Sadness, depression, fear, and a deep sense of betrayal, coupled with the feeling that humanity is doomed, are some of the emotions affecting a growing number of people, particularly children and young adults around the world.
“Scientists and mental health clinicians are in agreement that eco-anxiety will continue to rise and will become one of the biggest sources of mental health distress within the next year,” Melissa Porrey, a counselor who specializes in treating eco-anxiety, told The Epoch Times.
“Although symptoms of eco-anxiety can present similarly to other types of anxiety, including general anxiety, eco-anxiety is often rooted in feelings of helplessness and/or hopelessness about the changing climate and our role in it.”
As to what’s driving the increase in cases, Porrey pointed to more natural disasters, and news coverage about “what we are and aren’t doing to address global warming.”
He said the late Stanford climate scientist Steven Schneider “said the quiet part out loud” in 1989.
Climate scientists, Schneider said, are ethically obliged to “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but, ‘including’ all the doubts, the caveats, the ifs, ands, and buts.”
Simultaneously, he said, climate scientists also want “to reduce the risk of potentially disastrous climatic change,” which takes broad-based support.
“That, of course, entails getting loads of media coverage. So we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we might have,” Schneider said.
“That dynamic is absolutely still happening today,” Nelson said.
“It’s 100 percent true that we’re seeing the purposeful increase of anxiety in youth and young adults to bring about demands for climate change action.”
Changing Behavior
The Lancet published a study that surveyed 10,000 people aged 16–25 from 10 countries and asked about their feelings regarding climate change.
Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they were “very or extremely worried” about climate change, 75 percent said the “future is frightening,” and more than half of respondents said the government had betrayed them by failing to take appropriate action to address climate change.
It also said, “climate anxiety may not necessarily be a negative impact of, or maladaptive response to, climate change; but rather, at least to some degree, be a motivating force for effective action.”
The authors said the results of the study can be used to find ways to support people in managing their “climate change-related psychological distress, in such a way as to promote wellbeing and pro-environmental behavior.”
Study author Lorraine Whitmarsh said the study suggests some levels of climate anxiety are beneficial to society.
“Ours is now one of several studies showing consistently that climate anxiety is positively linked to climate action,” she told The Epoch Times via email.
“It seems to be important as a motivator for action and taking action may also be a helpful coping mechanism to keep anxiety in check.”
Horizon Europe’s strategic plan for 2025–2027 is to find ways to address climate change by spurring the “green transition” and bringing forth “a more resilient, competitive, inclusive and democratic Europe.”
The European Research Council didn’t respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comment by the time of publication.
In 2023, Penn State researchers released their own study, which investigated how “frightening news about climate change” impacts people.
“This is called an agenda-setting effect, where a topic that is covered more often in the news is then viewed as more important by people who consume the news.”
Among other results, the study found “that the frequency of media use and attention given to climate change news significantly predicted climate anxiety.”
“The media plays a crucial role in shaping public perceptions of issues such as climate change,” study author Emmanuel Maduneme told The Epoch Times via email.
As a result, he believes it’s the media’s responsibility to translate complex scientific information into easily understood facts that convey the urgency of the climate change situation without “sensationalizing it.”
“If the media realizes its outsized role in shaping reality, especially among young people, then it should pay close attention to the way news coverage impacts the mental health of its audiences,” he said.
According to Maduneme, there’s a curved relationship between climate change anxiety and climate action—low to moderate levels encourage people to take preventive and adaptive actions to fight climate change, while too much anxiety can cause people to disengage.
The study found that “liberal-leaning respondents” were more prone to eco-anxiety and were more likely to take “pro-environmental action.”
Nelson, however, expressed concern about the subsequent impact of climate-related restrictions on people’s lives.
Focusing on Change
Porrey said eco-anxiety often arises from the feeling of having no control, and, as it can be isolating and overwhelming, it should be treated at a personalized level.As possible treatment, Porrey often suggests seeking controllable actions that benefit the planet, such as biking to work, joining a “Climate Café,” connecting with nature, and volunteering.
“Regardless of the steps people take toward managing their eco-anxiety, it’s always important to acknowledge your feelings and remind yourself that you aren’t alone in feeling this way,” she said.
Whitmarsh disagreed. She said eco-anxiety is rare and “should only be ’treated' if it is restricting normal day-to-day functioning.”
She said her research shows that climate anxiety is usually mild and not a problem.
“For more severe forms, then clinicians may suggest typical anxiety management techniques, such as self-care and taking control of negative thoughts, but for climate anxiety in particular it might also help to join a climate action group because this provides both social support and can give a sense of achieving more through collective action.”
Maduneme concurred with Whitmarsh. “Worrying about climate change makes sense and isn’t always a negative thing. If you feel anxious about the environmental impacts wrought by climate change, your feelings are valid and they show that you care,” he said.
“Climate anxiety should be taken seriously but with the mindset that it is an important response that shows care and concern for the environment.”
Nelson, on the other hand, suggested disabusing people of their concerns.
“I think any chance we get we should just show them there’s no reason for this eco-anxiety,” he said. “I think showing them the data should make them feel better.”
As for the future and the possibility of eco-anxiety becoming a significant public health concern, Porrey said: “While we can’t yet point to eco-anxiety alone as the main cause of increased mental health issues, it’s not difficult to draw parallels between the two converging issues and to make some assumptions that, at least for some people, eco-anxiety and other related mental illnesses are contributing to an overall increasing need for mental health care across the world.”
Whitmarsh agreed that eco-anxiety cases are increasing, but not at an exponential rate: “There is very little longitudinal research that tracks climate anxiety levels—we studied it over just two years and found only a very small increase.”
By contrast, Nelson believes eco-anxiety will naturally decline over time.
“The scare campaign is absolutely doomed to fail,” he said.
“It’s so easy to scare kids but to scare actual adults who’ve seen through the lies of COVID, etc. I think that ship has sailed.”
