IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 259 

Promoting youth mental health and well-being in a changing climate. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 27, 2023 

Mr. THOMPSON of California (for himself and Ms. CASTOR of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Promoting youth mental health and well-being in a changing 

climate. 

Whereas there is a significant, negative impact that a rapid 

and ongoing changing climate has on youth in the United 

States; 

Whereas youth are especially vulnerable to the physical and 

mental health impacts of climate-related disasters and 

the cumulative toll youth will endure from additional exposure to increasing climate-related disasters; 

Whereas youth represent a particularly vulnerable group because greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere will 

impact today’s and tomorrow’s youth throughout their biological, psychological, academic, and social development; 


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•HRES 259 IH 

Whereas an American Psychological Association and 

ecoAmerica report stated that, as of 2016, as climate-related disasters continue to increase, more youth will be 

directly affected by increasing rates of stress and trauma 

through interruption in schooling, disruptions in routine, 

separation from caregivers due to evacuations or displacement, and parental stress after a disaster; 

Whereas recent studies cited in the American Psychological 

Association and ecoAmerica report have documented that 

high levels of stress during childhood, such as those associated with the experience of a climate-related disaster or 

displacement, can affect the development of neural pathways in ways that impair memory, executive function, 

and decision making in later life; 

Whereas a 2016 Social Science and Medicine study found 

that experiencing an extreme weather event before age 5 

resulted in higher levels of anxiety and depression among 

adults; 

Whereas recent studies confirm individuals from low-income 

communities, indigenous communities, and communities 

of color are often the most vulnerable to the worst impacts of a changing climate, such as flooding, drought, 

fire, and extreme heat; 

Whereas a study by the American Public Health Association 

and ecoAmerica entitled, ‘‘Making the Connection: Climate Changes Mental Health’’, shows that up to 45 percent of youth have developed depression after a climaterelated disaster, affecting both their caregivers and the 

youth themselves; 


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Whereas a National Library of Medicine study found an association between increases in pediatric psychiatrist visits 

and polluted air from wildfires; 

Whereas there are direct links between fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) exposure and neuropsychological effects, 

such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, decreased memory, depleted academic performance, and autism; 

Whereas, according to a 2017 report by the Lancet Planetary 

Health Journal, ‘‘The Impact of Climate Change on 

Youth Depression and Mental Health’’, an increase in 

emergency department visits was incited by higher levels 

of humidity and rising temperatures; 

Whereas, in 2021, 64 percent of individuals in the United 

States lived in places that experienced a multi-day heat 

wave, considered the most dangerous form of climate-related disaster; 

Whereas the frequency and intensity of climate-related disasters is increasing exponentially; 

Whereas a 2019 report suggested that as the frequency of 

heat waves increases due to the changing climate, schoolbased outdoor recreational opportunities for youth that 

benefit mental and physical well-being will be curtailed by 

extreme heat; 

Whereas, in 2020, a poll from the Washington Post-Kaiser 

Family Foundation found that 57 percent of teenagers 

stated they were frightened by climate change, while 52 

percent were angered by it and a mere 29 percent of 

youth were optimistic for the future; 

Whereas, according to a 2021 study surveying over 10,000 

youth, 45 percent of respondents reported that thoughts 


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of climate change have affected their daily lives and abilities negatively; 

Whereas, in 2021, the National Association of School Psychologists, representing more than 25,000 members, declared the need to increase awareness of the harmful effects of climate change on youth, increase resources, and 

advocate for climate justice; 

Whereas the American Psychological Association has issued a 

report stating that children are among the individuals in 

the United States facing the greatest impacts of climate 

change; 

Whereas the National Scientific Council on the Developing 

Child has concluded that children and youth fare better 

during adversity if they also have the help of noncaregiver role models, such as teachers or coaches; and 

Whereas the World Health Organization acknowledges that 

mental health isn’t just the absence of mental health disorders, but also encompasses the human capacity to cope 

with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well 

and work well, and contribute to their community: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) shall take effective action on climate 

3 change, guided by the science provided in the 2021 

4 United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 

5 Change report, to protect the mental health and 

6 well-being of current and future youth; and 

7 (2) supports the expansion of funding for cli8 mate education, resilience, and adaptation projects 


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1 that benefit the mental health and well-being of 

2 youth, including— 

3 (A) incorporating trauma-informed ap4 proaches to mental health into existing disaster 

5 preparation efforts; 

6 (B) engaging in education and outreach to 

7 reduce the stigma associated with seeking treat8 ment; 

9 (C) reducing cost and increasing access for 

10 treatment (such as through Federally qualified 

11 health centers and mobile and virtual health 

12 care); 

13 (D) increasing insurance and reimburse14 ment under the Medicare program under title 

15 XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

16 1395 et seq.) and the Medicaid program under 

17 title XIX of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) 

18 for mental health care treatment; 

19 (E) funding community-wide vulnerability 

20 assessments; 

21 (F) addressing inequity by studying the 

22 impacts of income disparity at local levels that 

23 have been linked to higher community-wide vul24 nerability to climate risk; 


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1 (G) expanding local, place-based, mutual 

2 aid networks that supply mental health support 

3 during and post climate-related disaster events 

4 and proactively promote mental and emotional 

5 resilience; and 

6 (H) providing direct funding to school dis7 tricts that need immediate resources to help 

8 children and families cope with the mental 

9 health effects of continued climate-related disas10 ters. 

Æ 


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