Climate change will increase deaths by suicide

Extreme heat has gripped the northern hemisphere in recent months, and the year 2018 is on track to be among the hottest ever recorded. Higher global temperatures are expected to have detrimental effects on our natural environments and our physical health, but what will they do to our mental health?

People use misters to cool down in Montréal,
 Monday, July 2, 2018, during a heatwave in the city. 

New research from an international team of scientists suggests that one of the most tangible impacts may be an increase in suicide rates.

Suicide is already among the leading causes of death worldwide. For people aged 15-55 years, it is among the top five causes of death. Worldwide nearly one million people die by suicide each year — more than all deaths from war and murder combined.

Read the story from The Conversation - “Climate change will increase deaths by suicide.”

Aussie farmers are on the front line and want/need you signature

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ussie farmers are on the front line of rising temperatures and more extreme weather, so global warming is a priority issue for rural, regional and remote Australia.

Hot days have doubled in the last fifty years and heatwaves are longer, hotter and more intense. Climate change is already worsening drought conditions in south-west and south-east Australia and droughts are likely to worsen in many parts of the country without deep and rapid cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. The first five months of 2015 have been the hottest ever recorded.

Read and sign the letter – “An Open Letter from Farmers”.