Strengthening mental health in a changing climate: insights from interventions across the WHO European Region

Overview

Climate change is increasingly recognized as a profound public health challenge with important implications for mental health and well-being. Climate-related hazards such as heatwaves, floods and wildfires can contribute to anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, particularly in vulnerable populations. Beyond these emergencies, slow-onset changes like sea level rise and witnessing a rapidly changing climate can contribute to chronic stress, guilt or anxiety. This report examines interventions addressing the mental health impacts of climate change in the WHO European Region, drawing on a call for case studies launched in December 2024. Out of 20 eligible interventions, six interventions responded to acute climate hazards, mainly floods, through emergency mental health care, psychosocial support and community resilience activities. Fourteen interventions focused on strengthening mental health, resilience and agency in relation to different climate-related exposures. The report highlights two examples: Slovenia’s psychosocial response to the 2023 floods and a youth-focused initiative on climate anxiety led by the Estonian Green Movement. The review identifies the need for clearer frameworks to provide low-threshold support and stepped care with clear safeguards and referral pathways, alongside the greater integration of mental health into climate policy and climate considerations into mental health systems.