The new report follows a flurry of recent academic papers focused on the psychological impact of environmental collapse.
Authored by Rhiannon Hawkins and published by UCL WRC, the National Preparedness Commission’s work analyses the long term mental health implications of climate change, with an emphasis on sudden extreme weather events, such as flooding.
A particularly prominent threat in the UK during winter months, according to a survey by the Office for National Statistics conducted in 2022 – a year that saw successive storms leave many communities cut off and treading water – 74% of British adults and 60% of children were presenting symptoms of climate anxiety. Meanwhile, a 2023 Woodland Trust poll suggested 28% of young people were feeling overwhelmed, with 24% considering having less children as a result.
The UCL report, Mental Health Vulnerability Index [MHVI]: Preparing Communities, Societies, and Authorities for the Impacts of Climate Change on Mental Health, highlights growing gaps in existing Early Warning Systems [EWS] and Disaster Risk Reduction [DRR] strategies, which have been found to miss the psychological impacts of the crisis.
MHVI is proposed as a tool which can help response agencies identify the most at risk communities, and implement anticipatory measures, as oppose to reactionary steps. Inclusive communication, mental health first aid integration, and co-designed warnings reflecting local demographics are among the recommendations. An official launch for the report will take place on 29th October. You can register here.
Last month, Environment Journal reported on an evaluation of the UK’s yellow, amber and red weather warning system, which found emergency planners, local authorities, social and healthcare providers found the framework useful but wanted more less complex definitions of specific levels.
Image: Tim Mossholder / Unsplash
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