Mental health and climate change: a quick guide
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-12)

Climate change is negatively impacting mental health and wellbeing. These impacts are not distributed equally.

CCHS navigation menu: CCHS homepage (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/the-centre-for-climate-health-security)Topic: health impacts (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/health-impacts) Part of: Climate change and mental health (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/climate-change-and-mental-health)

Key resources on mental health and climate change:

Mental health and climate change: a quick guide

Overview of the climate change and mental health report (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/overview-of-the-climate-change-and-mental-health-report)

Climate change and mental health report (pdf) (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/climate-change-and-mental-health-report)

Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/climate-change-health-effects-in-the-uk)

Additional resources:

The Climate Cares Centre - Imperial College London (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/climate-cares/)

Climate Psychology Alliance (https://www.climatepsychologyalliance.org/)

Climate Change and Mental Health - Apolitical (online course) (https://apolitical.co/microcourses/en/imperial-college-london-climate-change-and-mental-health/)

Understanding climate change

Scientists have developed an understanding of how Earth’s climate works through many years of observing, theory development, and creating models. We know that climate change is happening today and is the result of greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity (1 (#refs)). In the UK, we expect winters to become warmer and wetter, summers to become drier, and sea levels to continue to rise (2 (#refs)).

Increased climate risks will substantially affect both physical and mental health, which in turn will impact health and social care systems within the UK. The fourth Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/climate-change-health-effects-in-the-uk#:~:text=Chapter%201%3A%20State%20of%20the%20UK%20past%20and%20future%20climate) published in 2023 provides evidence, analysis and recommendations for a public health based on climate change projections for the UK.

Understanding mental health

The World Health Organization describes mental health as a basic human right for all, defined as ‘a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community’ (3 (#refs)).

In England, one in four adults and 1 in 10 children experience mental illness, with many more people knowing and caring for people who do (4 (#refs)). The prevalence of adults with common mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety has increased in recent years (22.6% in 2023/24, up from 17.6% in 1997) (4 (#refs)). The impact of mental health conditions is not evenly distributed in society, with young people (16- to 24-year-olds), women and people who experience difficult circumstances such as poverty, violence, disability and inequalities, most likely to experience poor mental health (4 (#refs)).

The impact of climate change on mental health

Adverse weather events such as extreme heat, flooding, drought and wildfires can lead to a range of mental health conditions such as PTSD, anxiety and depression. The extent to which these climate exposures impact mental health is influenced by factors such as social and economic circumstances, age and pre-existing health conditions, as well as where people live and the type of work they do.

Figure 1. Overview of the ways that climate change impacts mental health. From the Climate Change and Mental Health: Thematic Assessment Report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/climate-change-and-mental-health-report)

Source: UKHSA, ‘Climate change and mental health: thematic assessment report’ (2025)

Climate change can drastically affect the things that determine people’s mental wellbeing such as relationships, housing, employment, and community cohesion. Losing homes, livelihoods or loved ones, or being injured during adverse weather events can strain individuals, communities and services.

The UK Health Security Agency’s climate change and mental health report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/climate-change-and-mental-health-report) demonstrates that children, young people (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/climate-change-and-the-mental-health-of-children-and-young-people), and those in high-risk occupations (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/climate-change-and-the-mental-health-of-occupational-groups) are disproportionately affected, as are individuals with pre-existing health difficulties (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/climate-change-and-mental-health-of-people-with-existing-conditions). These impacts can be enduring and make existing inequalities worse.

Targeted interventions (such as strengthening mental health services (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mental-health-support-for-climate-change), building climate-resilient infrastructure (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/structural-and-environment-change-to-mental-health-and-climate), and promoting community-based support (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/community-and-educational-mental-health-interventions)) can offer protective pathways to reduce harm and foster resilience. Integrating mental health into climate adaptation and mitigation strategies is vital for safeguarding population wellbeing.

References

Climate Change Committee, ‘What is climate change? (https://www.theccc.org.uk/climate-action/what-is-climate-change/)’ (Viewed 7 August 2025)

Met Office, ‘Effects of climate change (https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/climate-change/effects-of-climate-change)’ (Viewed 7 August 2025)

World Health Organisation, ‘Mental health (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response)’ (Viewed 7 August 2025)

NHS England, ‘Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England, 2023/4’ (https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/adult-psychiatric-morbidity-survey/survey-of-mental-health-and-wellbeing-england-2023-24) (Viewed 7 August 2025)