Channel your fears into action to build a world that prioritises sustainability over short-term gains
Published Date – 5 January 2025, 08:02 PM
The world is heating up, quite literally. With every passing year, we witness record-breaking temperatures, ferocious wildfires, unprecedented floods and a relentless assault on ecosystems.
Alongside these visible scars of climate change lies a quieter but equally profound impact: the surge of climate anxiety. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill stress. Climate anxiety, a chronic fear of environmental catastrophe, is an existential weight that many carry daily. It’s a collective mental health crisis, deeply entwined with the planetary crisis we are trying, and often failing, to address. But what exactly is climate anxiety, and why does it matter? More importantly, how do we navigate it without succumbing to despair?
Real Threats
Unlike general anxiety, which can be rooted in personal concerns or experiences, climate anxiety arises from a collective reality. The warming planet, the extinction of species, and the loss of biodiversity are not hypothetical. They are backed by science and experienced across the globe, all in real-time.
In 2021, a global survey published in The Lancet Planetary Health revealed that nearly 60% of young people felt extremely worried about climate change, with 45% stating that it affected their daily lives. These aren’t just numbers, they are a stark reminder of how deeply intertwined our mental health is with the health of the planet. This is what sets climate anxiety apart. It is paradoxical in nature; it is both deeply personal and profoundly global. It’s not just about an individual’s survival, it’s about the survival of ecosystems, species and future generations. The problem feels vast, even insurmountable.
How we Perceive
Media plays a significant role in shaping how we perceive climate change. On one hand, it brings essential attention to the crisis. On the other, its relentless focus on disaster and devastation can exacerbate feelings of helplessness. Images of melting glaciers, burning forests and stranded polar bears are hard to ignore. But consuming such content excessively, doomscrolling, as it’s aptly called, only deepens our despair. Yet, it would be unfair to place all blame on the media.
Platforms that highlight climate solutions, celebrate community resilience, and showcase green innovations offer a much-needed antidote. They remind us that while the challenges are vast, so are the possibilities for action and change. Dismissing climate anxiety as a niche concern or a generational quirk would be a grave mistake. It affects people across all walks of life, from farmers grappling with erratic rainfall to coastal communities witnessing rising seas.
Climate anxiety is not just a mental health issue, it’s a mirror reflecting the state of our planet and requires more than therapy or mindfulness exercises
But perhaps its most troubling aspect is the way it manifests in the younger generations. For many, the future feels uncertain, even unlivable. Career plans are rethought, family decisions postponed and hope for a better tomorrow feels elusive. The emotional toll doesn’t end with individuals. It strains relationships, fosters generational divides, and even impacts decision-making at the community level. It is, without exaggeration, a silent epidemic. If climate anxiety is inevitable in a warming world, how do we cope? The answer lies in a blend of individual resilience and collective action.
Dealing with It
The first step is acknowledgement. Validating one’s feelings about climate change is crucial. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed, in fact, it’s a rational response to an irrational world. Paradoxically, the antidote to eco-paralysis often lies in eco-action. Whether it’s reducing personal carbon footprints, planting trees, or supporting sustainable businesses, small actions can create a ripple effect.
Another way to deal with this anxiety is to do so with community, as isolation magnifies anxiety. Connecting with like-minded individuals, joining climate action groups, or even participating in local clean-up drives fosters a sense of belonging and purpose. The community taking bigger steps and bringing about systemic change is indispensable. Moreover holding corporations and governments accountable, pushing for green policies, and demanding climate justice are essential steps that require collective action.
Furthermore, it is important to supervise how we consume climate news. Not every alarming headline requires your attention. Curate what you consume. Look for stories that inspire action rather than immobilise you with fear. Awareness can be both a gift and a burden. But climate anxiety, for all its challenges, offers an unexpected opportunity, a chance to rethink our relationship with the planet. If we channel our fears into action, we can build a world that prioritises sustainability over short-term gains. If we let climate anxiety remind us of our interconnectedness, it can foster solidarity instead of despair.
Climate anxiety is not just a mental health issue, it’s a mirror reflecting the state of our planet. Addressing it requires more than therapy or mindfulness exercises. It demands urgent climate action at every level: personal, communal, and systemic. This isn’t to say the road ahead will be easy. But if we let fear paralyse us, we risk losing the very thing we’re trying to protect. Instead, let climate anxiety fuel our resolve. Let it be the catalyst that transforms despair into determination.
(The author is the founder & CEO, Upsurge Global, co-founder, Global Carbon Warriors, and Adjunct Professor, EThames College)