Mental health has become an overlooked casualty in the ongoing debate about climate change. While we focus on the tangible losses – wildfires, rising seas, and extreme weather – the silent impact on our mental well-being often goes unnoticed.
The time has come for us to face the question: Is the changing climate influencing our mental health in unseen ways?
Mental toll of extreme weather
Extreme weather events and relentless heatwaves not only threaten the environment but also place immense strain on mental health.
Communities across the globe are confronting the harsh reality of more frequent flooding from stronger storms and enduring seemingly endless days of triple-digit temperatures. The mental strain of these climate-driven events can be as intense as the heat itself.
This critical issue has drawn the attention of a dedicated team at Tulane University , who have been awarded $1 million from the National Academy of Sciences’ Gulf Research Program.
The mission is to uncover how climate-induced factors may be affecting mental health outcomes in five vulnerable southern states: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.