Explained: What Is Climate Anxiety And How Is It Affecting Young People Around The Globe

Heatwaves, droughts, and floods have become a constant fixture in the news headline. 'Climate anxiety' is a topic that has become more and more prominent as we approach the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2022.

Negative environmental repercussions are being felt and seen globally as the climate changes.

The impact of climate change on mental health is less evident or visible immediately. It can emerge as what the American Psychological Association and others refer to as a "chronic fear of environmental calamity," and is frequently referred to as climate anxiety or eco-anxiety.

What is climate change and how does it affect people?

The United Nations states that "long-term changes in temperatures and weather patterns are referred to as climate change. These changes could be caused by natural processes, such as fluctuations in the solar cycle. However, since the 1800s, human activities¡ªprimarily the combustion of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas¡ªhave been the primary cause of climate change.

Unsplash

Warmer temperatures are generally linked to climate change, but today's effects also include extreme abrupt droughts, rising floods, water scarcity, protracted droughts, melting polar ice caps, a reduction in biodiversity, and catastrophic storms. Climate change is no more limited to any specific region, rather, every type of life on the planet is impacted by climate change.

Climate change affects human life in ways that are all irreversible. People who live close to the coast and on small islands will have to relocate as a result of sea levels increasing due to the melting of polar ice. Additionally, it would result in long droughts that will trigger famines and saltwater intrusion into freshwater lakes and rivers.

Winters will get colder as summers get warmer. This is a result of the high levels of pollution and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Heatwaves, droughts, and floods have recently started to frequently appear in our news cycles and social networking feeds, despite decades of warnings from scientists, activists, and politicians about the negative impact of rising global warming and climate change.

Unsplash

This resulted in a term called 'climate anxiety' being coined by many people referring to the problem of climate change and its impact on our mental health.

What is climate anxiety?

Climate anxiety, also known as eco-anxiety, is the fear, frustration, grief, and rage associated with the reality of the growing climate crisis and the government's failure to adequately address it. More broadly, eco-anxiety refers to emotional, cognitive, and behavioural reactions linked to concerns about a changing environment.

Climate change crisis, eco-angst, eco-trauma, and ecological anguish are some other names for it.

Some of the symptoms include a fatalistic mindset, guilt or shame relating to your own carbon footprint, obsessive thoughts about the climate, and anger or frustration, especially against those who deny global warming or older generations for not making more progress.

File image

According to medical experts, these problems may result in issues like disturbed sleep, altered appetite, and poor concentration. Additionally, it might lead to stress, which might deteriorate relationships with those who hold opposing viewpoints on climate change.

People all over the world are feeling misled by their leaders, and anxiety levels are rising as a result of the uncertainties surrounding the climate crisis.

Eco-anxiety is a normal reaction since it shows that the person is aware of the impending environmental disasters.

The largest scientific study on climate anxiety to date, conducted by the University of Bath in the UK, involved over 10,000 participants in 10 different nations, ranging in age from 16 to 25.

The findings were related to both the level of public climate anxiety and the governments' perceived incapacity to act decisively and meaningfully to address climate concerns.

Study findings

45 percent of the teenagers participating in this study believe that climate anxiety is having an impact on their everyday lives in various ways. More than 7 out of 10 people (75%) believe that the future is terrifying.

Unsplash/Representational image

The governments are "betraying me and/or future generations," according to almost 58 percent of respondents, while the governments are not doing enough to stop the impending global catastrophe, according to 64 percent. Nearly 40 percent of Teenagers stated they are afraid to have children due to environmental concerns.

What can be done to reduce climate anxiety?

According to experts, taking personal action can often help alleviate anxieties and regulate what is under an individual's control, although certain anxiety can turn into a disorder.

Unsplash

Participating in local climate advocacy groups can also aid individuals in overcoming the sensation of powerlessness and helplessness with which climate anxiety is frequently associated.

According to experts, engaging in "greener" and more sustainable practices, spending time in nature, joining support groups that discuss the climate disaster, and other activities may help a person overcome climate anxiety.

Watch this video explainer:

For more on news and current affairs from around the world please visit Indiatimes News.