CEO Update: The mental health impacts of climate change
Over the past week, the extreme rain events across the majority of eastern Australia - including in the capital cities of Sydney and Brisbane - have highlighted the mental health implications of the climate crisis for our communities, our wellbeing and our mental health system.
Startling research by the Climate Council and Beyond Blue reports four out of five people in Australia (80 per cent) personally experienced some form of natural disaster between 2019 and 2022, including heatwaves, flooding and bushfires. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, one in two of these people (51 per cent) said their mental health had been negatively impacted as a result.
This is why there is an urgent need for our governments to acknowledge that climate change is not just a physical threat, but also a mental health threat.
In the short term, mental health impacts associated with natural disasters can include extreme stress, financial strain, grief and dealing with displacement. For many people and communities, there are also longer-term mental health impacts of dealing with experiences of trauma and loss.
Our mental health system needs to be ready to respond as these disasters become more and more frequent.
While mental health support is reaching a portion of the population following climate-related disasters, many who need it most still miss out. In the Climate Council and Beyond Blue’s research, a third of people said they received enough mental health support following a disaster, while another third said they did not receive enough – with people in rural areas more likely to say they did not receive adequate support.
By increasing the baseline capacity of our mental health system we will come closer to having the capacity to respond to immediate demand in these times of crises. However, as Mental Health Australia continually advocates, we need long-term investment and reform to ensure Australia’s mental health system can meet these needs and beyond.
A mental health system prepared to respond to the impacts of climate change must be flexible, strategically allocated and robust. Even when not directly affected, more broadly we know that climate change and extreme weather events can cause significant distress and concern for many people across Australia.
My thoughts go out to those personally impacted by the recent weather events. For those in need, mental health support can be found at https://mhaustralia.org/need-help.
We witness time and again the deep resilience, adaptability, strength, and practical optimism of people in the face of these overwhelming challenges of our times. Collectively, we can and must bring all these resources to bear in addressing the health threats of climate change. This must sit alongside policy decisions that prevent and mitigate the threats of climate change, and ensure that our mental health system is well equipped to respond both in times of disasters, and on an ongoing basis.
Carolyn Nikoloski
CEO, Mental Health Australia | 
