Mental Health Noncommunicable Diseases
• Research & Reports
What Is Planetary Health?
Brain Health
Our environment shapes neurological function and mental well-being, while resilient brains empower societies to adapt to and mitigate planetary challenges.
1 in 4 dementia deaths worldwide, approximately 626,000 deaths each year, is attributable to air pollution.
Brain health sits at the heart of Planetary Health, reflecting the dynamic relationship between human biology, social systems, and the environments we depend on to survive and thrive. The brain, our organ of cognition, emotion, behavior, and social connection, is uniquely sensitive to environmental conditions shaped by how we steward the planet. Rising temperatures, air and water pollution, extreme weather events, food and water insecurity, ecosystem degradation, and exposure to environmental toxins all affect neurological function, cognitive performance, and mental health across the lifespan.
20-30 minutes in natural environments can significantly improve attention, working memory, and executive function, compared with urban settings.
At the same time, healthy brains enable learning, creativity, cooperation, and collective decision-making, capacities that societies need to adapt to environmental change, design sustainable systems, and respond to crises. When environmental degradation undermines brain health, it weakens individual well-being, social cohesion, productivity, and communities’ ability to respond effectively to planetary challenges. This makes brain health both a vulnerability and a leverage point within the Planetary Health framework.
Our Brain Under Environmental Stress
Scientific evidence increasingly shows that environmental stressors act on the brain through interconnected biological, psychological, and social pathways. Heat stress disrupts sleep, cognition, and mental health; air pollution accelerates cognitive decline and increases the risk of dementia and neurodevelopmental disorders; extreme weather events drive trauma, displacement, and long-lasting effects on mental and cognitive health. These risks are not evenly distributed. Children, older adults, people with pre-existing neurological or mental health conditions, and communities facing socioeconomic disadvantage bear a disproportionate burden. A Planetary Health approach therefore requires centering on equity, prevention, and resilience.
Planetary Health Solutions for Brain Health
Crucially, many Planetary Health solutions are also brain-protective solutions. Cleaner air, climate-resilient food systems, access to green and blue spaces, urban tree canopies, reduced noise and heat exposure, and stronger social infrastructure all support cognitive function, emotional well-being, and neurological health while delivering environmental co-benefits. By explicitly integrating brain health into Planetary Health research, policy, and practice, we can better capture the full human benefits of environmental action and design interventions that strengthen both people and planet.
Resources
Mental Health Youth Voices
• News
Climate Change’s Hidden Mental Toll On Children Think Global Health.
Mental Health Noncommunicable Diseases
• Research & Reports
Environmental Neuroscience Springer Nature Link.
Noncommunicable Diseases Air Pollution
This Nation has the Fastest Rising Rate of Cancer Cases — and Deaths — in the World. NPR.
Lebanon is experiencing the fastest rise in cancer rates worldwide, with new cases increasing 162% and cancer-related deaths up 80% over the past 30 years, according to a recent study. The surge is driven by air pollution from vehicles and diesel generators, overuse of agricultural chemicals, and widespread smoking, which is fueling a spike in lung cancer.
• News
Noncommunicable Diseases Equity and Justice
The global, regional, and national burden of cancer, 1990–2023, with forecasts to 2050: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023. The Lancet.
Noncommunicable Diseases Climate Change
Growing Threat to Heat-Exposed Workers: Chronic Kidney Disease. Inside Climate News.
• News
Education Equity and Justice
Communicating the Links between Service-Learning, Sustainability, Health, and Social Justice
Looking for infographics that show the connections between self-learning, sustainability, and global justice? Explore these graphics—and if you don’t see the topic you’re interested in, suggest a new one!
• Tools
Built Environment and Urbanization Disaster Preparedness and Adaptation
‘Nature Designed it to Bend’: The Bamboo Buildings that Sway in Earthquakes. BBC.
Bamboo has been used as a building material for millennia across South America, Africa, and Asia, where it grows abundantly. Recently, its strength and flexibility have gained attention for making it naturally resistant to earthquakes. Today, bamboo is being used in construction to try to protect people from earthquakes.
• News
