Who is affected by climate change? And what is the relationship between climate change and mental health?

Climate change is a daunting topic, but remember the world is not on your shoulders—addressing the climate crisis is up to all of us. Focusing on your mental health in the context of climate change is essential.

Climate change and mental health go hand in hand. A changing, unstable world can create a great deal of stress, anxiety, dread, frustration, and other difficult emotional experiences. On top of this chronic sense of danger, mental health can be severely impacted after experiencing a climate change-related natural disaster such as a super-storm, blistering heat wave, severe drought, or flooding.

While we don’t often talk about these topics together, understanding the impact of climate change on mental health can go a long way in preserving wellbeing in the midst of a crisis.

While everyone is impacted by climate change, there are certain communities that are disproportionately affected. We’ve outlined some here.

COMMUNITIES OF COLOR:

Systemic racism impacts all areas of life, and climate change is no different. Environmental racism is a form of systemic racism in which communities of color are harmed by environmental policy-making. For example, certain practices often place communities of color in close proximity to toxic waste, leading to health hazards. The 2014-2019 Flint, Michigan water crisis is one such example of environmental racism. Additionally, when communities of color are not properly supported by natural disaster relief efforts, they are faced with more devastating physical and emotional outcomes from these disasters.

INDIVIDUALS LIVING IN POVERTY:

With fewer resources to escape or recover from climate disasters, those who live in poverty are often severely impacted and left out of relief efforts. Additionally, practices that harm the environment often take place within low-income communities, thus harming the individuals who live there. In a nutshell, the climate crisis is widening the gap between those who are highly resourced and therefore better able to protect themselves from fallout and those who are not.

THE DISABLED COMMUNITY:

Individuals with disabilities are among the most adversely impacted by climate change-related emergencies because, for example, crises can be difficult or impossible to escape when rescue services are only set up to accommodate those who are able-bodied. Another example: banning plastic straws, although intended to thwart environmental damage, does not consider those who cannot use cups. The term eco-ableism is used to describe this kind of discrimination.

THE LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY:

Higher unemployment, inadequate living conditions, and related social stigma can leave those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual community more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Natural disasters, rising temperatures, and polluted air all have a greater impact on those who experience housing instability due to LGBTQIA+ discrimination.

WOMEN:

Globally, climate change impacts women more than men. International research shows that the equality gap between men and women is widened by climate change, as workloads become bigger for women, education services become more limited, occupational hazards increase, and higher mortality occurs among women due to climate change. Women represent the majority of the people living in poverty globally, which limits their access to resources needed during a climate crisis.

YOUNG PEOPLE:

Research shows that mental health concerns about climate change among youth have significantly risen and that climate anxiety is a major concern for many young people today. This might be because younger folks have received more messages about climate change than older generations and/or because they are the ones who will live the longest with the consequences of climate change.

Source: thementalhealthcoalition.org