Climate change and mental health report

Climate change is one of the most significant threats to health security and societal wellbeing. It is intensifying environmental hazards such as flooding, heatwaves, wildfires, and droughts, and is influencing the spread of infectious diseases. Even under optimistic decarbonisation scenarios, warming will continue until at least mid-century, and risks for health are expected to increase in the absence of adaptation interventions. These changes are reshaping the landscape of public health, making climate one of the defining contexts in which we must now protect communities from both environmental and infectious disease threats.

The health impacts of climate change are well known and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)’s ‘Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK’ report published in 2023 outlined how climate change is impacting on health in the UK. One of the main pathways by which climate change impacts health is through changing weather patterns, including more frequent and severe weather events such as heatwaves and flooding. The ‘Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK’ report found that the greatest health impact of flooding is on mental health and highlighted a wider gap on understanding how climate change impacts mental health outcomes.

This report builds on that work to synthesise the growing evidence base on climate change and mental health. It is a direct response to calls from local authorities, government partners, civil society, industry and other partners for evidence to support policy and action. It considers the varied pathways by which climate change and adverse weather can affect mental health, who is at greatest risk, and what interventions are effective. The report is an important step forward, highlighting key findings and implications for policy, not only within the health and care sector but across sectors such as education, environment, housing, emergency response, insurance and justice.

This report is part of a programme of UKHSA activities under the National Adaptation Programme aimed at synthesising the evidence base on the health effects of climate change. Our Centre for Climate and Health Security, launched in 2022, provides leadership and coordination to protect the health of the UK population from emerging risks associated with climate change. Findings from this current report will provide the case for action to support interventions and targeted action to protect mental health in the UK in a changing climate.

The report finds that the evidence on the mental health impacts of climate change is wide ranging, including increases in depression, anxiety and suicide. The impacts will not be felt equally among the population, with certain groups such as farmers, those who depend on the land, and children and young people particularly at risk. Addressing these interconnected risks requires urgent, coordinated action across health systems, policy, and society, but there is much we can do to minimise the adverse health impacts from climate change on mental health. We hope that this report provides the basis for further action to protect population health.