Markey introduces bipartisan bill to improve climate-related mental health services

by Zack Budryk - 05/04/23 12:55 PM ET

File - Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., speaks about climate change during a news conference on Capitol Hill, Oct. 7, 2021, in Washington. — Alex Brandon/Associated Press
File – Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., speaks about climate change during a news conference on Capitol Hill, Oct. 7, 2021, in Washington.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) announced bipartisan legislation Thursday aimed at improving mental health services for the impacts of climate change and natural disasters.

The legislation, the Community Mental Wellness and Resilience Act, would establish a $36 million pilot program through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for mental health care specifically for communities on the frontlines of climate change.

Markey has distinguished himself as a leader of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party on climate and environmental issues, co-sponsoring the sweeping Green New Deal resolution with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). However, his co-sponsors include two Republicans, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) and Don Bacon (Neb.), as well as Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska), who joined her state’s Republican senators in lobbying heavily for the approval of a massive oil drilling project in Alaska in recent months.

Other co-sponsors on the legislation include Reps. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) and Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), as well as Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).

“Environmental justice communities are bearing the brunt of compounded climate and mental health crises fueled by climate disasters that level homes, break apart communities, and leave people with visible and invisible scars,” Markey said in a statement. “This legislation will give communities the resources they need to build defenses to these dual crises and ensure a healthier, more sustainable future for all.”

Markey, Tonko and Fitzpatrick introduced similar legislation in 2022, but Bacon, a moderate Republican whose district voted for President Biden in 2020, is a new addition.

Climate anxiety is a particular concern among Americans 16-25, according to research published in The Lancet in 2021, which found 59 percent worldwide describe themselves as very or extremely worried about the climate crisis and 45 percent saying it is a detriment to their daily life. A plurality of American youth — 46 percent — said they are either extremely or very worried.