title: Hope, despair and transformation: Climate change and the promotion of mental health and wellbeing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This article aims to provide an introduction to emerging evidence and debate about the relationship between climate change and mental health.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The authors argue that:i) the direct impacts of climate change such as extreme weather events will have significant mental health implications;ii) climate change is already impacting on the social, economic and environmental determinants of mental health with the most severe consequences being felt by disadvantaged communities and populations; iii) understanding the full extent of the long term social and environmental challenges posed by climate change has the potential to create emotional distress and anxiety; and iv) understanding the psycho-social implications of climate change is also an important starting point for informed action to prevent dangerous climate change at individual, community and societal levels.
authors.affiliation: Research Fellow, McCaughey Centre: VicHealth Centre for the Promotion of Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.|Director, McCaughey Centre: VicHealth Centre for the Promotion of Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Jessica G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Fritze
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010 Australia.|Visiting Fellow at National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia.
authors.forename: Grant A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Blashki
authors.affiliation: Australian Psychological Society, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Susie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.affiliation: Director, McCaughey Centre: VicHealth Centre for the Promotion of Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wiseman
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