Summary
Climate change affects our wellbeing. We cannot deny the reality of climate change. We can take action to address climate change. Call your elected officials and connect with community members about climate change. Take action before it’s too late.
Climate Change and Wellbeing
Our climate is changing, across the world. The evidence emerges daily. Let’s explore the intersection of climate change and wellbeing.
What Is Climate Change
Climate change refers to persistent changes in the Earth’s temperatures and changes in weather conditions.
Climate change is a result of human activities, with a noticeable increase in temperatures since the 1800s. The 1.5 C temperature measure is the yardstick for assessing for the extent of climate change and a cornerstone of the commitment of the 2015 Paris Agreement . Concern exists already. If we sustain a rise in average temperatures of 1.5 C over the average temperatures for the pre-industrial period of 1850-1900, for a duration of 20 years, we increase the risk of catastrophic changes to the Earth.
Our Health and Wellbeing Impacted by Climate Change
Climate change is affecting all aspects of our lives. Why? Because climate change affects our seasons. Because climate change produces unpredictable weather events. Because climate change increases the temperature outside, near our homes, near our work, near our vacation spots, along our commute to and from work or school, and in places unknown to us.
Dangerous and unpredictable weather events stoke migration. People leave unsafe places, just as our ancestors did.
Outdoor temperatures affect our ability to grow food. Translation: more food insecurity in the world.
Allergens and pollens increase due to climate change. Impact is real: respiratory health risks result from more allergens and more pollens being in the air.
Climate change creates drought conditions. Too little moisture fosters wildfires.
Climate change can increase precipitation. Flooding is a potential outcome. Recall the recent deadly flooding Texas.
Climate Change and Wellbeing
The impacts of these changes can affect our physical wellbeing and emotional wellbeing. Consider the changes you would need to make in your lifestyle as a result of any of the aforementioned climactic changes. Imagine how you would react physically and emotionally. Contemplate what you might need to do to ensure that you coped in order to maintain your wellbeing and the wellbeing of your community.
Catastrophes and Compassion: A Template to Cope with Climate Change
In my post entitled Natural Disasters and Mental Wellbeing which was published on this website in November 2024, I cited an article which heralded the emergence of compassion
The research tells us that we can employ compassion to our advantage. Human beings tend to come together when faced with common struggles. We do the right thing, on the whole. We are compassionate towards each other and we help each other. We see our similarities as human beings and we appreciate how our differences do not separate us.
Take a moment to read the article by Jamal Zaki entitled Catastrophe Compassion: Understanding and Extending Prosociality Under Crisis, published in May of 2020:
Let me quote myself from my post about mental wellbeing and natural disasters:
“What the world needs now is cooperation not polarization, collaboration not isolationism, empathy not finger pointing, authenticity not power plays.”
I truly believe the veracity of this statement. And, I emphasize the urgency of its importance in the present moment, today, in the USA. We need to cooperate with each other on many issues, including protecting our democracy. Blaming someone else and not assuming mutual responsibility will render us even more powerless in the face of the authoritarian administration ruling the USA. Isolating is not a viable option because eventually they will come for each one of us. Being polarized is a self-destructive strategy. Power plays will fuel the divisiveness deliberately sown by the current federal administration. Cooperative, empathetic, and authentic collaboration is the modus operandi for the moment.
Call to Action: Climate Change and Wellbeing
Reach out to someone and ask them how they are doing. Ask if they would like to spend some time outdoors enjoying nature. Share your observations and see if the topic of climate change arises. Take this opportunity to learn more together about how the climate is changing, in your neck of the woods and across the globe.
Research environmental advocacy groups which offer information and evidence about climate change. Learn some talking points.
Talk to your elected officials about environmental protection initiatives which your community, your state, and our federal government can implement to protect everyone against the effects of climate change.
Learn how climate change is affecting migration. Remember those floods in Texas which killed over 130 people, including children, in July 2025 (this year)? Imagine if those floods had occurred on the border with Mexico and people had to flee to Mexico to be safe. Would you want Mexico to treat us, as in US, the way we treat people fleeing climate change, natural disasters, and a host of other disasters? Share this information with your neighbours, your friends, your family members, and your elected officials.
We have to become a chain of people connected to each other via communication. Yeah, we have to start communicating and normalizing the truth based on science and not based on conspiracy theories.
Take some time to reflect on what we discussed in this post. The take-away is that we have our work cut out for us. We have work to do. Our tactics may differ. Our tactics support the same goal and hopefully elicit the same outcome. The outcome is for us to return to a society of individuals communicating with each other, working on projects together, based on evidence, based on logic, based on research, based on philosophically sound and ethical approaches.
Let’s get to work.
Music, of course, to inspire us:
Joni Mitchell, ‘Big Yellow Taxi’
One Republic, ‘Truth to Power’
Be safe. Be kind. Be patient. Be tireless. Be creative.
Disclaimer: This post is not meant to substitute for a consultation with your mental health care professional team.
If you are thinking of hurting yourself or of hurting someone else, please CALL 9-1-1; CALL 9-8-8; or GO TO the nearest emergency room.
Selected References:
American Psychiatric Association. (May 2023). Climate Change and Mental Health Connections. American Psychiatric Association. Accessed online on August 21, 2025, at https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/climate-change-and-mental-health-connections
BBC. (July 30, 2025). A Really Simple Guide to Climate Change. BBC. Accessed online on August 23, 2025, at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9w15nggj58o
Centers for Disease Control. (February 2024). Effects of Climate Change on Health. Centers for Disease Control. Accessed online on August 21, 2025, at https://www.cdc.gov/climate-health/php/effects/index.html
Hip Hop Public Health. (2025). A Whole Lot. Hip Hop Public Health. Accessed online on August 21, 2025, at https://www.hhph.org/work/features/a-whole-lot
World Bank Group. (November 16, 2024). Health and Climate Change. World Bank Group. Accessed online on August 21, 2025, at https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/health/brief/health-and-climate-change
Zaki, J. (May 14, 2020). Catastrophe Compassion: Understanding and Extending Prosociality Under Crisis. Trends Cogn. Sci, 24(8): 587-589. Accessed online on November 17, 2024, at https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7221394/#:~:text=Extending%20Catastrophe%20Compassion&text=Floods%2C%20bombings%2C%20and%20earthquakes%20are,boundaries%20that%20typically%20separate%20people
Nota Bene: USA Government websites are being purged by the current Trump Administration to align the website content with the regime’s political agenda. Please note that any government website cited in this and other posts on this website may no longer contain evidence based or historically correct information. Thus, I am trying to avoid including any references or resources which derive from a USA government website. This is not bias; I take this action in an effort to maintain a factually sound content in my posts.
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