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Whereas a National Library of Medicine study found an asso-
ciation between increases in pediatric psychiatrist visits 
and polluted air from wildfires; 
Whereas there are direct links between fine particulate mat-
ter (PM 2.5) exposure and neuropsychological effects, 
such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, de-
creased memory, depleted academic performance, and au-
tism; 
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 Americans lived in places 
that experienced a multiday heat wave, considered the 
most dangerous form of climate-related disaster and the 
frequency and intensity of climate-related disasters is in-
creasing exponentially; 
Whereas a 2019 report suggested that as the frequency of 
heat waves increases due to the climate crisis, 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 in regards to climate 
change; 
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 abili-
ties negatively; 
Whereas, in 2021, The National Association of School Psy-
chologists, representing more than 25,000 members, de-
clared the need to increase awareness of the harmful ef-
fects 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 those facing the 
greatest impacts of climate change; and 
Whereas the National Scientific Council on the Developing 
Child has concluded that children and youth are better 
off during adversity if they also have the help of noncare-
giver role models, such as teachers or coaches: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved, 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 of cur-
rent and future youth; and 
(2) supports the expansion of funding of cli-
mate education, resilience, and adaptation projects 
that benefit the mental health of youth, including— 
(A) incorporating mental health into exist-
ing disaster preparation efforts; 
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(B) engaging in education and outreach to 
reduce the stigma associated with seeking treat-
ment; 
(C) reducing cost and increasing access for 
treatment (e.g., through federally qualified 
health centers and mobile and virtual health 
care); 
(D) increasing insurance and Medicare and 
Medicaid reimbursement for mental health care 
treatment; 
(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 vul-
nerability to climate risk; 
(G) expanding local, place-based, mutual 
aid networks that supply mental health support 
during and post climate-related disaster events; 
and 
(H) providing direct funding to school dis-
tricts that need immediate resources to help 
children and families cope with the mental 
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health effects of continued climate-related disas-
ters. 
Æ 
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