At this point, we know that climate change is going to take its toll on the planet and, in turn, on us. But for the first time, the United Nations’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has acknowledged that as the planet warms and we are trapped in increasingly terrible weather conditions, it’s going to have a serious effect on our mental health. In fact, it’s already happening.
On Monday, the UN’s working group of more than 270 scientists from around the world published their most recent findings of the impact of climate change and humanity’s fight against the ongoing crisis. The findings were not encouraging — though the report is more encompassing than ever before. The experts, for the first time, stated that they believe climate change has adversely affected the mental health of people in regions that have already dealt with worsening weather conditions. Specifically, the report found that people — but particularly children, the elderly, and those with underlying health conditions — are expected to experience increased stress and anxiety as the planet warms.
