Environment, Climate, and Mental Wellbeing

From green spaces to climate change, the world around us quietly influences our well-being and offers opportunities for change.

Mental wellbeing isn’t just “in the mind.” Our air, noise, housing, and green spaces act as background forces that quietly shape how we feel, think, and cope.

• Green Space Matters: A Danish study of 900,000 children found that growing up with limited access to green space increased the risk of psychiatric disorders later in life by 55%.

• Nature Heals: Adults spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature report better health and well-being, regardless of social background, this research has been led by the University of Exeter, published in Scientific Reports and funded by NIHR

Environmental stressors, however, work against mental health: long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) increases depression and anxiety risk, and air pollution is linked to cognitive decline and dementia (Braithwaite et al., 2019; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 2020). Noise is another hidden burden: chronic exposure to traffic, rail, or aircraft noise increases sleep disturbance, stress, anxiety, and depression (WHO, 2018), with communities near airports reporting significantly higher rates of these conditions.

Climate Change: A Multiplier of Stress

Rising temperatures, extreme events, and the looming threat of climate change amplify mental health challenges.

• Heat: Hot months are linked to higher suicide rates (0.7% per 1°C in the U.S., 2.1% in Mexico) and spikes in emergency psychiatric visits, particularly for mood and anxiety disorders (Burke et al., 2018; Mullins and White, 2019).

• Disasters: After Hurricane Katrina, 1 in 6 survivors developed PTSD alongside widespread depression (Galea et al., 2007). During the 2019–20 Australian bushfires, affected communities reported double the national average of psychological distress (Bryant et al., 2020).

• Climate Anxiety: A global survey of 10,000 young people across 10 countries found that 59% were very or extremely worried about climate change, and nearly half reporting that their daily lives were affected  (Hickman et al., 2021).

Unequal Burdens

Not everyone experiences environmental stress equally. Wealthier neighborhoods typically enjoy cleaner air, safer housing, and green spaces, while disadvantaged communities are more exposed to highways, industrial zones, or flood-prone areas.

This creates environmental injustice: populations already burdened by poverty and discrimination face higher mental health risks and fewer resources to recover. 

Interconnected Pathways

Environmental stressors compound one another:

• Air pollution → brain inflammation → higher risk of depression/anxiety

• Noise → disrupted sleep → weakened coping → worsened mental health

• Heat → irritability + lost income → increased community tension

• Disasters → trauma + displacement → long-term losses in identity and belonging

Opportunities for Change

There is hope. Changing our environment can improve mental health outcomes:

• Urban greening reduces depression and even crime rates.

• Cleaner air correlates with reduced prevalence of mental illness.

• Climate adaptation strategies like cooling centers, resilient housing, and disaster preparedness protect communities and build resilience.

“Our surroundings shape our minds, often silently. By improving the spaces we inhabit, we have the potential to improve mental health for all.”