported feelings about climate change negatively affecting their daily life and functioning. Climate distress was most evident in countries already experiencing extensive physical impacts of climate change such as the flooding in the Philippines.
The widespread prevalence of eco-anxiety and related emotions is concerning. Fortunately, the climate crisis and accompanying mental health burden share a solution—drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Since we are already locked into a certain amount of warming, however, it is important to investigate protective factors and interventions for the mental health impacts of climate change. One study that surveyed 12-year-old children in Sweden identified three main coping mechanisms to deal with climate change: problem-focused coping (researching the problem and finding concrete solutions), meaning-focused coping (drawing on beliefs and values to evoke positive feelings that can help bear the worry associated with the threat of climate change), and de-emphasizing the seriousness of climate change (avoidance, denial). Meaning-focused coping was associated with not only environmental engagement, but also more purpose and optimism, and higher well-being despite serious concerns about climate change. It has been suggested that development of positive images of the future can help youth with meaning-focused coping.
Another study investigated the different outcomes of eco-anxiety, eco-depression, and eco-anger and found that experiencing eco-anger predicted increased climate action and lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. The authors suggest that anger over the injustice of climate change is an adaptive response that “promotes pro-climate behavior change while preserving mental health.”
Other interventions that have been explored include climate-aware cognitive therapy, body awareness exercises, grief-focused strategies, creative and artistic expression, dream discussions, community conversations, and promoting connection with nature. Structural and population-level factors such as social capital, sense of community, government assistance, resource access, and mental health literacy are also immensely important to adaptation capacity. It is vital to integrate mental health into climate change policy.
It would be remiss to only discuss negative emotions brought up by climate change. Climate factors can influence a vast array of emotions—whether they be traditionally viewed as “negative” or “positive.” For example, positive eco-emotions related to surprise, joy, empowerment, excitement, determination, motivation, togetherness, belonging, love, care, empathy, and compassion have been identified and discussed in the literature. There is also evidence that climate action and community-based interventions can offer psychological protection to the mental health toll of climate change and promote these adaptive feelings.
It is powerful to understand that mental health interventions can benefit the climate and vice versa. Acknowledging how deeply our mental health is intertwined with the health of our environments will be beneficial on multiple levels. Care for our planet and care for our psychological wellbeing have such significant overlap that acting on one inevitably heals the other as well.
