Dossier
Dreaded future. Psychologist Karina Wahl studies rumination. We have plenty of reasons to worry about what the future will bring. A discussion about constructive ways to handle our fears about what is to come. Interview: Angelika Jacobs
Karina Wahl, when you think about the pandemic, inflation, the climate crisis... what feelings do those things invoke? KARINA WAHL: I try to avoid dwelling constantly on these types of things, but when I do think about them, I feel an oppressive sense of worry. UNI NOVA: The acute phase of the pandemic may be over, but we are already experiencing the unmistakable consequences of climate change. Climate activist Greta Thunberg has said that “our house is on fire.” What impact does that have on the human psyche? WAHL: To answer that question, let me first give you some broader context. Researchers have been looking at the direct effects of climate change for a long time, but the indirect effects have only been studied for the past 10 or 15 years. UNI NOVA: What do you mean by “indirect effects”? WAHL: For example, in regions that are heavily impacted by climate change, we observe an increase in anxiety, depression, substance abuse and other mental disorders. Those are the direct effects of a changing environment on the human psyche. Indirect effects are the worries and fears that climate change activates even in individuals who are not currently experiencing as many of the direct effects. But this research is still in its infancy, and we have very little data to indicate how widespread this climate change anxiety is and what forms it might take. UNI NOVA: How is this climate change anxiety expressed? WAHL: Experts have not reached a final consensus on the issue. Climate change anxiety not only encomUNI NOVA:
Karina Wahl is a research associate in the field of clinical psychology and epidemiology.
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passes the more specific manifestations of anxiety; it also includes feelings such as anger, sadness, helplessness, frustration or even a sense of having been betrayed by governments that fail to act. There are a number of terms in circulation, such as “eco-anger,” which describes the rage we feel about climate change, or “ecological grief,” which refers to our despair at the loss of places we love as they are destroyed by changes in the environment. UNI NOVA: Young people are leading the charge in the Fridays for Future movement. To what extent is this climate change anxiety present in society as a whole? WAHL: That is a difficult question to answer, because past surveys on the topic focused mainly on young people. For example, British researchers published the findings of a global survey of young people in which around two thirds of respondents reported feeling worried or extremely worried about climate change. Only a third of those approached were either not worried or only a little worried. It is logical for young people in particular to be worried, because they will have to live with the consequences of climate change for longer. UNI NOVA: The pandemic has caused public attention to temporarily shift away from the climate crisis. But the Covid-19 pandemic seems to have had a greater psychological impact on young people, too. Can we draw parallels between the two issues? WAHL: I can only speculate on that point, but of course both involve an uncertain future. Older people have established solid careers and created a stable lifestyle for themselves while young people are still searching for their own path in life. Under those circumstances,
