• Extreme weather events such as hurricanes, wildfires, and floods can trigger immediate and intense emotions like fear, grief, and anger. For instance, residents displaced by wildfires may experience acute stress and ecological grief over the loss of their homes and local ecosystems.
  • The concept of No Natural Disasters, recognized by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), emphasizes that while hazards are natural, disasters are shaped by human decisions, vulnerabilities, and exposure. As a result, emotional responses reflect not only the impacts of the physical event, but also to the underlying inequities and systemic conditions that influence who is most affected.
• Key thinkers like Glenn Albrecht, who introduced solastalgia, and Timothy Morton, known for his work on hyperobjects, explore how large-scale environmental phenomena provoke existential unease and profound emotional responses.
• On the other hand, more gradual environmental degradation, including biodiversity loss, deforestation, and shifting seasonal patterns, leads to more subtle yet equally profound emotions such as unease, sadness, or nostalgia. Individuals with strong connections to impacted lands and places, such as Indigenous communities or farmers, are particularly sensitive to these changes.
• The Biophilia Hypothesis, proposed by E.O. Wilson suggests that humans have an innate connection to nature, and its disruption can result in significant emotional and psychological distress.

• Environmental changes act as emotional signals that alert individuals to potential threats. From an evolutionary psychology perspective, emotions like fear and anger serve as survival mechanisms, prompting actions when people perceive environmental threats. Paul Ekman’s foundational work on primary emotions linked to environmental stressors illustrates how these emotions drive behaviors such as fleeing from wildfires or preparing for storms.

• Repeated exposure to climate-related disasters or ongoing environmental degradation amplifies emotional responses. For example, communities facing recurrent flooding may experience cumulative trauma and heightened anxiety, making it increasingly difficult to maintain emotional stability and resilience. Additionally, this can compound upon existing inequities, oppression, and traumas as well, further challenging community resilience, such as in the example of the frequent flooding faced by the community of Kashechewan First Nation in Section 2: Climate Emotions - Stress and Trauma Responses.

• Negligence of government inaction or corporate prioritization of profit over sustainability often evokes emotions such as anger and powerlessness. It can be emotionally challenging when the priorities of the government and political structures do not align with individual goals or values. For example, communities protesting fossil fuel subsidies frequently report feelings of frustration over systemic inertia. In contrast, bold leadership and decisive action, such as the passage of renewable energy legislation, can act as catalysts for hope and empowerment. Amartya Sen’s concept of Development as Freedom links the role of institutions in shaping emotional well-being and agency, highlighting how effective governance can mitigate negative emotions and foster positive ones.

• Social norms and cultural contexts significantly influence how climate concerns are expressed and addressed. In some societies, discussing environmental concerns is normalized, fostering emotional validation and collective action. For instance, Scandinavian countries integrate sustainability into daily life, reducing eco-anxiety through visible progress and communal support. Conversely, in other contexts, climate concerns may be stigmatized or dismissed, leading to isolation and exacerbated feelings of alienation. In regions dependent on fossil fuels, admitting climate concerns might be seen as disloyal or countercultural, reinforcing emotional responses, challenging community cohesion and hindering collective action.

• The way climate change is portrayed in the media significantly affects public emotions. Constant exposure to catastrophic headlines can foster feelings of anxiety, despair, or fatalism. Conversely, solution-focused narratives that highlight progress and collective action can inspire hope and encourage positive emotional responses.
• Social media platforms further amplify both constructive and destructive emotional responses through rapid information sharing. Viral images of climate-related disasters can evoke global grief but also inspire international solidarity and donations, demonstrating the dual impact of media amplification on climate emotions. George Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory explores how prolonged media exposure shapes perceptions and emotions, emphasizing the powerful role of media in either exacerbating fear or fostering optimism.

• Extreme weather events not only destroy physical infrastructure but also disrupt social networks, including families, friendships, and community bonds. The emotional impact of losing support systems compounds feelings of grief and anxiety. For example, post-hurricane displacement can separate families, intensifying feelings of helplessness and isolation.
  

• Climate change disproportionately affects marginalized communities, such as racialized communities and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups who often have the least access to resources for adaptation. This unequal burden evokes emotions such as anger, grief, and powerlessness, highlighting systemic injustices.
• There are multiple, overlapping systems of oppression that shape how individuals and communities experience climate change and emotional responses. Systemic oppression refers to the ways in which inequities and harm are ingrained within laws, policies, institutional practices, and broader societal norms, disproportionately affecting certain groups based on identity. In the context of climate change, systems such as racism and colonialism can influence exposure to environmental risks, access to resources, and the emotional responses to climate-related stressors.
  • Robert Bullard’s work on environmental justice highlights how these inequities deepen emotional distress and reinforce feelings of vulnerability and injustice
  • Similarly, Rob Nixon’s concept of slow violence describes how environmental harms can be gradual, often invisible, and embedded within social and political structures, disproportionately impacting certain communities over time.

• Repeated climate shocks create collective emotional experiences within communities, fostering a sense of shared trauma. Kai Erikson’s concept of collective trauma examines the long-term psychological impacts of disasters on social cohesion, emphasizing how repeated environmental stressors can erode community bonds and collective resilience.

As children grow into adolescents, their increasing cognitive abilities enable them to comprehend the complex and often alarming realities of climate change and a growing awareness of the world. This heightened awareness can evoke powerful emotions such as eco-anxiety, fear for the future, and a sense of betrayal.

• Emotional Responses in Youth
  • Eco-Anxiety and Fear of the Future
    Children and adolescents begin to grasp the long-term implications of climate change, which can cause immediate emotional responses, and can also lead to anxiety about their future and the planet's well-being.
  • Sense of Betrayal

    Children and adolescents may also feel a sense of powerlessness, abandonment, and betrayal by adults and governments that do not seem to be acting in a way that protects, cares for, or values them.

• The Role of Social Influences
  • Family, Schools, Media, and Social Media
    Social environments significantly shape how young people experience climate emotions. Role models such as parents, educators, and activists influence youth through their own emotional and behavioral responses to climate issues. For instance, youth activists like Greta Thunberg or Autumn Peltier inspire many young individuals to channel their eco-anxiety into proactive climate action.
• Challenges and Opportunities
  • Limited Agency vs. Empowerment
    While young people may feel limited in their ability to effect change, structured opportunities for engagement, such as school climate clubs and community projects, can foster a sense of empowerment.
• The Role of Youth in Indigenous Communities
  • Youth can bring energy, insight, and innovation, often inspiring hope and action in their communities. First Nations, Métis and Inuit Youth are leading climate action, while incorporating traditional and cultural knowledge alongside contemporary approaches.

In early adulthood, individuals grapple with aligning their climate values with emerging independence, career aspirations, and lifestyle choices. This stage is often marked by a complex interplay of hope and guilt as they strive to balance idealism with practical realities.

• Emotional Complexity
  • Hope and Guilt
    Young adults often experience a mix of hope for a sustainable future and guilt over actions that may contradict their environmental values. For example, choosing between a high-paying job in an unsustainable industry and a lower-paying role aligned with environmental values can create internal conflict.
• Identity and Purpose
  • Intersecting with Broader Questions
    Climate emotions intersect with broader questions of purpose and belonging, making this a critical period for social and emotional support. Finding a sense of identity that incorporates environmental stewardship can enhance personal fulfillment and commitment to climate action.
• The Role of Social Networks
  • Peer Influence and Workplace Culture
    Social networks, including peers and workplace environments, play a pivotal role in shaping climate emotions and behaviors. Supportive environments encourage sustainable behaviors and reduce feelings of guilt or resignation, while unsupportive ones may reinforce negative emotions. Building strong, like-minded networks can enhance motivation and collective efficacy.

Midlife is characterized by a heightened sense of responsibility, often linked to concerns about future generations and the sustainability of communities. Individuals in this stage might navigate blended emotions of grief, frustration, and hope, drawing on their life experiences to contribute meaningfully to climate initiatives.

• Parental Climate Emotions
  • Parental Concern
    Parents often view climate emotions through the lens of their children’s futures, which can intensify emotional responses to climate change and a sense of responsibility to protect well-being.
• Blended Emotions
  • Grief, Frustration, and Hope
    Climate emotions in midlife may involve a combination of grief for environmental losses, frustration at systemic inaction, and hope inspired by community efforts.
• Drawing on Life Experience
  • Resilience and Resourcefulness
    Individuals in midlife can often leverage their established social networks and life experiences to address climate challenges more effectively. Leading local environmental projects or mentoring younger activists exemplifies how life experience enhances resilience and fosters impactful contributions to climate action.

Older adults can bring a wealth of experience and wisdom to the climate conversation, often experiencing profound emotions as they witness firsthand the changes in their environments over their lifetimes. This stage may involve reflection on legacy, the role of wisdom-keepers, and navigating the challenges of exclusion from active climate discussions.

• Challenges of Exclusion
  • Ageism and Physical Limitations
    Despite their valuable perspectives, older adults may face ageism and physical limitations that lead to feelings of exclusion from climate conversations and activism. Addressing these barriers ensures that their contributions are recognized and integrated into broader climate strategies, enhancing community support and intergenerational solidarity.
• Witnessing Environmental Change
  • Profound Grief and Solastalgia
    Older adults often feel deep grief and solastalgia as they observe environmental degradation and loss over time. Farmers witnessing changing rainfall patterns or elders mourning the loss of biodiversity exemplify how long-term environmental changes evoke intense emotional responses.
• Role as Wisdom-Keepers
  • Intergenerational Bridges
    Older adults can serve as intergenerational bridges, offering historical perspectives, traditional ecological knowledge, and mentorship.
• The Role of Elders in Indigenous Communities
  • Elders support younger generations through storytelling, land-based teaching, and ceremony, helping them make sense of fear, anger, or grief related to environmental change.

Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory is a cornerstone of developmental psychology, outlining how individuals progress through distinct stages of cognitive maturity from childhood to adulthood. Piaget identified four main stages: Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, and Formal Operational. Each stage represents a different level of cognitive complexity and capacity for abstract thinking. While Piaget’s theory remains highly influential, it is important to note that contemporary research has built upon and critiqued aspects of his stage-based model, particularly the rigidity of developmental stages and the underemphasis on social and cultural influences on learning.

• Key Principles and Contributions
  • Stages of Development: Piaget proposed that children move through four stages, each characterized by different abilities:
    • Sensorimotor (0-2 years): Learning through physical interaction with the environment.
    • Preoperational (2-7 years): Development of language and symbolic thinking, yet limited by egocentrism.
    • Concrete Operational (7-11 years): Logical thinking about concrete events, understanding of conservation.
    • Formal Operational (12 years and up): Ability to think abstractly, reason logically, and plan systematically.
  • Constructivism: Piaget emphasized that children actively construct their understanding of the world through experiences and interactions.
  • Assimilation and Accommodation: These processes describe how individuals incorporate new information into existing cognitive schemas (assimilation) and adjust their schemas to accommodate new information (accommodation).
• Application to Climate Emotions
  • Formal Operational Stage and Climate Awareness: As individuals enter the Formal Operational stage during adolescence (~12 years onward), their capacity for abstract and systemic thinking allows them to comprehend the complex and multifaceted nature of climate change. This enhanced understanding can lead to heightened emotional responses, such as eco-anxiety and fear for the future.
  • Impact on Emotional Responses:
    • Increased Activism: Adolescents and young adults, equipped with abstract thinking, may channel their eco-anxiety into proactive engagement, such as joining climate movements or advocating for policy changes.
    • Heightened Eco-Anxiety and Despair: The ability to foresee long-term consequences of climate change can also intensify feelings of helplessness and despair, especially if individuals perceive the crisis as insurmountable.
  • Educational Implications: Recognizing Piaget’s stages can inform educational strategies that support cognitive and emotional development, helping young people navigate their climate-related emotions constructively. These insights can be further strengthened by integrating more contemporary, socially and culturally informed approaches to learning and development.
    

Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory posits that people learn behaviors, attitudes, and emotional responses through observation, imitation, and modeling within their social environments. Bandura emphasized the importance of social influences and cognitive processes in learning, introducing key concepts such as observational learning, self-efficacy, and reciprocal determinism.

• Key Principles and Contributions
  • Observational Learning: Individuals acquire new behaviors by observing others, especially role models, and imitating their actions.
  • Self-Efficacy: Bandura introduced the concept of self-efficacy, the belief in one’s ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish tasks, which plays a critical role in how people approach goals and challenges.
  • Reciprocal Determinism: This principle highlights the dynamic interplay between individuals, their behaviors, and their environments, suggesting that each influences the others.
• Application to Climate Emotions
  • Role Models and Climate Activism: Young people and adults often emulate the behaviors and emotional responses of influential figures such as parents, teachers, and climate activists. Observing role models who actively engage in climate action can inspire similar emotional and behavioral responses in individuals.
    • Example: When adolescents see a teacher passionately advocating for environmental policies, they may develop a stronger commitment to sustainability and engage in related activism themselves.
  • Self-Efficacy and Empowerment: Bandura’s emphasis on self-efficacy is crucial in combating feelings of helplessness associated with climate change. By fostering a belief in their ability to effect change, individuals are more likely to engage in proactive behaviors and sustain their commitment to climate action.
    • Example: Community workshops that teach sustainable practices can enhance participants’ self-efficacy, making them feel more capable of contributing to environmental preservation.
  • Behavioral Influence and Social Norms: Social Learning Theory explains how climate-friendly behaviors can become normalized within a community through consistent modeling and reinforcement. This can reduce eco-anxiety by creating supportive environments where sustainable actions are encouraged and celebrated.
    • Example: A workplace that adopts green policies and visibly practices sustainability can influence employees to adopt similar behaviors, fostering a collective sense of responsibility and reducing individual feelings of powerlessness.
      

Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory outlines eight stages of human development, each characterized by specific psychological conflicts that contribute to a person’s growth and identity. Erikson emphasized the social and emotional challenges that individuals face at different life stages, proposing that successful resolution of these conflicts leads to healthy psychological development.

• Key Principles and Contributions
  • Eight Stages of Development: Each stage involves a central conflict that must be resolved for healthy emotional and social development. The stages are:
    • Trust vs. Mistrust (Infancy)
    • Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (Toddlerhood)
    • Initiative vs. Guilt (Early Childhood)
    • Industry vs. Inferiority (School Age)
    • Identity vs. Role Confusion (Adolescence)
    • Intimacy vs. Isolation (Young Adulthood)
    • Generativity vs. Stagnation (Midlife)
    • Integrity vs. Despair (Older Adulthood)
  • Psychosocial Conflicts: Each stage presents a conflict that must be navigated to develop a healthy personality and social relationships.
  • Identity Formation: Particularly in adolescence, Erikson highlighted the importance of developing a coherent identity, which includes integrating personal values and beliefs.
• Application to Climate Emotions
  • Adolescence (Identity vs. Role Confusion)
    • Climate Concerns as Part of Identity: During adolescence, individuals strive to establish their identity. Climate concerns can become a core part of their self-concept, driving engagement in environmental activism as a way to assert their values and sense of purpose.
    • Emotional Responses: Adolescents may experience a heightened sense of responsibility and urgency, leading to proactive behaviors such as participating in climate strikes or leading sustainability projects.
  • Midlife (Generativity vs. Stagnation)
    • Sense of Responsibility: In midlife, individuals focus on contributing to the next generation. Climate emotions in this stage often involve a sense of duty to protect the environment for future generations, motivating leadership and community involvement.
    • Blended Emotions: This stage is marked by a combination of grief for environmental losses, frustration at systemic inaction, and hope inspired by community efforts. These emotions drive midlife individuals to take on roles that promote sustainability and resilience.
  • Older Adulthood (Integrity vs. Despair)
    • Reflection on Legacy: In older adulthood, individuals reflect on their lives and legacies. Climate emotions may involve solastalgia or grief over witnessing environmental degradation or finding meaning and purpose in preserving ecological systems for posterity.
      • For some older adults, especially within Indigenous communities, climate emotions are shaped not only by witnessing environmental change, but also by the responsibility of holding and sharing that knowledge.
    • Emotional Stability and Wisdom: Older adults can leverage their life experiences to mentor younger generations and contribute to community resilience, fostering a sense of integrity and fulfillment.
  • Educational and Support Implications: Understanding Erikson’s stages helps in designing interventions that align with individuals’ developmental needs, such as providing identity-affirming climate education for adolescents or leadership opportunities for midlife adults.

John Bowlby’s Attachment Theory emphasizes the importance of secure emotional bonds formed in early childhood, which influence emotional regulation and social relationships throughout an individual’s life. Secure attachments provide a foundation for healthy emotional development, resilience, and the ability to form meaningful connections.

• Key Principles and Contributions
  • Secure vs. Insecure Attachments: The quality of early attachments—secure, anxious, avoidant, or disorganized—shapes how individuals perceive and interact with the world.
  • Emotional Regulation: Securely attached individuals are better equipped to manage emotions, seek support, and cope with stress.
  • Interpersonal Relationships: Attachment styles influence how people form and maintain relationships, impacting their social support networks and community engagement.
• Application to Climate Emotions
  • Parental Influence and Climate Grief
    • Secure Attachments and Resilience: Individuals with secure attachments are more likely to develop resilience and proactive engagement with climate issues. They feel supported in addressing emotional challenges, reducing feelings of isolation and helplessness.
    • Climate Grief and Support Systems: Secure attachments enable individuals to seek and receive support when dealing with eco-anxiety and ecological grief, fostering healthier emotional relationships and coping mechanisms.
  • Climate Emotions Across the Lifespan
    • Children and Adolescents: Securely attached children are more likely to express their climate concerns openly and seek support from trusted adults. This openness can mitigate intense emotions like fear and anxiety by providing a safe space for discussion and action.
    • Adults and Older Adults: Secure attachments in adulthood facilitate effective emotional regulation and community engagement. Older adults with secure attachments can leverage their support networks to address solastalgia and pass on wisdom to younger generations, enhancing collective resilience.
  • Therapeutic Implications
    • Building Secure Attachments: Therapeutic approaches that focus on strengthening secure attachments can enhance individuals’ ability to cope with climate-related emotions. This includes fostering supportive relationships and developing trust in social interactions.
    • Community Support Systems: Creating community support systems that emulate secure attachment environments can provide individuals with the emotional resources needed to navigate climate distress effectively. Examples include peer support groups where individuals safely share experiences and community healing circles that foster collective processing and resilience.

Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory examines how different layers of an individual’s environment interact to influence their development. The theory identifies multiple systems—microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem—that collectively shape an individual’s experiences and behaviors.

• Key Principles and Contributions
  • Microsystem: Immediate environments such as family, school, and peer groups.
  • Mesosystem: Interconnections between microsystems, like the relationship between family and school.
  • Exosystem: External environments that indirectly influence the individual, such as parents’ workplaces or community services.
  • Macrosystem: Broader cultural and societal influences, including laws, cultural norms, and economic conditions.
  • Chronosystem: The dimension of time, encompassing life transitions and historical events.
  • Interconnectedness of Systems: Bronfenbrenner emphasized that changes in one system can ripple through and impact other systems, highlighting the complexity of environmental influences on development.
• Application to Climate Emotions
  • Multilevel Influences on Climate Emotions
    • Microsystem: Family attitudes toward the environment directly impact an individual’s climate emotions. Supportive family environments that prioritize sustainability can foster positive emotional responses and proactive behaviors.
    • Mesosystem: The interplay between different microsystems, such as school and home, shapes how climate emotions are experienced and expressed. For example, climate education at school reinforces sustainable practices encouraged at home.
    • Exosystem: Community resources and local policies influence individuals’ ability to engage in climate action. Access to green spaces, recycling programs, and community initiatives can mitigate feelings of powerlessness and enhance emotional well-being.
    • Macrosystem: Societal attitudes and cultural values regarding the environment shape collective climate emotions. Societies that prioritize environmental conservation and sustainable development foster a sense of hope and collective responsibility.
    • Chronosystem: Historical climate events, such as climate-related disasters or significant policy changes, impact the long-term emotional responses to climate change. These events can either heighten eco-anxiety or inspire resilience and proactive engagement.
  • Systemic Support and Intervention
    • Comprehensive Strategies: Understanding the multiple layers of influence allows for the development of comprehensive strategies that address individual, community, and societal factors contributing to climate emotions.
    • Policy and Community Initiatives: Implementing policies that support environmental sustainability and creating community initiatives that promote collective action can enhance positive emotional responses and reduce climate distress.
  • Example Applications
    • Educational Programs: Schools integrating climate education into their curricula can influence students’ climate emotions by providing knowledge, fostering a sense of agency and building awareness to the interconnectedness of decisions and actions.
    • Community Resilience Projects: Local initiatives like community gardens or renewable energy projects can strengthen social networks and provide tangible ways for individuals to engage with climate action, reducing feelings of helplessness.

Carl Rogers’ Person-Centered Therapy, also known as Client-Centered Therapy, is a humanistic approach that emphasizes the importance of the therapeutic relationship and the individual's capacity for self-healing and personal growth. Rogers believed that creating a supportive and nonjudgmental environment enables individuals to explore and understand their emotions, leading to greater self-awareness and positive change.

• Key Principles and Contributions
  • Unconditional Positive Regard: Therapists provide nonjudgmental acceptance and support, fostering a safe space for clients to express their true selves.
  • Empathy: Deep, genuine understanding of the client’s feelings and experiences is central to the therapeutic process.
  • Congruence: Therapists are authentic and transparent, promoting trust and openness in the therapeutic relationship.
  • Self-Actualization: Emphasizes the innate drive toward personal growth and fulfillment, supporting individuals in achieving their full potential.
• Application to Climate Emotions
  • Empathy and Validation
    • Creating Safe Spaces: Person-Centered Therapy principles can be applied in climate-related support settings by actively listening to individuals’ climate concerns and validating their emotional experiences. This approach reduces feelings of isolation and stigma associated with climate distress.
    • Example: Facilitators in climate support groups use open-ended questions and reflective listening to help participants articulate their eco-anxiety and ecological grief, fostering a sense of being heard and understood.
  • Facilitating Self-Awareness and Growth
    • Encouraging Exploration: By providing a nonjudgmental environment, individuals are encouraged to explore their climate emotions deeply, leading to greater self-awareness and the ability to transform these emotions into proactive actions.
    • Example: Workshops that incorporate person-centered techniques allow participants to reflect on their climate-related feelings and identify personal values and goals related to environmental stewardship.
  • Promoting Self-Efficacy and Agency
    • Supporting Personal Growth: Person-Centered Therapy empowers individuals to take ownership of their climate actions by fostering a sense of agency and self-efficacy.
    • Example: Counseling sessions that emphasize clients’ strengths and capacities can help individuals move from feelings of helplessness to active engagement in climate initiatives.
  • Enhancing Therapeutic Relationships
    • Building Trust and Rapport: The principles of unconditional positive regard and congruence help build strong therapeutic relationships, which are essential for effective support and intervention in climate-related emotional distress.
    • Example: Mental health professionals trained in person-centered approaches can better connect with clients, facilitating meaningful dialogues about climate emotions and pathways to resilience.

People who are marginalized or vulnerable due to social structures, health care access, and physical, mental, or developmental status.

• People with Health Conditions and/or Disabilities
  • Face increased risk of adverse health outcomes from climate-related events and environmental extremes.
    • Example: Hospital admissions have been found to be 30% more likely for those with diabetes than the general population during extreme heat events.
  • May experience worsening of existing health conditions due to climate-related events.
    • Example: Wildfire smoke can exacerbate asthma or other respiratory illnesses.
  • May encounter additional barriers to accessing care, information, or emergency resources.
  • Experience added challenges with evacuation, medication access, or daily coping during climate disruptions.
• People with Mental Health Conditions and/or Neurodivergence
  • Are more susceptible to climate-related distress or worsening of pre-existing mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, or PTSD.
  • May experience heightened sensitivity to environmental conditions, changes in routine, and/or difficulty coping during emergencies, times of instability, or temperature extremes.
  • May be additionally impacted due to use of certain medications.
    • Example: Medications prescribed for conditions such as schizophrenia, ADHD, and depression can impair the body’s ability to regulate temperature, increasing vulnerability to heat.
• Children and Youth
  • Are physiologically more vulnerable to the health risks of climate change.
    • Example: Having an increased respiratory rate and being more active outdoors increases negative effects of air pollution.
  • May experience climate emotions more intensely and may not be equipped to respond, as age and developmental stage influence the intensity of how climate emotions are felt and experienced.
  • Are more likely to experience climate-related events and impacts throughout their lifetime.
  • Are generally excluded from voting and decision making spaces.
• Older Adults
  • May be physiologically less able to adapt to environmental hazards.
    • Example: Reduced tolerance to temperature extremes such as heat.
  • Are more likely to have pre-existing medical conditions or physical limitations.
  • May require additional supports to manage health risks and maintain well-being.

Groups facing structural barriers, discrimination, or inequities that amplify climate-related risks.

• Racialized Communities
  • Experience greater exposure to environmental and climate-related harms due to systemic inequities as well as acts of environmental racism and injustice including practices such as redlining and placements of communities in or near sacrifice zones by white decision makers.
  • May experience a lack of culturally-relevant mental health support, and face cultural and/or racial stigma in accessing mental health care.
  • Face amplified health inequities as climate change intensifies existing disparities.
    • Example: In some instances, elevated temperatures have been associated with increased illness and mortality in adults of colour when compared to white populations.
  • Encounter compounding traumas at the intersection of racism, colonialism, climate change, and other intersections of identities and experiences.
• Indigenous Peoples

  Experience all of the factors impacting racialized communities above as well as:

  • The impact of climate change on cultural practices, land, food and medicine sources, and well-being. Additionally, this can exacerbate existing colonial impacts on culture and land, deepening and furthering ongoing inequities and traumas.
  • May experience heightened and compounding effects due to ongoing colonialism, racism, displacement, and barriers to accessing equitable, culturally safe supports.
  • May be located in areas at higher risk of climate extremes due to colonial policies and displacement.
    • Example: First Nations communities make up 42% of evacuations due to wildfires but only make up 5% of people living in Canada.
• People Living in the Global South
  • Are disproportionately affected by climate change due to socio-economic, political, and systemic inequities.
  • Often face insufficient adaptation and mitigation supports from wealthier and/or less impacted countries, and may be underrepresented in decision-making spaces and excluded from climate migration, increasing risk from climate-induced disasters
  • Often have fewer resources to adapt due to historic exploitation and ongoing colonial dynamics.
  • May already be experiencing climate change impacts due to systemic impacts and geographic susceptibility, even though they often contribute the least to climate change itself.
• 2SLGBTQIA+ and Gender Diverse Individuals
  • May experience higher risk of housing insecurity and exposure to extreme weather.
  • May have reduced access to appropriate healthcare and support, limiting resilience.
  • May have a greater prevalence of mental health conditions related to high rates of isolation, social stigma, and marginalization, increasing risk of climate-related distress.
  • May have smaller or less accessible familial support networks.
  • Often experience political marginalization and exclusion, which can impact well-being and safety.
• Women, Girls, and Marginalized Genders
  • Experience climate change impacts disproportionately due to gendered social, economic, and cultural roles; these impacts can vary locally and globally.
  • May experience increased gender inequity due to climate change, including increased workloads, limited access to resources, and reduced opportunities to participate in decision-making.
  • Face heightened risks of gender-based violence and exploitation during climate-related disasters and displacement.
  • Often excluded from and/or under-represented in political and decision making spaces, impacting considerations for well-being and safety as well as opportunities for advocacy.
• People with Lower Incomes and/or Who Are Experiencing Poverty
  • Are more likely to live in areas with more climate hazards and have less access to support, resources, political advocacy, and information for resilience.
  • Do not have as much disposable income to prepare for emergencies or respond to unexpected expenses that climate-related events can create.
  • Are more likely to experience inequities that amplify climate risks.
  • May not have as much political power or decision-making power.
• People who are Unhoused, Under-housed, and Housing Insecure
  • Face a higher risk of climate-related health exposures and extremes.
  • Are more likely to experience structural barriers, discrimination, and inequities that amplify climate-related risks.
  • May have access to fewer resources and networks for adaptation and support.
  • Often are excluded from political spaces and decision making.

People whose location increases exposure to climate hazards and limits access to supports.

• People Living in Rural or Remote Locations
  • Often have increased exposure to climate-related events such as wildfires due to location.
  • Face reduced, limited, or short-term access to support and resources.

Groups who may be more at risk of climate related harms due to their work.

• First and Secondary Responders (e.g. firefighters, crisis line workers)
  • Increased risk of mental health challenges and distress after responding to climate-related crises.
  • Increased likelihood of illness due to environmental work exposures
    • Example: Forest firefighters have shown increased risk of cardiorespiratory conditions like reduced lung function due to smoke exposure.
• Outdoor Workers (e.g. farmers)
  • More sensitive to changes in climate as lives and financial stability are tied to the environment.
    • Example: Extreme events and unpredictability of weather can exacerbate mental stressors and physical stressors for farmers.
  • More exposed to climate-related health risks due to the outdoor nature of work.

Intersectional climate justice integrates mental health support with efforts to provide equitable access to resources and cultural inclusion.

• Examples:
  • Trauma-Informed Mental Health Care: Tailored to the cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts of marginalized communities, ensuring that emotional support is both relevant and respectful.
  • Funding Green Infrastructure Projects: Prioritizing underserved neighborhoods when addressing environmental hazards while creating spaces for community healing and resilience.
    

Effective climate solutions must be co-designed with and/or led by those most affected, ensuring that their perspectives and needs are central to decision-making processes.

• Examples:
  • Indigenous-Led Land Stewardship Programs: Integrate traditional ecological knowledge and sustainable practices, supporting Indigenous communities to lead climate adaptation efforts.
  • Policies Amplifying Disabled Activists: Ensuring that disabled individuals have a voice that is prioritized in disaster preparedness planning and climate resilience strategies.
    

Grassroots movements exemplify intersectional approaches by amplifying the voices of youth, people of color, and other marginalized groups, fostering a more inclusive climate advocacy landscape.

• Examples:
  • Youth-Led Movements: such as Fridays for Future and Youth Climate Lab incorporate youth voices into global climate discussions, highlighting the intersection of age and climate justice
  • Indigenous Climate Coalitions: such as Indigenous Climate Action, unite Indigenous leaders and activists to advocate for environmental protections and sovereignty.
  • Climate and Disability Justice Advocates: encourage cross movement solidarities and collective access.
    

Effective mental health support must account for the lived experiences of marginalized groups, integrating cultural practices and community-based approaches.

• Examples:
  • Community-Based Counseling Programs: Led by practitioners from similar cultural backgrounds, ensuring that mental health support is culturally relevant and effective.
  • Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Incorporating Indigenous and other non-Western healing methods into trauma recovery efforts, fostering holistic emotional healing.
    

Intersectional approaches advocate for the integration of mental health and equity considerations into broader climate policies, ensuring that emotional well-being is addressed alongside physical and environmental needs. This recognizes that policies shape environmental outcomes, while also influencing how individuals and communities experience and respond to climate change.

• Examples:
  • Policies Funding Mental Health Services: Allocating resources for mental health support in disaster recovery initiatives.
  • Inclusive Mental Health Planning: Ensuring that marginalized groups are represented in the development of mental health strategies for climate adaptation that meet the specific, self-identified, and unique needs of those communities.
  • Environmental Justice Policy: As highlighted in Canada’s Environmental Justice and Racism Symposium, including:
  • Addressing root causes of environmental racism
  • Meaningfully involving affected groups in participation and decision-making
  • Considering intergenerational equity and how decisions will impact people in the future
  • Taking a strengths-based approach