Mental health group calls for more urban greening to combat heat waves and improve wellbeing
Australians for Mental Health is calling on state and local governments to sharpen their focus on urban greening infrastructure, as more hot weather hits areas with less green space especially hard.
Hot weather is forecast for parts of the country over the coming days, and places like Western Sydney which has fewer green spaces and tree canopy than other areas, are known to get hotter partly due to the urban heat island effect.
It comes as new data from Australians for Mental Health suggests there is overwhelming majority support for greening communities, with the organisation’s Mental Health Compass research finding 71% of Australians agreed taking care of the environment and making sure people had access to green space was important. Only 5% disagreed with the statement.
“Physical health is not the only thing at risk during heatwaves. Heat waves are dangerous for human health overall, especially for vulnerable people. But doctors report that hot weather impacts mood and can exacerbate mental health conditions,” Chris Gambian said.
“Improving people’s homes, especially for renters and people on low incomes, is a critical step. But an overlooked part of the solution is to dramatically increase the tree canopy and green spaces in our hottest areas.
“Research cited on the NSW Government’s Planning website states that if we reach a greening target of at least 30% in a community, psychological distress could be lowered by 31%, loneliness could be reduced by 24% and dementia by 16%. Greening is not just good for reducing heat impacts, it’s excellent for mental health,” Chris Gambian said.
Australians for Mental Health is urging for action to improve the nation’s mental health, ranging from investing in communities and connection to dismantling work culture that is damaging to wellbeing, to recognising nature as being central to human wellbeing.
“It’s not an abstract idea that nature is good for us. There is overwhelming evidence that having access to green space is good for us. It lowers stress levels, improves our long term resilience and bolsters connection.
“We can’t treat our way out of Australia’s mental health crisis. Psychologists and doctors will always be a part of the solution, but we need to look at community level approaches which can help. Making spaces greener is one way to do that,” Chris Gambian said.
Media contact: Kathleen Ferguson - 0421 522 080
