Global climate change is likely to be associated with spread of vector borne diseases, injuries and deaths due to extreme weather conditions such as floods, storms, and cyclones, thermal injury due to exposure to heat, risk of spread of water-borne infections due to floods and coastal water warming, and reduction in regional crop yields leading to malnutrition. The effect of global climate change is likely to be more severe in developing countries.Īttention has been drawn to the variety of health impact of climate change. Such change in climate on a global scale is likely to affect the mankind in many different ways. Such gradual increase in temperatures is likely to be associated with melting of ice caps, submergence of coastal areas, adverse precipitation events, and floods and droughts in different regions. It has been observed that over least few decades the average global temperature has risen by 0.5☌ due to anthropogenic emissions, and projections for 2100 AD suggest that average global temperatures will rise by 2.4–5.8☌. Such a climate change has been described as a critical global challenge, especially due to the fact that human activities have been contributory to changes in global climate. The paper concludes with a discussion of what can and should be done to tackle the expected mental health issues consequent to climate change.Ĭlimate change refers to relatively stable changes in the meteorological parameters like precipitation and temperature over a period of time in a given region. The possible effects of mitigation measures on mental health are also discussed.
It can also lead to increased rates of physical illnesses, which secondarily would be associated with psychological distress. Changes in climate and global warming may require population to migrate, which can lead to acculturation stress. Increased frequency of disasters with climate change can lead to posttraumatic stress disorder, adjustment disorder, and depression. Droughts otherwise can lead to impaired mental health and stress. Increasing ambient temperatures is likely to increase rates of aggression and violent suicides, while prolonged droughts due to climate change can lead to more number of farmer suicides. Not only climate change is expected to affect physical health, it is also likely to affect mental health. Climate change is a global challenge which is likely to affect the mankind in substantial ways.
We all know that 2014 has been declared as the hottest year globally by the Meteorological department of United States of America.
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