Earth Today | Report spotlights mental health cost of climate change

THE NEED to elevate mental health-related loss and damage from climate change as a key consideration for policymakers is among a set of recommendations from a recent global stocktake of national climate policies.

“Mental health is increasingly recognised but remains less systematically integrated. References are often limited and concentrated in specific contexts, particularly in relation to disasters, displacement, cultural loss, and chronic climate stressors,” reads a section of the report, titled Loss and Damage Beyond Economics: Exploring Health as a Non-Economic Loss in National Climate Planning.

The problem, it said, is that while “these impacts highlight the importance of mental health as a component of non-economic losses, they are rarely supported by detailed policy responses, including system capacity, workforce development, or long-term service provision”.

Against this background, the report suggested, among other things, that mental health be recognised as “a core component of loss and damage, including impacts related to disasters, displacement, cultural loss, and chronic climate stressors”.

It also said that mental health should be woven into health system planning, “including workforce development, community-based care, and sustained psychosocial support beyond immediate disaster response”.

“Where mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) measures are proposed, implementation may benefit from alignment with established international frameworks, including the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings and the MHPSS Minimum Service Package, which provide practical guidance for integrating psychosocial support within emergency preparedness, response, and recovery efforts,” the 2026 report noted.

Also recommended are best efforts to address the “non-economic losses, including impacts on identity, culture, and social cohesion, within national and international loss and damage frameworks”.

The report, published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre, relied on the analysis of 123 national documents, including nationally determined contributions, which embody the plans of countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change impacts as well as national adaptation plans and health national adaptation plans.

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