Burning fossil fuels linked to depression and suicide, research suggests

While multiple studies have shown that ultra-processed foods, social media, tobacco and alcohol are linked to poor mental health, it turns out, the burning of fossil fuels is the leading cause of human-induced climate change and continues to worsen the situation. the ongoing climate crisis – is also linked to a higher risk of developing depression and even suicide. According to the United Nationsfossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas are responsible for more than 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 90% of all carbon dioxide emissions.

A new study has found that air pollution and climate change caused by fossil fuel consumption are as damaging to mental health as other unhealthy goods.

“The Commercial Determinants of Health (CDOH) can be seen as the systems, practices and pathways through which commercial actors drive health and equity. This includes both the direct and indirect effects of consumption of manufactured goods – such as tobacco, alcohol, fossil fuels and unhealthy foods – and the drivers of consumption such as marketing and advertising,” the researchers explained.

“These commercial influences can have an impact not only on physical but also on mental health, as unhealthy staples directly affect and harm mental health,” the researchers explained in their study published in PLOS Global Public Health. “The effects are also indirect; For example, the producers of harmful goods often adopt a framework of individual responsibility to place the blame for product damage on individuals themselves.”

This is done through marketing campaigns and initiatives that use terms such as ‘individual carbon footprint’ and slogans such as ‘Gambling/Drinking Responsibly’.

“Despite the evidence on the impact of unhealthy commodity consumption on health outcomes, existing frameworks on the social determinants of health generally do not consider commercial determinants; nor do they typically include mental health,” she added. “There is a strong case for bringing together the existing evidence on mental health problems and commercial determinants.”

Globally, at least one in eight people have a diagnosed mental disorder, which researchers say is an underestimate of the true number of people struggling with mental illness. Currently, most existing scientific literature tends to focus on individual experiences and risk factors such as childhood trauma.

But lead author Kate Dun-Campbell and colleagues argue that this approach could overlook broader political, economic and commercial forces that shape and influence people’s mental health.

In their research, they examined the impact of six industries on the public: tobacco, alcohol, social media, ultra-processed food, gambling and fossil fuel products. “We have also chosen to only include the negative impacts of large multinational manufacturers. While the private sector often assumes important social functions linked to health benefits, these positive health impacts are already driven by the commercial incentives of profit-seeking, just as the negative health impacts are,” explain the authors out.

They analyzed data and findings from 65 studies that examined how consuming unhealthy products could harm mental health. Of these, 27 studies examined the impact of air pollution, temperature increases and pesticides on mental health outcomes.

The authors concluded: “Our research highlights that there is already compelling evidence of the negative impact of unhealthy products on mental health, despite important gaps in understanding the impact of wider commercial practices.”