From post-disaster traumas to anxiety about the future, people around the world are grappling with the impacts of climate change on mental health – so much so that the term “eco-anxiety” has gained popularity in the last few years.
There are two distinct but connected ways that climate change can affect mental health. First, people can experience psychological responses to direct exposure to the consequences of climate change, such as living through a disaster. The other way that climate change can affect mental health is through indirect exposure – such as watching a disaster unfold from afar or reading about a dire new scientific report.