Resources

Search below for resources covering the intersection of climate engagement, social science and data analytics.

RESULTS

Research & Articles
02-23-2024

In communications about President Biden’s pause on liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects, voters are most swayed by messaging about health. The most effective and convincing way to talk about this pause is in the context of the pollution risk methane gas facilities pose and the health consequences from them. While other frames are still useful, the pollution-focused message was chosen overall and by virtually all subgroups as the best message on the topic.

Research & Articles
01-01-2024

The Climate Mental Health Network website includes various resources for teachers, parents, and others. It also includes resources on general wellbeing (e.g., worksheets, meditations) and art therapy.

Research & Articles
11-14-2023

The latest Lancet Countdown report underscores the imperative for a health-centered response in a world facing irreversible harms. Public and political engagement on health and climate change continued its upward trend across 2022, reaching the highest recorded level of engagement among government leaders and companies signed up to the UN sustainability charter, while maintaining recent higher engagement in global newspapers. Individual engagement with health and climate change remained low in 2022; of all click views that led to health-related articles, only 0.03% came from climate change-related articles, and only 0.36% of click views that led to climate change-related articles came from health-related article. Corporate sector engagement with health and climate change reached its highest recorded level In 2022, with 38% of companies referring to the health dimensions of climate change. tweets mentioning the health co-benefits of climate change action reached a record of 22% of all monthly tweets from international organizations in November 2022, in a continuously upward trend. 50% of countries mentioned the intersection of health and climate change at the UN General Debate in 2022, a 10% decrease from 2021; 95% of updated NDC documents refer to health, an increase from 73% in the first submission.

Research & Articles
11-01-2023

Polling identified several key lessons for communicators keeping big oil and gas accountable, such as: 1) Making "polluters pay" is a unifying narrative. Framing accountability in terms of the oil and gas industry’s enormous damages to communities and their health, coupled with their inflated profits, can help depoliticize this issue for a wide range of voters. 2) Focus the blame from global context to specific companies. Don’t let big oil and gas use geopolitics as a scapegoat.

Research & Articles
10-26-2023

Climate change has significant impacts on health outcomes, and health professionals are uniquely positioned to leverage their voice as trusted messengers to engage their colleagues, patients, and communities to take action and shift the public conversation on climate and health.

Gendered and Racial Impacts of the Fossil Fuel Industry in North America and Complicit Financial Institutions

Allison Fabrizio, Livia Charles, and Osprey Orielle Lake. Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network, International
Research & Articles
09-01-2023

This report finds an indisputable connection between the fossil fuel industry’s practices and negative impacts to African American/Black/ African Diaspora, Indigenous, Latina/Chicana, and low-income women’s health, safety, and human rights in the U.S. and parts of Canada. Specifically, fossil fuel-derived air, water, and soil pollution impact women’s fertility, mental health, and daily work and responsibilities. The negative effects from fossil fuel activity—including extraction, storage and transportation of coal, oil, and gas often in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG)—stem from direct pollution of communities by fossil fuel companies’ contributions to industrial carbon dioxide and methane. The climate crisis does not and will not affect everyone equally, as factors such as gender, race, and socio-economic status make certain communities significantly more vulnerable to the increasing threats of climate change. Global inequalities, rooted in structural patriarchy, colonialism, white supremacy, and capitalism, continue to place people of the global majority, and specifically women, at risk.

Americans widely believe that climate action will benefit people’s health and make the country stronger, but tend to say that those around them aren’t as concerned about climate change as they are. 89% of Americans agree that clean air and water are critical rights for all people. 86% of Americans agree that everyone has a right to clean energy that does not pollute the air or water. 85% of Americans agree that we have a moral responsibility to create a safe and healthy climate for ourselves and our children. 75% of Americans agree that the government needs to protect people from the impacts of extreme weather. 74% of Americans agree that they can help reduce the pollution that is causing climate change. 73% of Americans agree that investing in solutions to climate change will benefit American communities and make our country stronger. 69% of Americans say that it would improve people’s health if the United States took steps to deal with climate change. 65% of Americans say that they will vote for leaders who will prioritize climate change solutions.

Learning From the Climate-Mental Health Convergence

Lian Zeitz, John Jamir Benzon R. Aruta and Kelly Davis. Stanford Social Innovation Review
Research & Articles
05-30-2023

The climate movement has lessons for all social impact practitioners working to create a more just and healthy world. While the climate and mental health movements are getting increased attention separately, a small set of leaders working across these movements are prioritizing and integrating mental health and climate advocacy as a unified effort. From climate scientists to psychologists, these actors are creating bi-directional efforts that serve both causes. Importantly, they see these two global crises as inextricably linked, highlighting that people across these movements must integrate these fields of practice rather than working in silos. Beyond prioritizing mental health education and interventions in our initiatives, social impact practitioners across all areas often face personal challenges as we dedicate our time and energy to witnessing and mitigating the world’s inequities. In recent years, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have heard repeated calls for self-care in the face of what can be exhausting and painful work.

The effects of climate change on public health couldn’t be clearer. The 10 hottest years on record have all occurred since 2010. In fact, 2022 marked the eighth year in a row that average global temperatures were 34 degrees higher than pre-industrial (1850-1900) average temperatures. Rising sea levels, compromised air and water quality, and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events all speak to the stark reality that the climate is changing. Drought and excessive rainfall offer stark examples of how climate change affects public health. This can lead to rising prices, which can exacerbate food insecurity and lead to malnutrition. Air pollution can cause temporary irritation to the eyes and respiratory tract and trigger asthma attacks. However, air pollution can have much longer-lasting health effects as well: Once in the bloodstream, these harmful substances can circulate through the whole body, causing inflammation, suppressing the immune system, and disrupting the ability of biological systems to detoxify. Severe storms, such as hurricanes and blizzards, pose immediate dangers to affected communities. Compared to an average of two heat waves occurring every year in the 1960s, today, an average of six occur every year. Education, preparation and monitoring, identification and monitoring, and climate adaptation and resilience plans are key to responding to climate public health threats.