Child and adolescent psychiatrists as climate advocates: a toolkit for using our trusted voices to foster hope and galvanize action

The climate crisis is escalating, and climate change will have physical and mental health consequences across the lifespan of every child born today. The definitive cure for the mental health consequences of climate change is clear: mitigation of the climate crisis itself through a rapid and just transition away from burning fossil fuels. Psychiatrists have a long history as powerful advocates for children’s health and safety and are trusted messengers with expertise in fostering hope and motivation. Child and adolescent psychiatrists today similarly can ensure a healthier, more livable future for their own children, adolescents, grandchildren, and patients through advocacy for climate justice. We are uniquely positioned to advocate for systemic change, including a just transition away from fossil fuels and equitable solutions that improve both climate and health. The presenter will delineate ways that child and adolescent psychiatrists are positioned to be powerful advocates for climate action though the use of our trusted voices with political leaders and policymakers, through catalyzing institutional change, and through support for youth climate activists. By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to summarize ways of engaging in activism in their hospital systems and politically within their communities to address these issues. They will be able to identify at least 3 additional, specific ways that they can serve as advocates for climate action in the personal, professional, institutional, and/or political spheres. They will feel equipped to promote youth and family engagement in the face of the climate crisis. Climate change is fundamentally a crisis of inequity and injustice. Those least responsible for historical greenhouse gas emissions—including children—are most vulnerable to its social and societal consequences and psychiatric sequelae, including anxiety, depression, PTSD, and nonpathological but distressing climate emotions including anxiety, grief, guilt, and rage. It is essential that psychiatrists know how to take concrete action to advocate for climate action. The toolkit presented here will provide guidance for psychiatrists hoping to achieve these ends.