Climate change is not a distant threat to Generation Z, it’s a daily reality. We’ve grown up amid extreme weather crises, government inaction and rising sea levels. It has wormed its way into every aspect of our lives, from post-apocalyptic films to social media feeds flooded with warnings of complete devastation. As a result, our awareness of these issues is higher than any other generation, but so is our anxiety. This heightened awareness, along with Gen Z’s relative political powerlessness, has led to widespread feelings of frustration and disillusionment.
To put a name to that feeling, climate anxiety describes the distress and fear of the vastness of current climate issues. Climate anxiety is defined broadly as negative cognitive, emotional and behavioral responses associated with a growing concern about climate change. A 2021 study found that 45% of respondents aged 16 to 25 said climate anxiety affected their everyday lives, while 59% of respondents were very or extremely worried, and 84% were at least moderately worried. Moreover, over half of those surveyed reported that they felt sad, anxious, angry, powerless, helpless and guilty when it came to the environment. These feelings of helplessness in tackling such an insurmountable problem leads to something that only makes the situation worse: inaction.
In terms of climate change, anxiety and inaction have an interesting relationship. While anxiety may inspire some to try and move the needle, it can have a paralyzing effect on others. Not all anxiety is bad — understanding the gravity of the situation understandably creates unease, and that concern is a sign of caring about what is happening to our Earth. In fact, individuals who experience moderate levels of climate anxiety are more likely to engage in climate action and advocacy, such as reducing food waste and recycling. However, when distress about climate change is severe, individuals are more likely to adopt issue avoidance and reduce engagement with the topic. Chronic feelings of climate doom often lead to feelings of pseudoinefficacy, which is where individuals feel as though individual efforts have such a negligible effect on fixing a much bigger problem, and are therefore less inclined to take any action at all — only making matters worse.
Combating these defeatist attitudes is crucial to fighting for environmental engagement and preventing the effects of climate change. Participating in tangible actions, like engaging in sustainability initiatives and policy advocacy or making personal lifestyle changes, can help ease an individual’s psychological distress and change defeatist mentalities.
We also need to change the way we frame the climate crisis in conversation. Instead of only focusing on inevitable destruction, we need to talk about progress, resilience efforts, small wins and potential solutions — all of which encourage hope and action rather than avoidance. It’s equally as important to openly talk about climate anxiety. Facing these issues as a community rather than alone, whether that be through academic coursework, local initiatives or campus-wide discussions, can be one of the most influential steps in addressing our collective distress.
Our world isn’t beyond saving, though it may often feel that way. Instead of letting our concern and fear lead to paralysis, we should channel our frustration into action in order to fight for our future.
WSN’s Opinion section strives to publish ideas worth discussing. The views presented in the Opinion section are solely the views of the writer.
Contact Antonia Ang at [email protected].