Author: Daniel Teklemariam

Rising Faster Than the Sea Levels: Building Youth Resilience in the Philippines

In the Philippines, where typhoons and extreme heat are intensifying, young people are not only witnessing the climate crisis, but they are also living it. The research project Rising Faster Than the Sea Levels is working to understand and support the mental health and wellbeing of Filipino youth as they navigate the climate crisis. 

  

 

The study is an example of co-developed research done with researchers including Dr John Aruta from De La Salle University, researchers at the Climate Cares Centre and codesigned by the Young Person Advisory Group (YPAG). Sophia Pahulayan, a recent graduate of Dr Aruta’s, is a project facilitator who helped to manage the project and cofacilitate the group discussions alongside young people, a vital linking point between the young cohort and the researchers.

The Overlooked Link Between Heat and Mental Health

Daniel Teklemariam is the Julia Anderson Communications and Events Trainee in Climate and Mental Health, joining the Climate Cares Centre in summer 2025.  

The Climate Cares Centres is a team of researchers, designers, policy experts and educators working to understand and support mental health in the current climate and ecological crises. Our mission is to equip individuals, communities and systems with the knowledge and resources to protect mental health from climate impacts, while enabling climate action that strengthens the conditions for good mental health and wellbeing.    

Introduction: The Overlooked Link Between Heat and Mental Health 

The recent European heatwaves killed thousands across the continent and hundreds in London, with a report by Imperial’s Grantham Institute revealing that 65% of the heat deaths were a direct consequence of human-induced climate change.