[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 259 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 259

  Promoting youth mental health and well-being in a changing climate.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 27, 2023

  Mr. Thompson of California (for himself and Ms. Castor of Florida) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                         on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Promoting youth mental health and well-being in a changing climate.

Whereas there is a significant, negative impact that a rapid and ongoing 
        changing climate has on youth in the United States;
Whereas youth are especially vulnerable to the physical and mental health 
        impacts of climate-related disasters and the cumulative toll youth will 
        endure from additional exposure to increasing climate-related disasters;
Whereas youth represent a particularly vulnerable group because greenhouse gases 
        emitted into the atmosphere will impact today's and tomorrow's youth 
        throughout their biological, psychological, academic, and social 
        development;
Whereas an American Psychological Association and ecoAmerica report stated that, 
        as of 2016, as climate-related disasters continue to increase, more 
        youth will be directly affected by increasing rates of stress and trauma 
        through interruption in schooling, disruptions in routine, separation 
        from caregivers due to evacuations or displacement, and parental stress 
        after a disaster;
Whereas recent studies cited in the American Psychological Association and 
        ecoAmerica report have documented that high levels of stress during 
        childhood, such as those associated with the experience of a climate-
        related disaster or displacement, can affect the development of neural 
        pathways in ways that impair memory, executive function, and decision 
        making in later life;
Whereas a 2016 Social Science and Medicine study found that experiencing an 
        extreme weather event before age 5 resulted in higher levels of anxiety 
        and depression among adults;
Whereas recent studies confirm individuals from low-income communities, 
        indigenous communities, and communities of color are often the most 
        vulnerable to the worst impacts of a changing climate, such as flooding, 
        drought, fire, and extreme heat;
Whereas a study by the American Public Health Association and ecoAmerica 
        entitled, ``Making the Connection: Climate Changes Mental Health'', 
        shows that up to 45 percent of youth have developed depression after a 
        climate-related disaster, affecting both their caregivers and the youth 
        themselves;
Whereas a National Library of Medicine study found an association between 
        increases in pediatric psychiatrist visits and polluted air from 
        wildfires;
Whereas there are direct links between fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) exposure 
        and neuropsychological effects, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity 
        Disorder, decreased memory, depleted academic performance, and autism;
Whereas, according to a 2017 report by the Lancet Planetary Health Journal, 
        ``The Impact of Climate Change on Youth Depression and Mental Health'', 
        an increase in emergency department visits was incited by higher levels 
        of humidity and rising temperatures;
Whereas, in 2021, 64 percent of individuals in the United States lived in places 
        that experienced a multi-day heat wave, considered the most dangerous 
        form of climate-related disaster;
Whereas the frequency and intensity of climate-related disasters is increasing 
        exponentially;
Whereas a 2019 report suggested that as the frequency of heat waves increases 
        due to the changing climate, school-based outdoor recreational 
        opportunities for youth that benefit mental and physical well-being will 
        be curtailed by extreme heat;
Whereas, in 2020, a poll from the Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation found 
        that 57 percent of teenagers stated they were frightened by climate 
        change, while 52 percent were angered by it and a mere 29 percent of 
        youth were optimistic for the future;
Whereas, according to a 2021 study surveying over 10,000 youth, 45 percent of 
        respondents reported that thoughts of climate change have affected their 
        daily lives and abilities negatively;
Whereas, in 2021, the National Association of School Psychologists, representing 
        more than 25,000 members, declared the need to increase awareness of the 
        harmful effects of climate change on youth, increase resources, and 
        advocate for climate justice;
Whereas the American Psychological Association has issued a report stating that 
        children are among the individuals in the United States facing the 
        greatest impacts of climate change;
Whereas the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child has concluded 
        that children and youth fare better during adversity if they also have 
        the help of noncaregiver role models, such as teachers or coaches; and
Whereas the World Health Organization acknowledges that mental health isn't just 
        the absence of mental health disorders, but also encompasses the human 
        capacity to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, 
        learn well and work well, and contribute to their community: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) shall take effective action on climate change, guided 
        by the science provided in the 2021 United Nations 
        Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, to protect 
        the mental health and well-being of current and future youth; 
        and
            (2) supports the expansion of funding for climate 
        education, resilience, and adaptation projects that benefit the 
        mental health and well-being of youth, including--
                    (A) incorporating trauma-informed approaches to 
                mental health into existing disaster preparation 
                efforts;
                    (B) engaging in education and outreach to reduce 
                the stigma associated with seeking treatment;
                    (C) reducing cost and increasing access for 
                treatment (such as through Federally qualified health 
                centers and mobile and virtual health care);
                    (D) increasing insurance and reimbursement under 
                the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social 
                Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) and the Medicaid 
                program under title XIX of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et 
                seq.) for mental health care treatment;
                    (E) funding community-wide vulnerability 
                assessments;
                    (F) addressing inequity by studying the impacts of 
                income disparity at local levels that have been linked 
                to higher community-wide vulnerability to climate risk;
                    (G) expanding local, place-based, mutual aid 
                networks that supply mental health support during and 
                post climate-related disaster events and proactively 
                promote mental and emotional resilience; and
                    (H) providing direct funding to school districts 
                that need immediate resources to help children and 
                families cope with the mental health effects of 
                continued climate-related disasters.
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