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) sub-
mitted 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 ex-
posure to increasing climate-related disasters; 
Whereas youth represent a particularly vulnerable group be-
cause greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere will 
impact today’s and tomorrow’s youth throughout their bi-
ological, psychological, academic, and social development; 
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Whereas 
an 
American 
Psychological 
Association 
and 
ecoAmerica report stated that, as of 2016, as climate-re-
lated 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 displace-
ment, 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 asso-
ciated with the experience of a climate-related disaster or 
displacement, can affect the development of neural path-
ways 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 im-
pacts 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: Cli-
mate Changes Mental Health’’, shows that up to 45 per-
cent of youth have developed depression after a climate- 
related disaster, affecting both their caregivers and the 
youth themselves; 
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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 individuals in the United 
States lived in places that experienced a multi-day heat 
wave, considered the most dangerous form of climate-re-
lated disaster; 
Whereas the frequency and intensity of climate-related disas-
ters 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 
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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 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 noncare-
giver 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 dis-
orders, 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 
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 and 
well-being of current and future youth; and 
(2) supports the expansion of funding for cli-
mate education, resilience, and adaptation projects 
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that benefit the mental health and well-being of 
youth, including— 
(A) incorporating trauma-informed ap-
proaches to mental health into existing disaster 
preparation efforts; 
(B) engaging in education and outreach to 
reduce the stigma associated with seeking treat-
ment; 
(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 reimburse-
ment under the Medicare program under title 
XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395 et seq.) and the Medicaid program under 
title XIX of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) 
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; 
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