Concern about climate change stirs up a lot of negative emotions in young people in the UK, but it can also motivate them to take positive action for the environment, according to a new study by a research team from Imperial College London and the University of Queensland in London.
Many people, especially young people, are increasingly concerned about climate change. in the new StadyThe researchers asked young adults in the UK, aged between 16 and 24, about their experience with ‘climate distress’.
They asked questions about their mental health and general well-being, their concerns about climate change, how climate change has positively or negatively affected their lives and whether they were involved in pro-environmental and climate action.
The results of the study suggest that the presence of mental health problems can make a person more vulnerable to climate distress.
10% of respondents feel very distressed and worried about climate change
About 10% of respondents said they feel more sad and anxious about the impact of climate change on their future than any other issue. Although a few of these individuals had been exposed to extreme weather events, they reported being disturbed by the environmental degradation of places they loved, frustrated by the lack of action on climate change, lack of personal capacity to act, worry about their future and feelings of guilt and shame.
However, the participants who felt the most distress were also more likely to say that they found meaning and fulfillment in their involvement in climate action. Both positive emotions such as hope and negative emotions such as anger and frustration were associated with climate activism, while feelings of guilt, shame, sadness and fear were associated with lower work engagement.
The study authors call for further investigation of this phenomenon to understand why climate distress motivates some people to act and others to inaction. They also highlight the importance of developing tools that help young people succeed and mitigate the climate crisis safely and effectively.
“Even in the midst of a global pandemic, and despite avoiding the worst of climate impacts, young people living in the UK have been concerned about climate change. Our work suggests that emotions associated with climate change can inspire action, which has implications for how we communicate about climate change. The researchers concluded that our findings also highlight the need for targeted, climate-sensitive psychosocial support to simultaneously keep young people engaged in the area of climate and mental health.
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