Wildfires, extreme heatwaves, and floods are increasingly shaping how people experience the changing climate. Beyond their immediate physical and environmental consequences, these events can disrupt people’s sense of safety, stability, and overall wellbeing. Yet, mental health remains an aspect of climate-related impacts that is often overlooked. To fully understand and address the consequences of environmental changes, international efforts to protect the planet must also recognize mental wellbeing as an integral part of public health.

The Link Between Environment and Mental Health

The consensus on mental health has slightly changed in recent years. What once was seen as personal failures is now beginning to be recognized more systemically as a public health issue. As the climate crisis looms ever closer, anxieties about it rise, especially among youth. This phenomenon highlights the connection between mental wellbeing and our environment, but is far from the only one. 

Climate stability, healthy ecosystems, and a safe environment contribute to the mental health and wellbeing of communities. However, although the world increasingly recognizes environmental changes as a risk factor for mental health, the link remains under-researched. As a result, the two things are still often addressed separately. Environmental policies are still rarely evaluated based on their potential mental health impacts.

These impacts are—just like climate change—not equally felt. They most acutely hit vulnerable groups. Adults may be affected by pollution and poor environmental conditions. However,  children and adolescents are even more vulnerable. They may experience impaired cognitive development and an increased risk of mental disorders following early exposure to heat and hazardous substances found in pollutants. 

Meanwhile, communities living closely with nature and those that depend on nature for their livelihoods are more likely to experience psychological distress as a result of ecosystem degradation and the loss of livelihoods. Forcibly displaced people may also struggle with their mental health after leaving their homes due to disasters. And for low-income communities living closer to pollution with little to no access to mental healthcare, the risk is ever higher. 

Environmental Protection as a Foundation for Mental Health

It is essential that international conventions on hazardous chemicals and waste include risk factors in mental health. Conventions such as the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, Minamata Convention on Mercury, Rotterdam Convention, and Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal aim to reduce exposure to hazardous substances such as mercury, lead, pesticides, and other pollutants. Exposure to these substances can affect brain development and cognitive function, and may also increase the risk of suicide. Therefore, regulating chemicals and waste is important not only for environmental health but also for protecting mental health in the long term.

This connection is also evident in international agreements addressing climate change, biodiversity, and disaster risk reduction. Although their mental health impacts may not always be immediately apparent, agreements such as the Rio Conventions have the potential to reduce some of the risks. However, implementation remains uneven. Currently, mental health data are not yet routinely integrated into environmental policies and governance.

Moving Toward Integrated Environmental and Mental Health Policy

Still, we need something beyond environmental agreements. There must be practical mechanisms that connect environmental policy with mental health. This may involve shared indicators, implementation guidelines, and accountability systems that incorporate mental health into environmental management. Further research is essential to determine whether and how environmental policies lead to measurable improvements in mental health. So, dedicated funding is crucial. 

The way forward requires robust cross-sectoral collaboration, community participation, and continued research. Governments, the World Health Organization (WHO), environmental agencies, civil society organizations, and other relevant stakeholders need to develop and apply aligned guidelines and indicators. Meanwhile, vulnerable groups, in particular, require prompt and targeted approaches. As such, it is imperative to meaningfully involve them in the decision-making process. 

Ultimately, the approach must move beyond simply recognizing the connection between environmental and mental health toward genuine integration that is evidence-based, equitable, and accountable. After all, by considering mental health in environmental planning, funding, and evaluation, policies can provide more comprehensive protection for all people and the planet.

Editor: Nazalea Kusuma

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