Climate Change and Youth: Fast-Tracking Mental Health Solutions

Abstract

Worldwide, we are facing escalating mental health impacts related to climate change. Young people are disproportionately affected by climate-related extreme weather events such as severe heatwaves and floods. As climate change accelerates, increased frequency and severity of these weather events, along with awareness of the global environmental crisis, contribute to rising levels of hopelessness, anxiety, and distress among young people. This emotional burden is compounded by young people’s exclusion from decision-making processes. Interventions targeting the mental health impacts of climate change are still in their infancy. We call for innovative research designs, such as adaptive platform..