"I grew up being
afraid of drowning in my own
bedroom"
- Mitzi Tan, 23, the
Philippines That's the
heartbreaking story one young person told us
about how the climate crisis scares her. And
she’s not alone.
Avaaz members
just funded the biggest-ever survey on climate
anxiety in children and young people --
surveying 10,000 people in 10 countries around
the world. In every country, it shows that
anxiety about the planetary crisis is
very high, and it's not just because
we're witnessing devastating climate disasters,
it's also linked to governments consistently
failing to take decisive, meaningful action to
stop the crisis.
We can still stop
runaway climate change. We know what's needed,
and what governments must do. But it will
require bold political will and determination --
and that's been woefully missing. Yet things are
moving, there is new momentum, and
there's still tons
of space for radical,
grounded hope.
Here's
what the study found:
45%
Nearly
half of global youth surveyed (45%) say climate
anxiety is
affecting their daily
lives: how they play, eat, study, and
sleep.
75%
More
than seven in ten (75%) believe "
the
future is frightening" -- jumping to
81% of youth surveyed in Portugal and 92% in the
Philippines.
58%
58%
said governments were "
betraying me
and/or future generations," while 64%
said their governments are not doing enough to
avoid a climate catastrophe.
39%
Almost
four in ten youngsters (39%) said they are now
hesitant about having
children.
These results are
scary, but psychologists say it's not just
affecting children.
Climate anxiety is
being felt by people of all ages,
everywhere.
This email is to
help us all understand what climate anxiety is,
how we can live with it, and how those feelings
can inspire radical hope as we fight to protect
our planet. We're also opening a space for Avaaz
members to share their experiences on this
issue, as community can be helpful (see button
below).
This study's findings
could also play a key role in youth-led climate
litigation, such as the landmark
climate lawsuit against 33 governments, which
Avaaz members are helping to fund. That's not
all: in the run-up to this year's UN climate
summit,
we're going all out to make
sure this study lands on every decision-maker's
desk, influencing critical negotiations
and government policy. The report is already
making massive media waves, with huge coverage
in some of the most influential news outlets,
and
the UN Secretary
General even mentioned the findings in
his big speech to world leaders --
amazing!
What is Climate
Anxiety?
Climate anxiety is the worry,
frustration, grief, and even anger
linked to the reality of the climate
crisis and our governments' ongoing failure to
respond with the urgency it requires.
People are feeling betrayed by leaders
and scared of the future. These are
uncomfortable and difficult feelings -- but
they're a
perfectly normal, healthy
response to the destruction of the natural world
coupled with political inaction.
It's not a matter of 'fixing'
or 'solving' our anxiety, but learning to live
with it. For each of us, it's about
acknowledging those feelings, and respecting
them, so that we can engage in the crisis and
hold our leaders accountable, without falling
into despair or denial.
Our feelings of
anxiety often come from a deep, genuine love for
nature and the planet. How could we not be
feeling anxious?
Our feelings aren't the
problem; the reality of the crisis, combined
with political failure are.
What can we do about
Climate Anxiety?
If climate anxiety is a
healthy, natural response, then how do we live
with it?
Here are some tips and ideas
from the Climate Psychology Alliance that may
help you and your loved ones: