Ice sculptures of children created by Sand in Your Eye to highlight the importance of COP26, the global climate conference, are seen at New Brighton Beach on the Wirral peninsular in New Brighton, Britain May 31, 2021. (REUTERS/File Photo)
LONDON聽 鈥� Overwhelmed, sad, guilty are some of the emotions young people say they feel when they think of climate change and their concerns world leaders will fail to tackle it.
Broadly referred to as climate anxiety, research has stacked up to measure its prevalence ahead of the U.N. talks in Glasgow, which begin at the end of the month to thrash out how to put the 2015 Paris Agreement on curbing climate change into effect.
One of the biggest studies to date, funded by Avaaz, an online campaign network, and led by Britain鈥檚 University of Bath, surveyed 10,000 young people aged 16-25 years in 10 countries. It published its results in September.
It found around three quarters of those surveyed considered the future frightening, while a lack of action by governments and industry left 45% experiencing climate anxiety and distress that affected their daily lives and functioning.
Elouise Mayall, an ecology student at Britain鈥檚 University of East Anglia and member of the UK Youth Climate Coalition, told Reuters she had felt guilty and overwhelmed.
鈥淲hat I鈥檇 be left with is maybe the sense of shame, like, 鈥榟ow dare you still want lovely things when the world is ending and you don鈥檛 even know if you鈥檙e going to have a safe world to grow old in鈥�.鈥�
She spoke of conflicting emotions.
鈥淵ou might have sadness, there might be fear, there might be a kind of overwhelm,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd maybe even sometimes a quite like wild optimism.鈥�
Caroline Hickman, a psychotherapist and lecturer at the University of Bath and one of the co-authors of the research published in September, is working to help young people manage climate-related emotions.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e growing up with the grief and the fear and the anxiety about the future,鈥� she told Reuters.
鈥淪ENSE OF MEANING鈥�
London-based psychiatrist Alastair Santhouse sees climate change, as well as COVID-19, as potentially adding to the burden, especially for those pre-disposed to anxiety.
For now, climate anxiety alone does not normally require psychiatric help. Painful as it is, it can be positive, provided it does not get out of control.
鈥淪ome anxiety about climate change is motivating. It鈥檚 just a question of how much anxiety is motivating and how much is unacceptable,鈥� said Santhouse, author of a book that tackles how health services struggle to cope with complex mental issues.
鈥淭he worry is that as climate change sets in, there will be a more clear cut mental health impact,鈥� he added.
Among some of the world鈥檚 communities that are already the most vulnerable, extreme weather events can also cause problems such as post traumatic stress disorder.
Leading climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, 18, has experienced severe climate anxiety.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a quite natural response, because, as you see, as the world is today, that no one seems to care about what鈥檚 happening, I think it鈥檚 only human to feel that way,鈥� she said.
For now, however, she is hopeful because she is doing everything she possibly can.
鈥淲hen you take action, you also get a sense of meaning that something is happening. If you want to get rid of that anxiety, you can take action against it,鈥� she said.