Questão de Economia

– Questões de 13 a 17 Climate Anxiety and Mental Health Climate change affects mental health through several interconnected pathways. Extreme events such as floods, wildfires, storms, and prolonged droughts can lead to grief, acute stress, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic reactions. Its effects are not limited to people who directly experience disasters. Concerns about future environmental conditions, the loss of ecosystems, and the perceived inadequacy of political responses may also cause emotional distress. The term climate anxiety is often used to describe worry, fear, or distress related to climate change. Such feelings should not automatically be treated as a mental disorder. In many cases, they represent an understandable response to a genuine threat. Nevertheless, when anxiety becomes intense or persistent, it may interfere with concentration, sleep, relationships, study, work, and everyday decision-making. The psychological consequences of climate change are not distributed equally. Children and young people may be especially concerned about the future, while communities affected by poverty, displacement, environmental degradation, or limited access to healthcare frequently face greater risks. Climate change can also intensify existing social and economic pressures, thereby increasing vulnerabilities that already influence mental health. Addressing the problem therefore requires more than encouraging individuals to manage their emotions. Health systems should incorporate mental health and psychosocial support into climate policies, emergency preparedness, and disaster response. Reliable information, community participation, social protection, access to care, and meaningful climate action may strengthen people’s capacity to respond. In this Página 9 perspective, emotional well-being and environmental policy are not separate concerns: both are part of a broader public health response to the climate crisis. Adapted from: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. Mental health and climate change: policy brief. Geneva: WHO, 2022. Available at: WHO official website. Accessed on: 3 Aug. 2026.