Help Us Understand the Impact of Climate Change on Mental Health

· by · in Awareness, climate change, college life, covid-19, mental health, Our Studies, research. ·

By Gabrielle Cooper (UNC MS2) and Cynthia Bulik, PhD, FAED

At the tie of writing this post, it was 97℉ (36.1℃) here in North Carolina. Days like today are becoming more and more frequent, along with the damaging evening thunderstorms they ignite. So far 2022 has proven to be the sixth warmest year on record in the 143-year history of record keeping—and it’s only June [1]. Stories about the adverse impact of climate change on our planet are constantly in the media. Both the scientific literature and the popular press have focused on the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of people around the world. But what effect is climate change having on our mental health? A team at CEED has launched a new study to find out.

Many people report feeling anxious and powerless when it comes to climate change and these feelings can impact both their daily lives and their thoughts and plans about the future [2]. As the world continues to warm, the CEED research team hopes to understand more about climate concerns in youth and adults and explore ways to funnel those concerns into action and agency rather than powerlessness and despair. If you are at least 18 years of age and are interested in participating in the study and helping the team raise awareness, visit the anonymous survey here or scan the QR code to be taken straight to the link. The ECO-Concern study team appreciates your interest and your time!

Important note: The survey does include questions about your weight history, but we have made those questions optional for anyone who is uncomfortable answering questions about that topic.

UNC Eco-Concern study team: Dr. Melissa Munn-Chernoff, Baiyu Qi, Gabrielle Cooper, Emily Bulik-Sullivan, Avantika Kapadia, Alexis Dumain, Shantal Jayawickreme, Emily Presseller, Dr. Cynthia Bulik.

References:

  1. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, State of the Climate: Monthly Global Climate Report for May 2022, published online June 2022, retrieved on June 17, 2022 from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/global/202205/supplemental/page-1.
  2. Thompson T. Young people’s climate anxiety revealed in landmark survey. Nature 2021;597:605.