Coping with the Mental Health Impacts of Climate Change: A Green Script for Sustainable Action

Abstract

The climate emergency is an existential threat to human health and environmental sustainability. Recent climate-induced events, such as Australia’s catastrophic bushfires of 2019–2020 and floods of 2022, demonstrate the impacts of the climate crisis on physical and mental health of populations. Using a cross-sectional online survey (N = 5483), we examine how Australians are coping with climate change impacts on mental health. The survey included qualitative questions (open-ended comment boxes and ‘other’ spaces throughout the survey) and quantitative questions (e.g., Likert and bipolar scales) on demographics and the mental health impacts of climate change, environmental behaviour engagement (EBE), and mental health help-seeking (MHHS). Australians are using a range of individual and collective coping strategies to help cope with climate change problems, experiences, and anxiety. They have developed a range of coping strategies including contact with nature, taking sustainability actions, practicing problem-focused and meaning-focused coping, and mental health help-seeking, that need to be understood and reinforced by health professionals. Our findings also highlight a link between direct experience of a climate change event and participants’ EBE and MHHS. We recommend assessment processes and green prescribing as a sustainability action intervention framework that health professionals can offer as a response to ongoing community concern about climate change.