Eco-Anxiety

Eco‑anxiety is the distress caused by the ongoing nature of climate change, which functions as a chronic psychological stressor rather than a time‑limited crisis. It can have lifelong impacts, especially for children, through direct experiences of climate‑related loss or indirect exposure to others’ suffering. Eco‑anxiety includes emotions such as fear, anger, sadness, and grief, and also arises from witnessing inadequate action by those with the power to respond.

Because climate pressures are persistent, eco‑anxiety involves learning to navigate strong emotions without becoming overwhelmed or detached, often supported by practices that build emotional regulation and by connection with communities who share similar concerns. Forms of grounded, realistic hope can help people acknowledge difficulty while sustaining engagement and resilience.(1)

Research on ecological anxiety has focused on eco‑anxiety as a form of psychological distress that arises because climate change challenges identity, morality, and security. Emotional responses vary, especially among younger people, and can be adaptive by signalling awareness and motivating action or maladaptive by leading to withdrawal or hopelessness. Eco‑anxiety is considered measurable and distinct from general anxiety, stress, and depression, with studies identifying four dimensions: affective symptoms, rumination, behavioural symptoms, and anxiety about one’s personal environmental impact. It may also be linked to the onset of mental‑health disorders, which highlights the importance of understanding how people regulate emotions in the context of climate threats.

Research shows that anxiety about climate change, environmental degradation, and pollution tends to cluster together, supporting the idea of eco‑anxiety as a broader construct. Eco‑anxious individuals may experience cognitive and physical or behavioural impairments, including panic attacks, rumination, loss of appetite, and insomnia. Studies identify four dimensions of eco‑anxiety: affective symptoms, persistent worry, behavioural symptoms, and anxiety about one’s personal environmental impact. Eco‑anxiety is considered distinct from other mental‑health outcomes such as general anxiety, stress, and depression.

A meta‑analysis found that climate anxiety is more commonly reported by younger adults, women, people with left‑wing political orientations, those concerned about the environment, nature or the future, those who believe in climate change, individuals exposed to climate impacts, and people regularly exposed to climate‑related information such as scientists, journalists, and teachers. The study identifies correlations only and does not examine causes. Additional research shows that people under 25 who report climate anxiety often feel betrayed by older generations and view governmental responses as inadequate, and that women and LGBTQ+ communities may face disproportionate climate‑related mental‑health risks.

A global survey of 10,000 young people aged 16–25 across 10 countries found that nearly 60% are very or extremely worried about environmental problems, and 50–67% report feelings such as sadness, fear, anxiety, anger, powerlessness, and guilt in response to climate change. Forty‑five percent said these emotions negatively affect daily functioning, and large majorities believe adults have failed to care for the planet (83%) and that the future feels frightening (75%). Participants also rated government responses poorly, with 64% saying governments are not taking their concerns seriously, are not doing enough to prevent climate catastrophe, and are failing young people globally.

Scholars note that climate‑anxiety discourse is largely Western‑centric, which can obscure culturally specific ways of understanding emotional responses to climate change and limit the concept’s relevance outside Western contexts.(4)

Very little is known about eco‑anxiety in the Global South, particularly among the poorest populations, despite their high vulnerability to climate impacts. Research gaps arise from practical barriers such as limited education, nutrition, and digital access; ethical concerns about studying psychological distress in highly vulnerable communities; and conceptual challenges, since climate‑related stress often appears indirectly through issues like food insecurity or displacement. Existing studies also tend to rely on internet access, English literacy, or urban, educated samples, making them unrepresentative of the bottom billion.

A clearer understanding of eco‑anxiety in the bottom billion is needed to inform equitable climate and mental‑health strategies, but policymakers must act on behalf of these communities regardless of whether eco‑anxiety is documented. Ignoring their needs risks deepening global instability and undermining collective climate resilience.(6)

Eco‑anxiety is a political and communal condition rooted in systems of oppression such as racism, colonialism, capitalism, and ableism, which shape social and knowledge systems. People who struggle with these feelings are not alone, and caring for ourselves is part of being able to care for others and the planet. If we practice radical imagination we can imagine a better world free of suffering and map how to get there.