As government representatives gather at the COP29 international climate summit in Azerbaijan, the impact of climate change on young people’s mental health needs to be an urgent priority. As psychiatrists working with children and adolescents, we’re so concerned that we’re sharing our research at the summit on the link between higher temperatures and suicidal thoughts and behaviours. Our recent study shows young people are more likely to present at the emergency department for suicidal thoughts and behaviours in hotter weather.
Here’s what we found and why one of us (Cybele Dey) is presenting our findings at COP29. Mental health is getting worse Young people’s mental health is getting worse in Australia and across the world. There is growing evidence inadequate action on climate change is contributing.
But it goes beyond young people worrying about how climate change will affect their future. Climate change is here, and its effects are already damaging young people’s mental health. Extreme weather events – such as Australia’s devastating Black Summer bushfires in 2019 and storms and floods since – disrupt children’s schooling, force displacement and cause trauma, anxiety and stress.
Our study is showing another, less talked about dimension. Suicidal behaviour risk increases with hotter weather Small increases in average temperatures can mean a large rise in the number of hot days each year. In 2019, for example, Australia had 33 days averaging over 39°C �.
