Eco-Anxiety Is Rising In Kids

 

According to the most recent public opinion survey conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, almost three-quarters of American adults in 2021 believed correctly that climate change is real and happening now. Also, most agreed with the overwhelming scientific consensus that burning fossil fuels, which releases heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, is the main cause. 65% of adults who were surveyed said they were worried about climate change. Ask children and teenagers about climate change and the environment and those numbers go way up.

A landmark survey conducted last year involving 10,000 young people ages 16-25 in 10 countries revealed the degree of worry in young people:

• 84% were at least moderately worried; 59% were very or extremely worried about climate change.

• More than half of the respondents reported feeling sad, anxious, angry, powerless, helpless, and/or guilty.

• 45% said their feelings about the climate crisis interfered with their daily life and functioning.

• 75% reported feeling frightened about the future.

• 83% think people have failed to take care of the planet, and that “climate anxiety and distress were correlated with perceived inadequate government response and associated feelings of betrayal.”

 

In January, the National 4-H Council and The Harris Poll teamed up to conduct a Teen Environmental Impact Survey on 1,500 young Americans between the ages of 13 and 19. The report illustrates the extent of eco-anxiety felt by our nation’s teenagers who can see what’s happening to the world with their own eyes:

• 89% of teens regularly think about the environment and most feel more worried than hopeful.

• 84% identified climate change as the top priority for teenagers (bigger than economic growth), saying “if we don’t address climate change today, it will be too late for future generations, making some parts of the planet unlivable.”

• 82% of teen respondents “expect to have to make future life decisions based on the state of the environment, including where I live, what kinds of jobs will be available, or if I will have children.”

• 77% of teens feel individually responsible for protecting the planet. 67% say they actively make an effort to minimize energy use; 65% try to reduce waste.

• Only about half (54%) think their communities are taking an active role in preserving the environment.

 

It’s not too difficult to appreciate the reasons why climate change stresses our children out, and why parents are becoming increasingly alarmed about their future. Sarah Kaplan highlights a study that shows that adults have made the world a far more dangerous place for kids to grow up in:

If the planet continues to warm on its current trajectory, the average 6-year-old will live through roughly three times as many climate disasters as their grandparents, the study finds. They will see twice as many wildfires, 1.7 times as many tropical cyclones, 3.4 times more river floods, 2.5 times more crop failures and 2.3 times as many droughts as someone born in 1960.

 

Kaplan points out the intergenerational unfairness of it all:

More than half of all greenhouse gases in the atmosphere were generated after 1990, meaning that most of the disasters today’s children will experience can be linked to emissions produced during their parents’ lifetimes.

“Young people are being hit by climate crisis but are not in position to make decisions,” he said. “While the people who can make the change happen will not face the consequences.”

 

It really shouldn’t be surprising that concerns about environmental degradation and climate change have been rising among the world’s youth in recent years. But eco-anxiety is not a maladaptive manifestation of mental illness. It is, in fact, entirely rational, says Meryl Davids Landau:

In some respects, climate angst is like other anxieties, which involve feeling tense and fearful when we ponder something that might happen in the future. Anxiety can bring on insomnia, nightmares, dizziness, panic attacks and high blood pressure. In its worst form, it can derail a person’s work and family life.

But in other ways, climate anxiety is unique. Unlike a lot of what we typically focus on when we’re anxious (which may be overblown) there’s good evidence that what we are worried about may well come to pass. “Climate anxiety is not a mental illness, because it’s rational to be concerned,” [psychology professor Susan] Clayton says.

 

Not one child in this world can expect to escape unscathed from the psychologic trauma caused by heat waves, poor air quality, environmental degradation, destruction from extreme weather events, and the loss of property, security, health, and life itself. A call to action on climate anxiety in young people appearing in The Lancet Planetary Health in 2020 explained why children and teenagers are more vulnerable to mental health impacts resulting from the climate crisis:

Youth might be more likely than adults to experience ill-effects associated with climate anxiety. They are at a crucial point in their physical and psychological development, when enhanced vulnerability to the effects of stress and everyday anxiety elevate their risk of developing depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders. Additionally, chronic stress during youth might result in permanent alterations in brain structure and the emergence of psychopathologies later in life. As such, the stress of a climate crisis during a crucial developmental period, coupled with an increased likelihood of encountering repeated stressors related to climate change throughout life, will conceivably increase the incidence of mental illness over the life course.

 

Staying positive and not succumbing to climate “doomism” can help parents reduce their kids’ eco-anxiety. Gulnaz Khan has other ideas:

Talk about the solutions. Discussing the positive things that people are doing to address climate change can be helpful for kids.

Show kids it’s not all on them. It’s important to let children know that the fate of the world doesn’t rest on their shoulders.

Organise community activities. Kids are likely already taking small, individual actions to reduce their environmental footprint: turning out the lights, eating less meat, reducing plastic waste.

Let them know you’re prepared. If kids are especially fearful of immediate physical danger from climate-induced storms, floods, or wildfires, have plans in place and even practice them when it feels age-appropriate.

Spend time in nature. Forming an attachment to the natural environment is a great way to keep kids motivated and hopeful.

 

Read more about how climate change affects children’s health on The PediaBlog here.

 

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source http://www.thepediablog.com/2022/04/20/eco-anxiety-is-rising-in-kids/