On the day COP26 is dedicated to youth and thousands of youngsters prepare to take part in a climate protest in Glasgow, the issue of “eco-anxiety” has been highlighted as a significant issue.
Alison Anderson, a professor of sociology at Plymouth University, says recent research shows “a high degree of what we now call eco-anxiety”.
Two-thirds of young people between 16 and 25 are feeling “very worried” or “extremely worried” about climate change, Anderson tells BBC Radio Scotland.
“Many of them are feeling guilty, helpless, very worried about having children,” she says. “This is clearly having an effect on their mental health, but getting together with other young people gives them a sense of urgency and empowerment.”
Adelaide Charlier, a 20-year-old inspired to set up Belgium’s Youth for Climate movement, says the more informed she became on climate change, the more she found it “a sad story” and “really hard” to take in.
“What does get young people out of eco-anxiety is getting together and mobilising and feeling we can act and do something about it,” she says. “So a movement like Fridays for Future is a really good thing.”
Source: BBC
