Forward

Foreword

From sharp rises in heat related deaths, to dramatic changes in the distribution of infectious diseases, to increases in global food insecurity and undernutrition, the evidence is clear that climate change is having a growing negative effect on human health.

However, the impacts of climate change on mental health have to-date largely been overlooked. For example, the Wellcome-funded Lancet Countdown that tracks progress on health and climate change estimates that only 5% of the academic output published in Europe on the health impacts of climate change reported mental health outcomes.

In 2023, to respond to this evidence gap and catalyze the development of research in this area, Wellcome was delighted to support the Connecting Climate Minds project. The project was led by Dr. Emma Lawrance and Professor Sir David Nabarro at Imperial College, and we are very pleased to see the resulting global agenda for research and action that is published in this report.

Wellcome is a global charitable foundation dedicated to creating a healthier future for everyone through research, and our strategic priorities include mental health and the intersection of climate change and health. Our mission for mental health is to create a step-change in early intervention for anxiety, depression, and psychosis. For climate and health, we are striving to put health evidence at the heart of climate change action.

The research and action agenda published here bridges these two strategic areas by providing a roadmap for future research on the intersection of climate change and mental health. It outlines critical research questions across a large portfolio of topics; spanning from understanding how extreme heatwaves may be affecting mental health through disrupting sleep, to how people taking certain psychotropic medications may struggle in a warming world.

The report builds on the experiences and expertise of people with lived experience of mental health problems and of communities most affected by climate change across the world and is grounded in the insights of 960+ experts from 90 countries.

We believe that this report will be a crucial resource for researchers interested in the intersection of climate change and mental health and we urge our funding partners, academics, and wider stakeholders to join us in turning these research priorities into action.

Alan Dangour, Director of Climate and Health, Wellcome
Miranda Wolpert, Director of Mental Health, Wellcome

Voices of the Connecting Climate Minds (CCM) community

“As readers journey through this work, I hope they see and connect to the unique vulnerabilities and resilience of people amidst the battles of climate change, while recognizing the agenda as more than a document but also a call for their voices to be heard in research and policymaking. It's my desire that this work inspires meaningful, lasting change that honours the courage and meets the needs of vulnerable people.” - Hope Lekwa, SustyVibes, Nigeria, CCM Lived Experience Working Group

“There is an urgent need, now more than ever, to work together, through a collective and holistic approach, on evidence-based policies that help us address the interlinkages between mental health and climate change. Such policies should only be guided by a strong research and action agenda that ensures the implementation of a multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder and multi-disciplinary approach that ensures that no one is left behind. This is what Connecting Climate Minds has brought us.” - Dr Mohamed Eissa, World Health Organization, Egypt, CCM Global Advisory Board

"Young people have always been identified as vulnerable to the climate crisis because of their limited adaptive capacity and their increased risk to its future consequences. Through inclusive youth thematic dialogues that have informed this agenda, it is evident that young people are no longer passive victims of the climate crisis, they are active changemakers." Jasmin Irisha Jim Ilham, UNICEF, Malaysia and CCM Youth Ambassador for Eastern and South-Eastern Asia

“This agenda is a trailblazer as the world navigates the effects of climate change on mental health. This initiative is a big step in provision of evidence-based information for stakeholders to come together for action in dealing with the mental health issues caused by the climate crisis!” Dr Mercy Wawira, AgriPsych Beam, Kenya, CCM Sub-Saharan Africa & Small Farmers and Fisher Peoples Agenda

“The current climate crisis is causing a range of problems across the world, which strongly affect people's mental health, although this has been largely neglected. [This] agenda plays a very important role in raising the issue, providing solid scientific evidence, and proposing and presenting ways to address it. It is an important guide to promote public policies and civil society actions with the necessary urgency.” Professor António Mauro Saraiva, Planetary Health Brazil, CCM Latin America and the Caribbean & CCM Global Advisory Board

''Climate change is disproportionately affecting the mental health of vulnerable communities. [This] agenda would be a guideline for the regional, and local researchers and practitioners to explore the interconnections between climate change and mental health and set inclusive measures to lessen climate change-induced mental health risks''. Roufa Khanum, BRAC University, Bangladesh, CCM Central and Southern Asia

“[This] agenda is timely and integrates the collective efforts of researchers worldwide and elevates the experiences of global communities facing the dual challenges of climate change and mental health. This agenda is significant, providing a platform for the ‘voiceless’ and establishing a clear direction for future research and further investment.” Professor Jemaima Tiatia-Siau, University of Auckland, New Zealand, CCM Oceania

As humanitarians, we are witnessing a terrifying pattern: changing climate risks are impairing the mental health of those we serve, and of our own teams...[Connecting Climate Minds] will improve our collective ability to anticipate, diagnose, and provide proper support – harnessing the power of darkness to pursue illumination and transformative action.

Dr Pablo Suarez, Innovation Lead, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre

This Agenda hopes to inspire the continuation of Pablo's vision, to foster joyful connection across disciplines and cultures to "connect what we know with what must be done", and create a safer climate for mental health.