By Jennifer Marry
Imagine you’ve come home from a long day at work or school. You look at your phone to see if you have any new messages when you get a notification from your news app. A headline from the World Health Organization appears across your screen reading, “Experts warn of serious health impacts from climate change for pregnant women, children, and older people.” You then turn on your TV to see the news bulletin reading, “NOAA issues its most aggressive hurricane season forecast on record.” As you get ready for bed, you open the weather app on your phone to see how the weather will be the next day. But when you open the app, you are surprised to see that tomorrow's high temperature will be 62˚F, which isn’t normal for February in New York City.
These are actual headlines that recently appeared on the news, and according to NOAA, there were two recorded days where temperatures reached at least 60˚F in Central Park during February 2024. The internet is a great way to spread information to a wide range of people, but it can be overwhelming after reading multiple headlines such as the ones above. You think about how climate change affects the older people in your life or the challenges that future generations will face. Not knowing what the future is going to be like can be very scary and could lead to depression or anxiety, especially when the effects of climate change make the future seem bleak.
This is known as climate anxiety. Climate anxiety, also called eco-anxiety, focuses on depression and anxiety caused by climate and environmental change. Climate anxiety affects everyone differently based on their experiences and how climate change affects them and those around them. In a research survey that asked 10,000 children and young people (ages 16-25) around the world about the impact of climate change on their lives, more than 50% of participants responded that they feel sad, anxious, angry, powerless, helpless, and guilty. In another case study, it was reported that most pregnant women experienced climate anxiety, fearing the implications of climate change for their children, such as disease, exposure to extreme weather events, and food and water insecurity.
Although there are many forms and influences of climate anxiety, there are many methods that you can apply to your everyday life to help cope with climate anxiety.
Accepting Your Own Limitations
Climate change is a global issue that requires both government and public action. One crucial concept about coping with climate anxiety is accepting that you can’t solve all the problems alone. By trying to solve all of the problems causing climate change yourself, you are literally “carrying the weight of the world on one’s shoulders.”
According to a video published by the BBC, one of the best ways to cope with climate anxiety is to find one aspect of climate change that you are passionate about and become involved. As a RE-volv Solar Ambassador, I was involved in an organization that is determined to make a climate impact by helping nonprofits go solar. Knowing that I am contributing to promoting renewable energy helps me understand that not only is RE-volv assisting nonprofits to help them save money, but we are also having a climate impact.
So, can one person fix climate change? The short answer is no. But it doesn’t mean that one person can’t make a difference. Accepting your own limitations by trusting that other people will handle the aspects of climate change you aren’t involved in allows you to cope with climate anxiety by understanding that fighting climate change is a group effort.
Knowing When To Step Back
After reading headlines like those mentioned earlier, a person can view this as an impending “climate doom.” Hearing these stories can be difficult since they cover sensitive topics. Sometimes, you need to step back and take a break from the news and social media. An enormous rush of information can be overwhelming and add additional concerns about climate change.
Taking breaks from the doom and gloom of climate news not only allows people to relax but also allows them to take time to decide how to proceed forward. Whether it is listening to music or trying meditation, using different forms of relaxation can help your mental health and alleviate some of the stress.
This doesn’t mean you should avoid the issue of climate change; instead, you should take in the information in moderation. By regulating how often you receive information about climate change, you can keep up to date with climate impact while also considering your mental well-being.
The Impact of Climate Optimism and Community Involvement
Even though the media tends to highlight a “climate doomed” future, it’s essential to focus on the positive impacts that we’ve already made that will mitigate the effects of climate change.
Climate optimism focuses on the hope that we can still make a difference for a more sustainable future. Instead of explaining climate change using scare tactics, climate optimism emphasizes the contributions the communities can make when they come together to make an impact. Whether it is forming a book club discussing environmental literature or hosting a solar education event, a communal spread of climate optimism can allow people to openly share how climate change affected their lives and encourage others to learn more and become involved.
When I was an undergraduate, all environmental studies majors at St. John’s were required to take a course in their senior year titled “Environmental Senior Seminar.” This class was different than our traditional courses because instead of being lectured for 90 minutes, we spent our class time discussing environmental literature such as Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and we even did a mock trial where each student represented a person for or against the damming of Hetch Hetchy Valley. When the weather was nice, we brought blankets for class outside on the Great Lawn on campus. My classmates and I all agreed that this was the best course we took over the four years because it was the only course we took where we could express ourselves and hear the views of people our own age. This course impacted us so much that another seminar class is now offered to sophomores as well.
When I became a graduate student, I achieved a similar experience during my fellowship with RE-volv as a Solar Ambassador. Each month, all the Solar Ambassadors from across the country would meet to discuss methods for nonprofit outreach, our views on climate change, and were able to interact with environmental industry workers. Even though I am a “solo ambassador” (meaning I am the only ambassador in my state), I was chatting with the other solo ambassadors in a group chat to discuss our experiences with the program. I was able to share my knowledge with other ambassadors in the program through climate optimism to move forward.
You’re Not Alone
As I’ve mentioned throughout each method, knowing you're not alone is essential. Climate anxiety affects everybody, and although it influences people’s lives differently, a fear of the future is something we all face at least once in our lives. It’s how we channel its influence that determines the future.
By learning to cope with climate anxiety, we can benefit both our mental well-being and allow us to take action for a more sustainable future!
If climate anxiety becomes too overwhelming, consider reaching out to mental health specialists. They will be able to provide resources that could best manage your climate anxiety and determine the best course of action for your mental health.
About the Author
Jennifer Marry is a graduate student at St. John’s University studying Environmental Sustainability and Decision Making. She is the only solar ambassador in the state of New York. Jennifer does photography and needlepoint during her free time and is currently learning German.
