On May 8, 2025, at from 9:00 am to 11:00 am (Washington DC time or EDT), join us on the Transatlantic dialogue on climate change and mental health, the third in a series of dialogues organized jointly by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the Pan American Health Organization.
This session will be specifically focusing on climate change and mental health, aiming to:
- encourage the sharing of knowledge on the mental health burden caused by climate change and its pathways, while acknowledging common and region-specific challenges;
- facilitate an exchange of experiences on effective interventions encompassing various scopes, target groups and approaches; and
- stimulate further collaboration towards actionable policy recommendations and strategies
This dialogue will provide input for the development of a summary for policy-makers on the approaches to and opportunities for tackling climate change-related mental health challenges for Member States on both sides of the Atlantic.
How to participate
- DAY: Thursday, May 8, 2025
- TIME: 09:00 a.m. (Washington, D.C., or EDT) [See the bottom of this page for times in other cities]
- LANGUAGES: English, Spanish and Russian
- REGISTRATION: https://who.zoom.us/meeting/register/AW3yBeWcSgmtWdDxax_1Iw#/registration
Context
Mental health effects related to climate change can range from clinical mental health disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorders and depression experienced in the aftermath of extreme events like floods, landslides and wildfires, to reduced well-being, which can manifest as eco-grief, eco-anxiety and similar responses. Climate change also exacerbates social determinants that are already causing an increasing mental health burden globally (such as social isolation). Some groups are disproportionately affected based on factors like gender, age, socioeconomic situation or pre-existing physical and mental health conditions. Mental health and psychosocial support interventions are manifold, for example, ranging from community strengthening and awareness building to clinical interventions, such as those deployed as part of emergency response and mental health services targeting vulnerable groups.
Agenda
- Opening remarks
- Robb Butler, Director, Division for Communicable Diseases and Environment WHO Regional Office for Europe
- Introducing the Transatlantic Dialogue on climate change and mental health
- Dorota Jarosińska, Programme Manager for Living and Working Environments, WHO Regional Office for Europe
- Keynote: Climate change impacts on mental health – conceptual considerations
- Alessandro Massazza, United for Global Mental Health (invited; TBC)
- National experiences and country case studies on climate change and mental health
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Emma Gillingham, UK Health Security Agency (invited; TBC) (overview on various interventions in the UK based on a national call for case studies)
- PAHO / Chile (TBC) (integration of mental health and psychosocial perspective in wildfire events response, 2024)
- Slovenia: Matej Vinko, National Institute of Public Health (confirmed) (multi-organizational coordinated psychosocial response to floods, including community-based approaches)
- PAHO / Canada (TBC) (interventions for inclusion of mental health perspective in climate change response)
- Estonia: Nele Peaasjad/Peeasi and Karola Kivilo/Estonian Green Movement (confirmed) (multi-country multi-NGO (environment + MH) EU-funded project Calm Ey on eco anxiety among youth)
- PAHO / Barbados (TBC) (integration of climate change and health in mental health system)
- Reactions and reflections
- WHO Collaboration Centre on Climate Change and Mental Health: Jura Augustinavicius, McGill University (TBC) (strengthening regional collaboration on climate change and health)
- Wrap-up and next steps
- Francesca Racioppi, Head of the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health, WHO Regional Office for Europe
Time in other cities
- 6:00 a.m. – Los Angeles, Vancouver
- 7:00 a.m. – Belmopan, Guatemala City, Managua, Mexico City, San José (CR), San Salvador, Tegucigalpa
- 8:00 a.m. – Bogotá, Panama City, Kingston, Lima
- 9:00 a.m. – Bridgetown, Caracas, Georgetown, Havana, La Paz, Quito, Washington D.C., Port of Spain, Port-au-Prince, Nassau, Ottawa, San Juan, Santo Domingo
- 10:00 a.m. – Asunción, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Brasilia, Montevideo, Paramaribo
- 3:00 p.m. – Geneva, Madrid
For other cities, please check the local time on this link.