MartinEarth Day and the impact on mental health.
Since Earth Day was launched in 1970 there has been growing public awareness about the impact of pollution on our planet and public health. This includes the vital relationship between the environment, mental health and our general wellbeing.
For me, I first became curious about the topic of nature and nurture – and the combined impact upon people – many years ago when through reading Erik Erickson (an German/American psychoanalyst) who began writing about this in 1950. Now, the topic is more open for discussion than ever before. As is the growing awareness of how pollution doesn’t just harm physical health but how it can significantly affect mental health.
Did you know:
- The Effect of Air Pollution can be found to impact
- Mental health by increasing anxiety and depression
- Cognitive decline by leading to things including memory problems
- Higher rates of neurodevelopment disorders in children
2. The Impact of Noise Pollution and stress levels, from living in areas with high noise levels such as traffic, airports, industry etc., can be experienced through
- Excessive stress
- Anxiety and depression
- Hearing issues i.e., tinnitus and loss of hearing etc.
3. The links between Water and Soil Pollution on mental health are important and more difficult to monitor, because they happen quietly and unseen in the background.
But the effect of contamination can be found to increase
- Mood swings
- Irritability and frustration
- Anxiety
4. Climate change and Environment Anxiety.
There’s a powerfully unnerving wellbeing impact – which is being called ‘Eco-Anxiety’ as we see, hear and read about environmental degradation. By this I mean, the ice caps melting and seeing pictures of polar bears or penguins suffering etc. images of ‘rivers of plastic’ and global warming with terrible heatwaves and wildfires etc., devastating people’s homes and lives. These are just three examples, but the list could be easily ten times as long.
From here I suggest links to mental health and wellbeing can be found in
- Trauma for the people effected by natural disasters etc.
- Feeling helpless or scared
- Anxiety – ‘this might happen to me’
It is important for me to add I am not trying to scare anybody by writing this. Why? Because I believe that understanding and being able to think about things is less frightening or anxiety provoking than not knowing. In this sense knowing – or gaining insight – is helpful in allowing us to understand why we might feel strongly about things, rather than experiencing say anxiety and not knowing why.
I have made lots of important statements and for those who might be thinking ‘how do you know?’ or wondering if I’m just making stuff up, well thank you. For taking the time to read this and ask such questions. I do take my words seriously and have researched my ideas here and included them at the bottom of this blog.
If you are worried about anything related to this blog, please don’t suffer in silence. Get in touch and speak to someone. It really can make a difference!!
Source on Air pollution, water and soil pollution and Eco-Anxiety:
- The European Environment Agency (EEA), The European Topic Centre on Human Health and the Environment (ETC HE, 2026).
- https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/
Source on Noise Pollution:
- Hahad O, Prochaska JH, Daiber A, Muenzel T. Environmental Noise-Induced Effects on Stress Hormones, Oxidative Stress, and Vascular Dysfunction: Key Factors in the Relationship between Cerebrocardiovascular and Psychological Disorders. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2019 Nov.
- Biddle, J (2025) https://coeh.ucdavis.edu/research/how-noise-pollution-quietly-affects-your-health
Source on climate change and eco-anxiety:
- UK: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/climate-change-awareness-and-mental-health
- com: Clara Kühner, Corinna Gemmecke, Joachim Hüffmeier, Hannes Zacher, Climate change anxiety: A meta-analysis, Global Environmental Change, Volume 93, 2025