Climate Change and Mental Health: Building Advocacy and Capacity through EuroNet MRPH

Abstract Climate change (CC) is a public health (PH) challenge affecting mental health (MH) and well-being by increasing rates of anxiety, depression, and other disorders. EuroNet MRPH, a network of PH residents in the European Region, is committed to educating, connecting residents, and contributing to PH policies. EuroNet has developed policy documents on MH and CC and conducts capacity-building activities accordingly. A 2024 survey among its members revealed gaps in education, with strong interests in MH (49.0%) and CC (71.5%), and a high demand for additional training, particularly online (71.4%). EuroNet launched an online course consisting of three 1-hour sessions, each featuring interventions by early career professionals and subsequent discussions. The course aimed to provide participants with knowledge and tools to understand links between CC and MH, develop advocacy frameworks, and effectively and promote collaborative actions. The course took place via Zoom in April 2025, consisting of weekly sessions with 71 registrants. A pre-course survey indicated that 84.5% considered CC impacts on MH urgent or extremely urgent. Only 5.7% believed climate-related MH issues affected solely disaster victims, yet 87.3% had limited prior knowledge, and 43.7% had not considered advocacy strategies. Across the end of course survey, the preliminary results reveals a high perceived urgency (88,3% of respondents), a majority (76,5%) reporting moderate to good knowledge on the topic, high overall satisfaction with the course (82.4% at level 4 or 5 out of 5), strong agreement that the online format was effective (100% at level 4 or 5 out of 5), a significant perceived improvement in knowledge (70.5% at level 4 or 5 out of 5), and increased feelings of preparedness for advocacy (70.5% at level 4 or 5 out of 5). The course successfully addressed educational gaps, reinforcing the network's commitment to equipping residents to effectively advocate for MH resilience in the context of CC. Key messages • Residents in Public Health across the European Region perceived climate change and mental health as urgent issues for which further training and advocacy is needed. • he course empowered young public health professionals with advocacy and capacity skills to effectively face mental health challenges linked to climate change.