By Ketan Tamirisa, SBHA Board Member and Youth Advisory Council member.
The following reflects Ketan’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions.
The air outside turns hazy orange. Wildfire smoke pervades the air, suffocating those who dare to breathe. The air tastes like ash, and smoke quickly starts to rise. What seems like a scene from your average horror movie is actually an everyday reality for people across the country, like the raging wildfires that light California’s skies, the tornadoes tearing through the Midwest, or the hurricanes wiping communities along the Gulf Coast.
Due to increasing temperatures and climate change, natural disasters are worsening. But it’s not just the disaster itself; it’s also the effect climate change has on youth. Climate change isn’t just about hotter air or rising sea levels. For youth like us, it’s about the anxiety that comes with every weather alert. It’s grief after watching our hometowns flood or forests disappear. It’s a deep fear rooted in the uncertainty of a future that increasingly feels out of our control.
Climate change affects our minds as much as it affects our environment. From increasing rates of climate-related natural disasters like hurricanes, wildfires, and floods, to prolonged heat waves and poor air quality, the impact on our mental health is growing. Extreme heat is linked to increased agitation, violence, and emergency mental health visits [1] [2] [3] . Eco-anxiety, a chronic fear of environmental doom, is also becoming more common, particularly among teens and young adults[4]. Studies show that eco-anxiety often impairs youth’s daily functioning[5]. And for those living in under-resourced communities, these stressors hit even harder and more disproportionately.
Despite these effects, there is still a lack of literature and action specifically addressing the mental health impact of climate change on youth. That needs to change.
Action must be taken to mitigate the long-term harm climate change inflicts on young people. School-based health centers (SBHCs), which often serve as a front-line defense for both physical and emotional well-being, need to begin integrating climate-aware mental health strategies into their care. Counselors should be trained to recognize and talk about eco-anxiety and equipped with the resources to help students who are struggling. Peer support systems should be established in schools to create safe spaces for students to process climate grief. SBHC providers should use screening tools that include climate-specific mental health stressors.
So, what can you do?
Whether you’re a student, educator, health worker, or community member, you can start by understanding and spreading awareness about the link between climate change and youth mental health. Speak up. Ask your SBHC or school staff if they offer support for climate-related stress. Join, or start, a club that focuses on climate and mental health. Advocate for school systems to use mental health screening tools that include questions about eco-anxiety and climate trauma.
Health workers can receive training in youth-centered strategies to address eco-anxiety. Educators can incorporate climate wellness into curricula. And everyone can vote, advocate, and push for green infrastructure supporting environmental and mental health.
Remember, young people aren’t just victims of the climate crisis – we’re leaders, advocates, and healers. But to act, we need support. Youth struggling with mental health due to climate-related stress should be empowered to speak up. We can begin by lobbying for green policies in our school districts, advocating for more substantial mental health resources, and working with SBHCs to build climate-based literacy, implement trauma-informed care, and shape narratives of hope.
Our future and our feelings are connected. It’s time we start treating the climate crisis not just as an environmental issue, but as a mental health emergency, too. The sooner we act, the sooner we can prevent further harm and build a greener, healthier future.
- Shalchi H. Excessive heat and its impact on mental health. Baylor College of Medicine. Published July 24, 2023. https://www.bcm.edu/news/excessive-heat-and-its-impact-on-mental-health
- Karim M, Alamgir H. High temperatures on mental health: Recognizing the association and the need for proactive strategies—A perspective. Health science reports. 2023;6(12). doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.1729
- Extreme heat linked to increase in mental health emergency care. ScienceDaily. ttps://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220223111307.htm
- How Climate Change Anxiety Affects Young Adults. Newport Institute. Published August 5, 2020. https://www.newportinstitute.com/resources/mental-health/climate-change-anxiety/
- Schmidt C. Climate Anxiety | Harvard Medicine Magazine. magazine.hms.harvard.edu. Published 2023. https://magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/climate-anxiety