New Â鶹ֱ²¥-led research has revealed around 0.5 per cent, or approximately 260, suicide deaths in Australia over a two-decade period were correlated with unusually higher temperatures caused by climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The increased risk was observed among men aged 55 and above, particularly during hotter months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lead researcher Dr Lucas Hertzog<\/a> from Curtin\u2019s World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Climate Change and Health Impact Assessment<\/a> said the findings suggest public health strategies to address the mental health impacts of climate change may be needed if the results are replicated in other studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnalysing the differences in data from 2000 to 2019, compared to the previous five decades, there\u2019s evidence of increased suicide risk in older Australian males during high heat anomalies associated with climate change,\u201d Dr Hertzog said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur research shows heat anomalies during the study period were between 0.02 \u00b0C to 2.2 \u00b0C degrees hotter than the historical period across Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSpecifically, about 0.5 per cent of the 50,733 suicides during this period were related to these heat anomalies.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFuture studies should investigate whether and how global warming affects mental health and suicide, especially considering the widespread effects of climate change on both nature and human societies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senior author Dr Ivan Hanigan<\/a>, Director of Curtin\u2019s World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Health Impact Assessment, said the study underscores the urgent need for climate mitigation and adaptation strategies in Government planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis includes creating support systems and services to help people cope with extreme heat, which is becoming more frequent and intense due to global warming,\u201d Dr Hanigan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis research is designed as a population-level analysis and does not delve into individual-level variables such as socioeconomic status, personal mental health history, access to services, or the contexts of each individual. Hence, this study does not definitively show that temperature anomalies cause an increase in suicide rates.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRather, our findings highlight the importance of considering environmental factors, alongside individual-level factors, in public health strategies and suicide prevention efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The study was supported by funding from the Healthy Environments and Lives Network<\/a>, the National Health and Medical Research Council\u2019s Special Initiative in Human Health and Environmental Change, and the Australian Research Data Commons Air Health Data Bridges<\/a> project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n