The climate crisis is also a mental health threat

Research increasingly indicates that psychiatric patients could be more vulnerable to heat impacts. Additionally, a 2021 study revealed that higher temperatures, especially at night, lead to poor quality sleep. And another recent report, on future impacts of climate change, says post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after extreme weather events such as flooding is projected to become one of the worst health impact of the climate crisis by 2050

We need to tackle the perception of climate change as divorced from emotional and psychological reactions. The American Psychology Association (APA) describes eco-anxiety as “the chronic fear of environmental cataclysm that comes from observing the seemingly irrevocable impact of climate change and the associated concern for one’s future and that of next generations”. In a 2021 Lancet survey of 10,000 people aged 16-25 in 10 countries, nearly 60% of respondents were highly worried about the climate crisis, and more than 45% said their feelings about the climate crisis affected their daily lives, such as their ability to work or sleep.

Though the climate crisis affects us all, the burden of the climate breakdown is disproportionately borne by our most underserved, marginalised communities, which worsens already widespread inequality. It has become increasingly clear that climate change intensifies mental health issues experienced by people, such as PTSD, depression, anxiety and substance abuse, especially as extreme weather events increase in frequency and tenor. The ongoing crisis exacerbates social inequality across the world as they disproportionately impact vulnerable people, fragile health systems, and poor countries. Those at heightened risk are people with prior experiences of deprivation, mental health issues, women (particularly pregnant or postnatal) and children. The mental health impacts of the climate crisis are, and will continue to be, unequally distributed globally, and those anticipated to bear the brunt of these impacts include people living in ecologically-sensitive areas, resource-dependent populations (farmers, fisherfolk, Indigenous peoples), people with pre-existing health conditions and stressors and people with limited resources and ability to respond.

We can still turn this situation around. Policies to reduce GHG emissions and adapt to climate change can improve living conditions and have both direct and indirect benefits on mental health. For example, better public transportation systems ensure better access to job opportunities and amenities, reducing stress and inequalities. Neighbourhoods with green spaces experience smaller heat impacts, and also have access to space for active mobility and socialising — both of which contribute to better mental health. Improved building efficiency reduces the costs of energy bills, and reduces stress on poorer communities and protects them from the vagaries of energy costs. The Parques del Rio Norte project in northern Medellín, Columbia, is a prime example as it protects low-income communities from flooding, boosts green space per capita, and reduces greenhouse emissions, promoting mental health and wellbeing.

Ending with a story of hope, the thinning of the ozone layer was the climate crisis problem of its day, but collective action succeeded in reducing the emissions of ozone-depleting gases by more than 99%. The fight against the climate crisis is a fight for optimism and while anger and a sense of defeat seem valid and must be acknowledged, we must leave room for meaningful action for our collective future.

Shruti Narayan is managing director (Regions and Mayoral Engagement), C40. With inputs from Nivida Chandra, pyschologist and researcher. The views expressed are personal