SPECIAL FEATURE
ECO-ANXIETY:
A HEALTHY RESPONSE TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS In this special feature, we explore some of the effects of the climate crisis on the mental health of young people and offer advice we hope may help. Climate change has significant implications for the health and futures of children and young people, yet they have little power to limit its harm, making them vulnerable to increased climate anxiety. That anxiety is known as eco-anxiety, and while there is no clear definition, it has been explained by the American Psychological Association as ‘a chronic fear of environmental doom.’ It’s not considered a medical condition, although generalised anxiety disorder is, and eco-anxiety has many of the same characteristics. However, it’s important to see it as a healthy reaction to climate change that may spur us on into preventative action, which, in turn, may even be a remedy for eco-anxiety. A recent survey of 10,000 young people aged 16-25 in 10 countries1 found that:
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59 percent were very or extremely worried about climate change.
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Over 50 percent felt sad, anxious, angry, powerless, helpless and guilty.
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Nearly half (45 percent) said that climate change is affecting their daily lives – how they play, eat, study and sleep.
Anxiety is also associated with perceptions of inadequate action by adults and governments, leading to feelings of betrayal, abandonment and moral injury. Young people feel that they are not being listened to – their thoughts and feelings are not being respected or validated; and people in positions of power are not acting on their concerns.
