Author: Stephen Johnson / Source: Big Think
- The study examined survey data reported by 2 million Americans between 2002 and 2012.
- The results showed that hotter and wetter months were associated with increases in mental health issues like stress and depression.
- Women and low-income Americans seem to have been most affected by the weather changes.
The United Nations’ top climate science panel recently warned that the world would see “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes” if global temperatures rise 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial averages in coming years. Such an increase would likely be catastrophic for millions of people, particularly those who live in island nations or along the world’s coasts.
Now, new research suggests rising temperatures could also have similarly disastrous effects on mental health.
The link between weather and mental health
A paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that exposure to hotter temperatures, increased precipitation and tropical cyclones was associated with an increase in mental health issues. These effects will likely hit women and low-income Americans the hardest, according to the researcher team, which was led by Nick Obradovich, a data scientist at the MIT Media Lab.
“If we push global temperature rise into the 2 degrees-plus Celsius range, the impacts on human well-being, including mental health, may be catastrophic,” Obradovich told Inverse.
The team analyzed self-reported data of 2 million Americans who responded to the US Centers for Disease…
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