Headlines across Australia over the past week have highlighted the grim picture of the effect of climate change on our country, with the first National Climate Risk Assessment (NCRA) forecasting doomsday scenarios with soaring numbers of heat related deaths, rising sea levels, and more frequent and severe heatwaves, droughts and bushfires.

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The government's response to the NCRA report was to set emission levels aimed at averting warming above 1.5 degrees by 2035, and the cost of these changes is being debated across business and political forums and in the media, with much of the focus being on the economy, housing market, our renewable energy transition and the environment.

What is less debated or evident in the headlines is the impact of climate change on the mental health of everyday Australians, who are already buckling under climate-related stress, with statistics telling us that nearly 80 per cent of us have faced at least one extreme weather event since 2019.

Over 67 per cent of young Australians report that climate concerns negatively impact their mental health. Mental health impacts from repeated exposure to extreme weather events are cumulative, leading to slower recovery and worsened outcomes. Children born in 2021 are now expected to experience seven times more climate-related disasters in their lifetime than previous generations.

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