The impact of climate crisis on mental health – a global perspective

Climate change has been a long-term ongoing global discussion. Since the mid-1800s, humans have contributed to the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the air. This causes global temperatures to rise, resulting in long-term changes to the climate. In 2015, almost every country in the world signed a document promising to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.

 Spared on by a new World Health Organization Policy brief, launched at the June 2022 Stockholm+50 Conference, it is only recently that the World Health Organization declared mental health a priority for action on climate change, urging countries to include mental health support in their response to the climate crisis. The brief concluded that climate change poses serious risks to mental health and well-being, a notion supported by Professor Mala Rao (Director, NIHR ARC NWL’s Ethnicity Health Unit, Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London).

 Supported by Dr Neil Jennings (Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the environment), Dr Emma Lawrence (the Institute of Global Health Innovation), and Richard Powell (Department of Primary Care and Public Health at Imperial College London), Professor Mala Rao guest edited a new special issue of the International Review of Psychiatry giving a global perspective on the impact of the climate crisis on mental health.

 Signs of climate breakdown are evident across the globe. From wildfires in the US and Europe to heatwaves in India and Pakistan and heavy rainfall in the UK, record-breaking extreme weather events are occurring in every continent and increasing in frequency and intensity. What is unexpected, however, is the speed with which global warming even at the current level of 1C is resulting in climate chaos. Contrary to earlier scientific forecasts that temperatures would rise to over 40C by 2050 in the UK, this record has already been reached by the summer of 2022, prompting leading climate scientists to warn that the future is already here. We are informed that climate breakdown is inevitable and global leaders acknowledge that they are scared, as avoiding the most catastrophic outcomes is the best we can now do.

"A growing body of evidence is demonstrating that the direct impacts of the climate chaos on mental health range from an increase in suicides and worsened outcomes for those with diagnosable mental health disorders to declining population mental health and wellbeing. Authors commenting from geographies as diverse as Bangladesh, South Africa, the Philippines and the Caribbean confirm that acute extreme weather events as well as chronic extreme climate events such as prolonged drought are associated with an increasing burden of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, extreme psychological stress and distress, substance use and suicidality in people of all ages groups."

The fact that climate change is the biggest threat to global public health was recognised more than a decade ago but carbon emissions have simply continued to increase. Estimations of the direct health effects of aspects of climate change such as heat stress, floods, air pollution, food insecurity and the spread of vector-borne disease demonstrate that the global burden of morbidity and mortality is also increasing steeply on every continent. But, despite the recognition that the mental health toll is likely to be as severe, few efforts have been made to quantify this burden, study its extended impact on society, forecast its effects on socio-economic trends of the future or to explore ways by which the negative impacts could be addressed and hope could be harnessed to ensure the best societal outcomes for the future.

Published on the 27 September 2022, this collection of research studies, commentaries and analyses aims to help remedy the gap, as it shines a light on this relatively neglected area of the health impacts of climate change. It brings together authors drawn from a uniquely broad range of backgrounds including mental and public health, climate and social sciences, the arts and young people’s networks, united in their ambition to emphasise the mental health impacts of climate change and encourage everyone to contribute to action.

“Not about us without us” – the feelings and hopes of climate-concerned young people around the world

Written by a group of twenty-three concerned young people from fifteen countries, this paper captures the feelings and hopes of young people around the world are often neglected in policymaking and research, with consequences for both their wellbeing and the effectiveness of humanity’s response to the climate crisis. Many of them are distressed by climate change’s impacts, the inaction of political and corporate leaders, the ways other people respond to their feelings, and the lack of support they have to share their feelings or get involved in meaningful climate related work.

A first-hand account of our deepest feelings, how these feelings affect our daily lives, the support we want to help us cope, and our hopes for a radically more compassionate future. The results are particularly relevant to policymakers, mental health professionals, journalists, educators, and people working with young people more widely.

Mental health professionals have roles supporting mitigation, preparation, and recovery in the global climate crisis. Caribbean mental health professionals support climate resilience through community engagement, disaster response, and research, by Michael H. Campbell and Natalie Greaves, is a commentary describes initiatives in the Caribbean to address climate-related threats to individuals and communities focussing on the role of mental health professionals in supporting community-based projects, regional public health disaster responses, and climate research.

To promote the launch of the special issue of the International Review of Psychiatry on the climate crisis and mental health, Professor Mala Rao, Dr Adrian James (President, Royal College Psychiatrists) and authors from around the world came together for a one-hour webinar where they highlighted key points from their collection of research studies, commentaries and analyses and delivered a call to action on how we can all help bridge the gap on the impact of climate crisis on mental health by joining forces with mental health professionals to help shape a more compassionate future.