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; 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 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 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, school-based 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 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 That the House of Representatives— (1) shall take effective action on climate change, guided by the science provided in the 2021 United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, to protect the mental health and well-being of current and future youth; and (2) supports the expansion of funding for climate education, resilience, and adaptation projects that benefit the mental health and well-being of youth, including— (A) incorporating trauma-informed approaches to mental health into existing disaster preparation efforts; (B) engaging in education and outreach to reduce the stigma associated with seeking treatment; (C) reducing cost and increasing access for treatment (such as through Federally qualified health centers and mobile and virtual health care); (D) increasing insurance and reimbursement under the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq. 42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq. (E) funding community-wide vulnerability assessments; (F) addressing inequity by studying the impacts of income disparity at local levels that have been linked to higher community-wide vulnerability to climate risk; (G) expanding local, place-based, mutual aid networks that supply mental health support during and post climate-related disaster events and proactively promote mental and emotional resilience; and (H) providing direct funding to school districts that need immediate resources to help children and families cope with the mental health effects of continued climate-related disasters.

Summary: This resolution expresses the House of Representative's resolve to take effective action on climate change to protect the mental health and well-being of current and future youth. It also supports the expansion of funding for climate education, resilience, and climate adaptation projects that benefit their mental health and well-being.