Planetary health, sustainability and perinatal psychiatry
Pregnant women, birthing people, babies and young children are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of the climate crisis.
The effects of the climate emergency on this group include:
- worsening physical and mental health outcomes, disproportionately affecting women, birthing people and children, due to more frequent extreme weather events such as floods, heatwaves and wildfires
- increasing levels of climate-related anxiety amongst people in the perinatal period
- climate issues such as air pollution contributing to negative health impacts for both pregnant people, birthing people and children (see resources below).
Conversely, the natural world is a potential source of great benefit to perinatal wellbeing, as exemplified in the ‘Nature-based interventions’ section below.
Health professionals are uniquely positioned to recognise and educate pregnant and nursing individuals on the physical and mental health implications of the climate crisis, and how to mitigate these. We can use our voices to highlight how climate actions will co-benefit perinatal physical and mental health, and to advocate for greener health care.
The Perinatal Faculty Workgroup on Planetary Health and Sustainability
This workgroup aims to raise awareness of the impact of the climate and ecological emergency on perinatal mental health and systemic health inequalities.
The workgroup collaborates to develop quality improvement and research projects within the Perinatal Faculty, and share examples of good practice. We are affiliated with the RCPsych Planetary Health and Sustainability Champion Network.
Workgroup members
- Katie Hall
- Rosa Roberts
- Sanne van Rhijn
Please email Sanne van Rhijn if you are interested in finding out more.
Presentations, symposiums and conferences
- ‘The Mother Nature Project: co-designing and piloting a nature-based intervention to promote postnatal mental health’ session delivered at the RCPsych Perinatal Faculty Trainee Conference, 2023 (Katie Hall)
- The preliminary results of the pilot study were presented at the Society for Academic Primary Care 2024 ASM (Katie Hall) Are group nature-based interventions feasible for treating mothers experiencing postnatal mental health difficulties and their infants? A mixed-methods single-arm pilot feasibility study | SAPC
- ‘Climate and ecological emergency - what perinatal psychiatrists can do’: a workshop delivered at the Perinatal Annual Conference, 2023 (Amelia Cussans and Sanne van Rhijn)
- Webinar on climate change and perinatal mental health/ mental health in under 5’s (Sanne van Rhijn in collaboration with Mercer University, GA ,USA) 7.5.2025 NYC Early Childhood Mental Health - Training and Technical Assistance Center
Publications
- The Connection between Climate Change and Perinatal Mental Health (Jennifer Barkin, Sanne van Rhijn et al 2025)
- See under ‘Nature based interventions’ for Katie Hall’s publications
- Read more about getting involved in your practice, your trust and in your community: Sustainability and mental health.
- The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare Women's Health Sustainability Network: an online community of healthcare professionals committed to tackling the environmental impact of women's health. The network aims to foster collaboration between obstetricians, gynaecologists, midwives, sexual health practitioners, nurses, researchers, educators, and students to improve the sustainability of our specialty by sharing knowledge, ideas and examples of good practice.
- UK Health Alliance on Climate Change (UKHACC): an alliance of UK-based health organisations representing about 1 million health professionals. UK Health Alliance on Climate Change.
- Psych Declares is a group of UK activist psychiatrists who are trying to reach out internationally and coordinate collective action. To get involved, email Dr Kirsten Shukla.
The Mother Nature Project in Bristol
- Co-designing a nature-based intervention to promote postnatal mental health for mothers and their infants: a complex intervention development study in England. (Hall et al, 2024).
- The applicability of nature- based interventions to support mothers’ postnatal wellbeing: A conceptual review. (Hall et al, 2024).
- Mothers' accounts of the impact of being in nature on postnatal wellbeing: a focus group study. (Hall et al, 2023)
- Systematic review of nature-based interventions for perinatal depression, anxiety, and loneliness. (Walker-Mao et al, 2024)
- Nature-based interventions in the UK: a mixed methods study exploring green prescribing for promoting the mental wellbeing of young pregnant women. (Sands et al, 2023)
A perinatal gardening-based intervention in West London NHS Trust
Climate change and reproductive intentions
- Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: a global survey (Hickman et al, 2021) This large and international survey found that 4 in 10 young people are hesitant to have children due to climate distress.
Air pollution exposure in pregnancy and birth and neurodevelopmental outcomes
- Association of air pollution and heat exposure with preterm birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth in the US: a systematic review (Bekkar et al, 2020)
- Ambient air pollution and adverse birth outcomes: A review of underlying mechanisms (Fussel et al, 2023)
- Air pollution and children's health-a review of adverse effects associated with prenatal exposure from fine to ultrafine particulate matter (Johnson et al, 2021)
- Climate change, women’s health, and the role of obstetricians and gynecologists in leadership (Giudice et al, 2021)
The impact of climate change on perinatal mental health
- Climate change is an emerging threat to perinatal mental health (Barkin et al, 2022)
- Mental health impacts of climate change and extreme weather events on mothers (Pardon et al, 2024)
Other reading
- Causally inferred evidence of the impact of green and blue spaces (GBS) on maternal and neonatal health: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Parenting tip sheets by UNICEF:
- Losing Eden: Why Our Minds Need the Wild (Lucy Jones, 2021, published by Penguin). This book explores the deep connection between human wellbeing and nature. It examines how modern life, with its increasing urbanisation and disconnection from the natural world, negatively affects our mental health. The author weaves in her personal narrative of recovery from postnatal depression; through scientific literature, personal stories and cultural insights, the book makes a powerful case for the healing power of nature.
- Lecture on mental health impacts on mothers and babies as part of a panel on climate change, mental health and forced displacement by Dr Lynne Jones, starting at 43 minutes
- This module, which is based on the RCPsych Net Zero Mental Health Care: Guidance and Education, is for anyone delivering mental healthcare. It provides guidance on how to make tangible changes across service delivery and the mental healthcare pathway: Delivering greener, more sustainable, net zero mental healthcare
- The Building a Net Zero NHS training module is an introductory 30-minutes session available freely to all NHS staff. NHSE elfh Hub
- This BMJ series offers tangible actions clinicians can take to reduce the carbon footprint of healthcare. Use this tool to find ideas for making your practice more environmentally friendly, from articles published in The BMJ: Sustainable practice: what can I do? | The BMJ
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