[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 975 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 975
Expressing the mental health impacts of recurrent climate-related
disasters on youth.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 9, 2022
Mr. Thompson of California (for himself and Ms. Castor of Florida)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the mental health impacts of recurrent climate-related
disasters on youth.
Whereas there is a significant, negative impact that rapid and ongoing climate
change has on America's youth;
Whereas youth are especially vulnerable to the physical and mental health
impacts of climate-related disasters and the cumulative toll youth will
endure from additional exposure to increasing climate-related disasters;
Whereas youth represent a particularly vulnerable group because greenhouse gases
emitted into the atmosphere will impact today's and tomorrow's youth
throughout their biological, psychological, academic, and social
development;
Whereas an American Psychological Association and ecoAmerica report stated that,
as of 2016, as climate-related disasters continue to increase, more
youth will be directly affected by increasing rates of stress and trauma
through interruption in schooling, disruptions in routine, separation
from caregivers due to evacuations or displacement, and parental stress
after a disaster;
Whereas recent studies cited in the American Psychological Association and
ecoAmerica report have documented that high levels of stress during
childhood, such as those associated with the experience of a climate-
related disaster or displacement, can affect the development of neural
pathways in ways that impair memory, executive function, and decision
making in later life;
Whereas a 2016 Social Science & Medicine study found that experiencing an
extreme weather event before age 5 resulted in higher levels of anxiety
and depression among adults;
Whereas studies document that many young people are grappling with the impact of
climate change;
Whereas recent studies confirm those from low-income communities, indigenous
communities, and communities of color are often the most vulnerable to
the worst impacts of climate change, such as flooding, drought, fire,
and extreme heat;
Whereas a study by the American Public Health Association and ecoAmerica, Making
the Connection: Climate Changes Mental Health, shows that up to 45
percent of youth have developed depression after a climate-related
disaster, affecting both their caregivers and the youth themselves;
Whereas a National Library of Medicine study found an association between
increases in pediatric psychiatrist visits and polluted air from
wildfires;
Whereas there are direct links between fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) exposure
and neuropsychological effects, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder, decreased memory, depleted academic performance, and autism;
Whereas, according to a 2017 report by the Lancet Planetary Health Journal, The
Impact of Climate Change on Youth Depression and Mental Health, an
increase in emergency department visits was incited by higher levels of
humidity and rising temperatures;
Whereas, in 2021, 64 percent of Americans lived in places that experienced a
multiday heat wave, considered the most dangerous form of climate-
related disaster and the frequency and intensity of climate-related
disasters is increasing exponentially;
Whereas a 2019 report suggested that as the frequency of heat waves increases
due to the climate crisis, school-based outdoor recreational
opportunities for youth that benefit mental and physical well-being will
be curtailed by extreme heat;
Whereas, in 2020, a poll from the Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation found
that 57 percent of teenagers stated they were frightened by climate
change, while 52 percent were angered by it and a mere 29 percent of
youth were optimistic for the future in regards to climate change;
Whereas, according to a 2021 study surveying over 10,000 youth, 45 percent of
respondents reported that thoughts of climate change have affected their
daily lives and abilities negatively;
Whereas, in 2021, The National Association of School Psychologists, representing
more than 25,000 members, declared the need to increase awareness of the
harmful effects of climate change on youth, increase resources, and
advocate for climate justice;
Whereas the American Psychological Association has issued a report stating that
children are among those facing the greatest impacts of climate change;
and
Whereas the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child has concluded
that children and youth are better off during adversity if they also
have the help of noncaregiver role models, such as teachers or coaches:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) shall take effective action on climate change, guided
by the science provided in the 2021 United Nations
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, to protect
the mental health of current and future youth; and
(2) supports the expansion of funding of climate education,
resilience, and adaptation projects that benefit the mental
health of youth, including--
(A) incorporating mental health into existing
disaster preparation efforts;
(B) engaging in education and outreach to reduce
the stigma associated with seeking treatment;
(C) reducing cost and increasing access for
treatment (e.g., through federally qualified health
centers and mobile and virtual health care);
(D) increasing insurance and Medicare and Medicaid
reimbursement for mental health care treatment;
(E) funding community-wide vulnerability
assessments;
(F) addressing inequity by studying the impacts of
income disparity at local levels that have been linked
to higher community-wide vulnerability to climate risk;
(G) expanding local, place-based, mutual aid
networks that supply mental health support during and
post climate-related disaster events; and
(H) providing direct funding to school districts
that need immediate resources to help children and
families cope with the mental health effects of
continued climate-related disasters.
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