As part of King’s Climate and Sustainability Month, students and staff came together at Denmark Hill Campus for the seminar “Cool, calm and connected: Mental health in a changing climate.” It was one of those events that makes you stop and think about how closely our wellbeing is tied to the world around us.
One of the biggest takeaways was simple but powerful. Climate change is not just an environmental issue. It is also a mental health issue.
Andrea Mechelli, Professor of Early Intervention in Mental Health, shared research based on London hospital records collected over nearly two decades. During the hottest one per cent of days, there was a six per cent increase in mental health hospitalisations and a seven per cent rise in emergency visits linked to mental health. That is happening here in London, a city we often think of as having a fairly moderate summer.
What is interesting is that many people do not realise the link. Only one in 10 people say that heat affects their mental health. Yet most report sleeping badly during heatwaves. Many say they feel exhausted or struggle to concentrate. All of these are closely connected to mental wellbeing. The impact is there, but we are not always naming it.
The conversation then shifted to climate anxiety, especially among young people. Student panellist Adithi Sathiyan spoke about how climate concerns influence everyday decisions, from career choices to questions about the future. The panel was clear that anxiety about the climate should not be treated as a weakness. Feeling worried, angry or grief-stricken in response to what is happening globally is a rational response to a very real situation.
Community came up repeatedly throughout the discussion. Megan Stillwell from Force of Nature talked about climate cafés, which are informal spaces where people come together to talk about how the climate crisis makes them feel. The aim is not to “fix” anxiety. It is to share it. When people realise they are not alone in their concerns, the emotional weight feels lighter and more manageable.
Nature itself was also described as protective. Access to green space can reduce stress, improve focus, cool urban areas and help people feel less isolated. These nature-based approaches show how supporting mental health and tackling climate challenges can go hand in hand.
The panel also acknowledged that climate impacts are not experienced equally. People on lower incomes, those with pre-existing health conditions and communities facing multiple disadvantages are often more affected. That means solutions need to be local, inclusive and shaped with the people they are meant to support.
The overall tone of the seminar was honest but hopeful. Climate change can amplify existing problems, but it can also create opportunities to build stronger communities and rethink how we support one another.
While Climate and Sustainability Month is over for another year, there are still plenty of free events happening across campus. If this seminar showed anything, it is that starting a conversation can be a powerful first step.