Are You Afraid of Climate Change?

I confess that I am quite anxious about climate change. Melting glaciers, floods, wildfires, record-breaking heat waves, and droughts. Sir David Attenborough said, “We’ve overrun the planet.” He believes that world problems in the next five to ten years will be worse than the coronavirus pandemic, due to climate change. Yikes!

What kind of world are we leaving to the next generations? I worry specifically for the children in my family, and I worry about the global impact on our civilization and planet. A deep sense of dread is not unreasonable. I am not alone in my anxiety. All that worry takes a psychological toll. Climate-related disasters have a direct mental health impact especially when loss of life and property occurs. Extreme events can cause anxiety, depression, and PTSD. There’s even a new field of study called “climate psychology”.

Our vocabulary has created new terms. There’s climate change, climate breakdown, eco-anxiety, climate crisis, and climate trauma. Interestingly, I also read of “climate delusion” in which a 17-year-old adolescent in Australia was hospitalized after refusing to drink water for fear of contributing to the country’s drought in 2007.

When overwhelmed, some of us shut down, or stop reading the science. Dr. Renee Lertzman, a pioneer of climate psychology says, “The human psyche is hardwired to disengage from information or experiences that are overwhelmingly difficult or disturbing. This is particularly true if an individual feels powerless to affect change. For many of us, we’d literally rather not know because otherwise, it creates such an acutely distressing experience for us as humans.” This can lead to denial or inaction.

The good news is that people who have climate anxiety are much more likely to feel motivated to change their behavior compared to those who don’t. “Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can change our world.” – Howard Zinn

So, how do you deal with this anxiety?

1. Get educated about climate change. By educating yourself you will learn courses of action.

2. Find concrete ways to make a difference on an individual, political, and global basis. Taking even small steps will give you a sense of control which could ease your anxiety.

3. Build up your resilience by utilizing your support network. Social support is one of the strongest predictors of mental health.