What is eco or climate anxiety?

In simple terms eco or climate anxiety is being worried about the environmental or climate doom in a way that stops you from enjoying your daily life. 

Although eco-anxiety isn’t recognised as a health condition, it has similar signs with anxiety. Some of them can include lack or difficulty to go to sleep, the worry that any of the things you do lead to global warming, not being able to concentrate on work or the task in hand, feeling helpless or powerless, or even having panic attacks.

Who can it affect and why? 

Eco-anxiety can affect anyone. Acknowledging that climate change is real, and that it affects the planet, and our future can trigger it. Sometimes being in the middle of a bad storm or suffering from negative impacts of an extreme weather event (e.g., heatwave, drought, flooding etc.)  can trigger or accentuate the feelings of worry about that event happening again. 

If someone opens up about their eco anxiety, especially a young person, what should we do? 

• Listen to them. It is important to accept that those feelings are there, plus everyone needs to know that they can open up.  
• Make sure you have the right information. If you don’t know, admit it, and look It up before you carry on with the conversation. (I would recommend you do any extra reading without the young person next to you, some of the search results could accentuate the worry).  
• Remind them that they can’t do everything, once they have accepted the existence of eco-anxiety, they need to find a balance between climate action and being kind to themselves.
• Come up with goals focused on taking action. Make sure they are achievable.
• Help them connect with the natural world and get them exploring their surroundings.
• Encourage them to connect with other like-minded young people and give them the chance to share and celebrate their successes. 

How can we empower people who feel powerless in the face of inadequate government responses to the threat of climate change?

• Remind them that they have the power, it’s just a matter of finding the right way to exercise it. We need the system to change, and we can only do that if we practice all our rights as citizens.  
• Encourage them to vote, write to their Members of the Senedd, sign or start their own campaigns.

There are lots of resources available online to support you in taking that first step. If the young people you interact with aren’t at the voting age yet, help and support them to take action in their own ways.

What is the best way to increase optimism and hope in people experiencing eco anxiety?

The best way to increase optimism and hope in people experiencing eco-anxiety is for them to take action - little changes that can make them feel empowered. Every person, young or old, will at some point have to accept that this is an issue that concerns us all, and we need to come together to succeed.  

What behaviour change could we all make as individuals which would have a beneficial impact on climate change?

Start with reducing your consumption and waste. It can be the amount of car travel you do, the amount of clothes or stuff you buy, or the amount of food you throw away. 

We need to see change from a top-down level, but as consumers we also have the power to lead that change. Choose what you can afford, that is the best option for you and the planet. If you need some inspiration, you can start here.

How important is it that organisations do their own bit to help reduce their climate footprint? 

It is very important that all organisations and businesses, no matter of the services they provide to do their own bit to reduce their carbon footprint. Every organisation is made of people and if we encourage our staff and volunteers to change their behaviours at work, it will soon be easier for them to make those changes at home too.   

Campaigning for net zero appeals to many as a way of making a difference – which approaches work best in your view?

Reduce as much as you can and at the same time be kind to yourself. We can reduce our personal carbon footprint as individuals but is important to remember that we need the system to change and support us to be able to solve the climate and ecological emergencies.

The best approach is to support nature because it is the solution to tackling climate change. Wildlife and healthy habitats store the carbon dioxide that we need to keep the temperature under control, but we need vast areas, and we need people to respect those areas. We must work with nature not against it.

Also, stay informed, before you take any action check it, use sources that are trustworthy and make sure that you make the right decision.

"I strongly believe that to tackle climate change we need to inspire and empower our young people to take action, celebrate their wins and help them go forward. I also believe that putting the task of saving the planet on their shoulders is a big ask. Every individual is responsible for what is happening next. The climate change issue surpasses generational borders, it affects us all, and as parents and grandparents we are responsible of doing something as much as our young people are."