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.
Infectious Diseases Chemical Pollution
Unraveling classic and emerging links between pollution and infectious diseases. Discover Public Health.
Experts explain how pollution affects the spread of infectious diseases and how it puts both humans and animals at risk.
• News
Climate Change Governance and Policy
Climate Change and Disability
• Books
Communications Planetary Health Frameworks
Voices for Planetary Health: Leveraging AI, media, and stakeholder strengths for effective narratives to advance Planetary Health. Internews.
A new report launched at the Planetary Health Annual Meeting (PHAM 2025) in Rotterdam identifies communication as the critical missing link for driving meaningful action on the world’s most pressing environmental and health challenges. It offers guidance on how to effectively communicate Planetary Health knowledge into action by leveraging AI, media, and stakeholder strengths.
• Research & Reports, Tools
Climate Change Equity and Justice
2025 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). UN Development Programme.
Nearly 80% of the world’s poor — 887 million people — are already facing extreme heat, flooding, and other climate hazards. Their reality makes it clear: the climate crisis is a global health crisis.
• Research & Reports
Infectious Diseases Disaster Preparedness and Adaptation
Malaria Resurgence Could Kill Nearly One Million by 2030 as Funding Cuts Hit. Health Policy Watch.
• News
