Harvard study claims climate change has negative effects on mental health

A new study published in Nature on Jan. 15 by Harvard researchers and scientists from the University of Chicago, Oxford University, and Yale University claims that slower-moving climate change factors have a negative impact on mental health.

According to The Harvard Crimson, previous research focused on short-term disasters, but the researchers claim this is the "first comprehensive look at mental health and these slower moving climate change factors."

During the study, researchers used participant testimonials to determine "how people are struggling with worries about their future, and the impact of specific ecosystems on communities that rely very intimately on those ecosystems," Christy A. Denckla, professor at T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a co-author on the paper said.

The paper notes that worrying, grief, and frustration are emotions that are elicited when asked by researchers about chronic climate change.

However, Harvard Professor Karestan C. Koenen told the outlet there is a lack of research in areas most affected by climate change. "The countries that are most affected by climate change are the least studied,” he said, and most of the research is based in the US.

Denckla said she believes the effects of climate change on public health are "going to be one of the most important interventions and factors for consideration in addressing the association between mental health and climate change.” She added, "We can think about individual psychotherapy as one approach, but to really address the population health impact, the solutions need to come at the population health level."

In recent years organizations have been stoking the fear of the climate crisis. At the 2023, World Economic Forum summit in Davos Swiss scientist Johan Rockström claimed, "We are now facing something deeper, mass extinction."

A Canadian study in 2020 revealed that young people believe climate change to be the most serious issue facing their country.

Denckla claimed the solution is "an all hands on deck challenge" and "must come from all sectors: private, public, academic."