ADVANCEMENT OF THE PRACTICE
DIRECT FROM ecoAmerica
Weathering the Storm: Climate Change and the Mental Health of Children
Nicole Hill, MPH
Ben Fulgencio- Turner, MPP
polluted air increases the risk of poor men- tal health outcomes such as depression and anxiety (Latham et al., 2021; Lu, 2020; Trom- bley, 2023). Environmental health professionals can play a key role to help support the men- tal health of children in the face of climate change. Just as climate change impacts chil- dren and youth in many ways, there is also a wide range of ways that environmental health professionals can act. Some of these ways include: 1.Education and Awareness: Many edu- cational resources are available, whether they are for yourself or for a young person in your life. The American Public Health Association (2020) created a Climate and Health Youth Education Toolkit designed for public health professionals. Connect- ing with and empowering high school students on climate change and health is a powerful way to use your experience as an environmental health professional. By educating yourself on the issue—such as completing the Climate for Health Ambassador Training (Climate for Health, n.d.)—you can help build awareness and encourage your colleagues to get involved in taking action, too. 2.Risk Assessment: Environmental health professionals who assess the risk of air pollution, flood waters, and other envi- ronmental hazards are already taking action on climate change. If the risks to children’s mental health are not already being evaluated, making sure they are included in risk assessments could help understand the severity of the impacts. This process starts with conversations with your colleagues and other partners
Editor’s Note: The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) strives to provide up-to-date and relevant information on environmental health and to build partnerships in the profession. In pursuit of these goals, we feature this column from ecoAmerica whose mission is to build public support and political resolve for climate solutions. We are an ocial partner of ecoAmerica and we work closely with their Climate for Health Program, a coalition of health leaders committed to caring for our climate to care for our health. The conclusions in this column are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the ocial position of NEHA. Nicole Hill is the research and marketing manager for ecoAmerica. Ben Fulgencio-Turner is the director of Climate for Health within ecoAmerica.
C hildren today live in a complex world with numerous stressors on their mental health and well-being. From living through the COVID-19 pandemic and its far-reaching impacts to gun violence in schools, racism, and threats to civil and human rights and democracy, the uncer- tainties surrounding youth safety and secu- rity are growing. Our climate continues to change at an alarming rate. Between 2011–2020, tem- peratures increased 1.1 °C above what they were between 1850–1900 (Intergovernmen- tal Panel on Climate Change, 2023). This change has translated into hot summer days, poor air quality, and severe storms, often- times occurring at the same time in dier- ent areas of the country. In July 2023, the world experienced some of its hottest days on record (Feedman, 2023). These changes have immediate physical health impacts on children, including but
not limited to injury, asthma, waterborne and vectorborne diseases, heatstroke, and malnu- trition (Clayton et al., 2021). The impacts of climate change on mental health are, in some ways, even more con- cerning, beginning as early as in utero with ongoing exposure increasing the impacts. Research suggests that exposure to envi- ronmental stressors in utero might increase the risk of cognitive dysfunction in children (Vergunst & Berry, 2022). Another study shows an increase in mental health outcomes such as anxiety and depression among chil- dren who were in utero during Hurricane Sandy (Nomura et al., 2023). Children and youths who experience traumatic events such as extreme weather or wildfires may suer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression. Many young people face “climate anxiety,” which is a chronic fear of climate or environmental-related doom. Further, research shows that exposure to
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Volume 86 • Number 3
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