The severe and widespread flooding that occurred in Pakistan during 2022 serves as a prominent example of a disastrous extreme weather event, often linked to the broader impacts of climate change.

2022 Pakistan Floods

Climate change has also been implicated in a rising number of natural disasters, commonly including wildfires, hurricanes, and floods. We are already seeing outcomes of PTSD and anxiety for victims following natural disasters, which will likely increase as natural disasters become more frequent and intense. 

Georgetown University

Climate change has been predicted to substantially worsen over the coming decades. Temperatures can rise by up to 2-5 degrees Celsius by 2050, which would wreak havoc on global systems. Some of the ways climate change would be implicated in worsening mental health outcomes are population displacement due to regions becoming uninhabitable, worsening natural disasters, heat stress causing violence, and food scarcity.

Future Implications for Climate Change and Mental Health

Shuquan Chen, Rohini Bagrodia, Charlotte C. Pfeffer, Laura Meli, George A. Bonanno,
Anxiety and resilience in the face of natural disasters associated with climate change: A review and methodological critique, Journal of Anxiety Disorders, Volume 76, 2020, 102297, ISSN 0887-6185, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102297.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0887618520301110)

Climate Change and Anxiety Reference

Climate change is expected to cause population displacement as certain regions become uninhabitable. This can be due to extreme temperatures, such as those over 125°F (52°C) in equatorial regions, or because of rising sea levels and altered climate and rainfall patterns affecting densely populated areas. Such displacement can lead to significant psychological distress, including anxiety and depression.

Climate Change and Population Displacement

Climate Change and Worsening Natural Disasters

Outside of natural disasters, global rising temperatures can impact human psychology in negative ways. High temperatures and sunlight are thought to disrupt the natural human circadian rhythm, which can cause anger, irritation, and violence in the people affected by these processes. With even worse temperatures, we could see severe psychological impacts and upticks in interpersonal violence, particularly in underdeveloped communities where heat-combatting measures like air conditioning are less common.

Climate Change and Heat Stress

Over the next few decades, climate change is likely to contribute to food shortages around the globe. Crops may not be able to survive extreme heat, or could be destroyed by natural disasters. If communities lack sufficient food, they could suffer mental health problems from nutrition deficiencies. Food scarcity can also cause increases in violence with competition for such a crucial resource. Similarly to the impact of heat stress, worsening food scarcity will also likely hit communities in less developed areas the hardest.

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