Impact of Climate Change on Economic Outcomes and Risk of Suicide: Results from the ACCLIMATE study in Bangladesh

On April 14th, 2025, the Global Mental Health Initiative hosted Dr. Wameq Raza from the World Bank and Dr. Shabab Wahid from Georgetown University's School of Health for an event focused on the Assessing the risk of Climate Change on popuLatIon Mental and physicAl healTh outcomEs (ACCLIMATE) study. Their joint presentation, titled "The Impact of Climate Change on Economic Outcomes and Risk of Suicide: Results from the ACCLIMATE Studies in Bangladesh," spotlighted the urgent mental and physical health challenges posed by extreme heat in one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries.

The speakers opened by outlining Bangladesh’s exposure to the compounding effects of high temperatures, flooding, and cyclones. They emphasized that South Asia—and Bangladesh in particular—is already witnessing the intensification of extreme heat and humid stress, with profound mental health consequences.

Using data from a nationally representative two-round household panel survey covering over 16,000 individuals, the ACCLIMATE study examined how incremental increases in temperature and humidity correlate with depression, anxiety, and co-occurring mental health conditions. One of the most significant and concerning insights from the presentation was the identified link between extreme heat and suicide risk. The speakers introduced the Brief Suicide Cognition Scale (B-SCS) used to assess risk, and reported that heat exposure elevates suicide risk through two key mediating pathways: poor sleep quality and emotional dysregulation. 

In addition to mental health, the presentation detailed the economic toll of extreme heat. Productivity loss was also mediated by both physical ailments (like heat exhaustion and diarrhea) and mental health disorders. At a national level, Bangladesh is estimated to lose between 1.33 to 1.78 billion USD annually due to health-related productivity decline, amounting to as much as 0.39% of its GDP.

Despite these sobering findings, the ACCLIMATE project marks an important step forward. As one of the first large-scale longitudinal climate and health datasets globally, the study is set to continue with additional rounds of data collection in 2025 and 2026. Collaborations with leading institutions such as Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and BRAC signal a strong foundation for future work. Dr. Raza and Dr. Wahid concluded by stressing the critical need for localized data and targeted interventions in LMICs facing escalating climate threats.