Changes to the built and natural environment to support mental health
Changes to the built and natural environment like housing upgrades, green infrastructure and nature-based solutions, can help mental wellbeing and build resilience
Applies to England
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Topic: health impacts
Part of: Climate change and mental health
Key resources for structural and environment change to mental health and climate:
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Structural and environment change to mental health and climate
Adaptations to build mental resilience
The mental wellbeing of communities can be impacted by extreme weather events, and eco-anxiety worsened by climate change. There is some limited evidence that several structural or environmental adaptations can be made to help build resilience to the mental impacts of extreme weather events.
Structural adaptations:
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home energy upgrades - for example, insulation and heating improvements in low-income housing can improve indoor comfort, reduce stress, and enhance mental health and quality of life
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flood prevention infrastructure - for example barriers and planned shelters can help reduce psychological distress by improving safety and preparedness
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early warning systems - for extreme weather events like floods, have been shown to reduce mental health impacts when warnings are well-communicated and timely
Environmental adaptations:
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nature prescribing - for example, walking or gardening can reduce stress and improve social connection
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citizen science - for example, getting involved in biodiversity monitoring can increase self-efficacy and the connection with nature, and protect mental health
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green infrastructure - for example, providing shaded areas and parks can promote physical activity, social cohesion, and emotional wellbeing
Evidence limitations
The climate change and mental health report outlines the limitations of the evidence on structural and environmental interventions including:
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the limited number of UK studies - most studies are from Australia and Canada
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mental health benefits are not measured - mental health is often not the main topic of climate intervention studies
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cost-effectiveness - data is lacking making it difficult to justify investment in interventions
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equity and access - issues for specific groups such as deprived or rural communities, have not been investigated
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long-term impacts are not assessed - or how interventions work across different levels of climate warming