The Obama administration released a new report claiming global warming will make mental health issues worse — the report notes even “perceived” threats from global warming will harm the mentally ill.
“Many people will experience adverse mental health outcomes and social impacts from the threat of climate change, the perceived direct experience of climate change, and changes to one’s local environment,” reads a new report released by the administration.
“Media and popular culture representations of climate change influence stress responses and mental health and well-being,” the report continues.
The report comes about three weeks before the U.S. is set to sign the United Nations’ Paris agreement, the legally-questionable treaty that President Barack Obama pledged to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 26 to 28 percent by 2025.
The Paris agreement is being used by the Obama administration as justification for why Congress and the courts should not dismantle federal regulations on power plants — the main tool Obama wants to use to meet his Paris pledge.
The administration’s new report details the supposed link between global warming and public health issues, and has a whole section dedicated to how warming is expected to affect those with mental health problems, like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or even women with post-partum depression.
“A large body of established scientific evidence shows there is high confidence that people with mental illness are at greater risk for poor physical and mental health outcomes from climate change,” reads the report. “Similarly, there is high confidence that exposure to extreme heat will exacerbate such outcomes, particularly for the elderly and those who take certain prescription medications to treat their mental illnesses.”
The report even warns that temperature rise and more frequent extreme weather events could cause more suicides. The report notes that “some studies report a connection between higher temperature and suicide; with some indicating increased risk of suicide” and that “there is emergent evidence that deaths by suicide may increase above certain temperatures, suggesting hot weather may trigger impulsive and aggressive behaviors.”
Though the report does admit “more studies are needed to better understand the relationship, as negative correlations have been found, as well as no correlation at all” when it comes to suicides and hot weather.
