By: Alaa Emara

Humans began to notice the effects of changes in the surrounding environment on their physical health a long time ago. With the exacerbation of global warming and the impact of high temperature on people on Earth, these effects have extended to their mental health. This was confirmed by a report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2022; it indicated that there is a close relationship between climate change and mental health that hinders the daily life of millions of people around the world.

Multiple Forms

Climate change may increase or decrease the global average temperature; in our era, we are facing an increase and that is why we call it “the era of global warming”. In July 2023, Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres stated that "the era of global boiling has arrived" due to the dramatic rise in temperatures that the world is witnessing. High temperatures cause an increased rate of mental health disorders due to several direct or indirect reasons, including:

1. Spread of Infectious Diseases

Climate change helps awaken and spread diseases around the world, such as: malaria and dengue fever. These serious diseases affect people and cause exhausting physical symptoms that may also extend to their mental health for struggling with their illness.

2. Air Pollution

Climate change is leading to an increased level of air pollutants; thus, decreasing air quality. Accordingly, it negatively affects brain health, increases levels of stress and anxiety, and causes several physical diseases.

3. Extreme Weather Event

Climate change is causing some frequent and extreme weather events, such as floods, hurricanes, droughts, and heavy rains; people living through these can witness serious injury or death. As a result, they experience psychological distress and may develop more serious mental health problems. They can be exposed to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, homelessness, job loss, or vulnerability of food supply.

More Vulnerable Groups

Some groups of people are more vulnerable to climate change than others, including:

• Those already struggling with their mental health could be more affected by increased temperature and humidity.
• People of color who are more likely to live in areas with high temperature and heavy pollution, are at risk.
• Indigenous people of some areas could be forced to migrate due to climate change, leading to a persistent worry and thoughts of relocation.
• Older adults are more vulnerable to social isolation than others.

Nostalgia, Anxiety, and Sadness

The exacerbation of climate change effects has led to a connection between the environmental setting and emotional arousal, so new terms appeared, such as:

• Solastalgia: as opposed to nostalgia—melancholia or homesickness—solastalgia is the distress that is produced by environmental change impacting on people while they are directly connected to their home environment.
• Eco-anxiety: distress caused by climate change where people are becoming anxious about their future.
• Ecological Grief: sadness some people experience due to losing parts of their surrounding environment or the occurrence of sudden changes due to climate change.

Is There an Actual Interest?

Linking mental health to climate change is relatively new, and is often overlooked by several countries. A 2021 World Health Organization (WHO) survey of 95 countries examined the overall progress of governments in the field of health. It found that only nine countries have thus far included mental health in their national health and climate change plans. 

Despite the negative effects of climate change on mental health, many people do not realize that there is a link between them. People may need some awareness campaigns to spread health and environmental awareness, and lead them to seek help from mental health care professionals.