Climate change is not just reshaping the planet, it's already affecting how people feel about their lives, their health and their financial security, according to a new study from the Universities of Portsmouth and Dundee.
The research shows that prolonged changes in weather linked to climate change, particularly abnormal temperatures, are quietly but significantly undermining people's mental wellbeing and confidence about their finances, with effects equivalent to losing hundreds of pounds a month.
These are not marginal effects, they are large, meaningful shifts in how people feel about their lives, and they are directly associated with climate-related weather changes.
Dr Panagiotis Tzouvanas, University of Portsmouth's School of Accounting, Economics and Finance
Analysing nearly 400,000 survey responses collected across Great Britain between 1991 and 2018, the researchers matched people's answers to detailed local weather data, tracking exposure to sunshine, rainfall and temperature changes over time. The results reveal that weather has a powerful influence on how people judge their quality of life, even though their actual income or circumstances may not have changed.
The study found that sunshine boosts optimism, while persistent rain and rising temperatures do the opposite. A sharp increase in monthly sunshine - from around 107 hours to 290 hours - raised the likelihood that people felt optimistic about their future finances by 10.5 per cent.
By contrast, wetter weather consistently reduced wellbeing. When average daily rainfall rose from 1.7 mm to 4.7 mm, people were around 6 per cent less likely to report satisfaction with their life, income and health.
The strongest effects were linked to temperature anomalies - periods when temperatures rise well above historical norms, a clear marker of global warming. When these anomalies increased from 0.8°C to 2.1°C, the probability of people reporting positive views about their current and future finances fell by 9-10 per cent, while satisfaction with life, income and health dropped by 7-9 per cent.
It suggests climate change is already imposing a substantial hidden cost on households, not through bills or wages, but through how people feel, cope and make decisions.
Dr Tzouvanas, University of Portsmouth's School of Accounting, Economics and Finance
"These are not marginal effects," said Dr Panagiotis Tzouvanas, from the University of Portsmouth's School of Accounting, Economics and Finance , "they are large, meaningful shifts in how people feel about their lives, and they are directly associated with climate-related weather changes."
The researchers also translated these emotional and psychological effects into economic terms, with striking results. Increased sunshine was linked to wellbeing gains equivalent to £91 per month for current financial satisfaction, and £140 per month for expectations about future finances.
Temperature anomalies, however, imposed far greater losses. Based on an average monthly household income of £2,654, the estimated wellbeing cost of unusually high temperatures was around £405 per month for expected financial wellbeing alone, more than 15 per cent of household income.
"That figure is extraordinary," Dr Tzouvanas said. "It suggests climate change is already imposing a substantial hidden cost on households, not through bills or wages, but through how people feel, cope and make decisions."
Importantly, the study found that short-term daily weather made little difference. What mattered was persistent exposure over weeks and months. This suggests people can shrug off a rainy day or a hot afternoon, but sustained changes slowly wear down wellbeing, confidence and mental health.
The findings also raise questions for governments and institutions that increasingly rely on self-reported wellbeing data to guide policy on health, employment and the economy.
This research shows that climate change is already with us in everyday life. It's shaping mood, outlook and wellbeing in ways we can now measure and that makes it much harder to ignore.
Dr Tzouvanas, University of Portsmouth's School of Accounting, Economics and Finance
Importantly, the study found that short-term daily weather made little difference. What mattered was persistent exposure over weeks and months. This suggests people can shrug off a rainy day or a hot afternoon, but sustained changes slowly wear down wellbeing, confidence and mental health.
The findings also raise questions for governments and institutions that increasingly rely on self-reported wellbeing data to guide policy on health, employment and the economy.
"If we don't account for the effects of weather and climate, we risk misreading what people are telling us," Dr Tzouvanas added. "Climate change doesn't just damage infrastructure and ecosystems, it changes how people think about their future."
As climate change brings more frequent heatwaves, heavier rainfall and longer periods of abnormal weather, the researchers warn that these psychological and emotional costs are likely to grow - long before they appear in economic statistics or official measures of living standards.
"This research shows that climate change is already with us in everyday life," Dr Tzouvanas said. "It's shaping mood, outlook and wellbeing in ways we can now measure and that makes it much harder to ignore."
The authors would like to thank: UK Data Service, University of Essex, for giving access to the LAD-level special licence Understanding Society data.
