CO-CHAIRS
The Climate Change and Suicidality Special Interest Group was created to tackle the increasingly urgent threat of climate change and its potential influence on suicidal thoughts and behaviours.
Climate change is the greatest global health threat of the 21st century. The effects of climate change (e.g., rising temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events) are increasingly being experienced across the world. Emerging research indicates that these effects may potentially increase suicidal thoughts and behaviours. As such, it is vital that suicide research elucidates these links to guide public health policy and practice. This group will bring together multidisciplinary stakeholders with relevant expertise in a unique network that advances our understanding in this critical area, which is not presently covered by any other special interest group.
This special interest group aims to be at the forefront of collating and developing knowledge about the effects of climate change on suicidal thoughts and behaviours.
OBJECTIVES:
- Facilitate research collaborations for a multi-country study to better understand the associations between the effects of climate change and suicidal thoughts and behaviours.
- Conduct systematic reviews to identify trends, gaps in knowledge, and develop future research directions and priorities.
- Disseminate the work of the Special Interest Group to increase awareness of the suicide-related effects of climate change.
- Develop an international reference group of experts that can advocate for climate-related policies to incorporate suicide prevention.
- Establish an online hub for knowledge exchange.
PLANNED ACTIVITIES:
- Commentaries and literature reviews.
- Grant applications.
- Webinars.
- Multi-country study on climate change and suicidal thoughts and behaviours.
KEY RESEARCH PAPERS:
From rising temperature to eco-emotions: exploring the impact of climate change on suicidality.
Kõlves, K., Shaw-Williams, D., Krishnamoorthy, S., Bayliss, L., Hawgood, J., & Reifels, L. (2025)
The Lancet Regional Health-Western Pacific, 55: 101491. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2025.101491- Climate change and suicide epidemiology: a systematic review and meta-analysis of gender variations in global suicide rates.
Chen, D. D., Tu, J. H., Ling, K. N., Jin, X. H., & Huang, H. Y. (2025).
Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1463676. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1463676 - Ecological and social determinants of suicidal behavior. South Asian Perspectives in mental health and psychology.
Kabir, R., Syed, H.Z., Vinnakota, D. (2025).
In: Arafat, S.M.Y., Kar, S.K. (eds) Ecological and social determinants of suicidal behavior. South Asian Perspectives in mental health and psychology.
Springer, Singapore. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-4028-7_3 - Links between climate change and suicidal behavior risks.
Vergunst, F., Orri, M., Forte, A., & Geoffroy, M. C. (2025).
Nature Medicine, 1-3. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03528-7 - The history of a+ 3° C future: Global and regional drivers of greenhouse gas emissions (1820–2050).
Infante-Amate, J., Travieso, E., & Aguilera, E. (2025).
Global Environmental Change, 92, 103009. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2025.103009
If you would like to join this SIG, please fill in the contact form below:
