Extreme weather events caused by climate change, and man-made environmental degradation such as deforestation can have devastating consequences on the mental health of the communities immediately affected and beyond. But the link is rarely discussed in the siloed worlds of public health and climate agencies.

Some organizations are trying to understand this by taking an interdisciplinary approach. Land Body Ecologies is an international group of researchers, human rights activists, artists, and mental health experts looking into how what they call “land trauma” affects land-dependent and indigenous communities when events such as climate change and deforestation impact their way of life.

Humanitarians that work in disaster response and prevention have long been aware of the psychological stress caused by natural disasters on affected populations.

Events such as floods, droughts, and hurricanes have been linked to higher rates of anxiety, depression, violence, and post-traumatic stress disorder. They can also have indirect effects caused by loss of income, displacement, or malnutrition, leading to chronic stress that can last for years. In this context, more work needs to be done to prepare for more mental health issues arising along with the frequency of extreme weather events, practitioners say.

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