Type climate change into any search engine and you’re likely to be met with bad news. On the morning of Nov. 5, 11,000 scientists signed a declaration, saying the world is in a state of climate emergency. This new warning comes just two years after a similar one, which 15,000 scientists gave in 2017.
“We declare, with more than 11,000 scientist signatories from around the world, clearly and unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency,” wrote the authors of the 2019 article. “We need bold and drastic transformations regarding economic and population policies.”.
In the face of all these warnings and lack of action from government leaders, many people are severely worried about the state of the planet, which has led to a new term known as climate or eco-anxiety.
“I’m so afraid because there’s only so much I can do,” said Olivia Kirkwood, a third-year student in political science with a minor in environmental studies at Carleton. “What makes me anxious is the feeling of wanting to fix it myself and knowing that I can’t.”
What is eco-anxiety?
Although it is new, eco-anxiety is a rather simple term. Eco-anxiety, otherwise known as climate anxiety, is when a person feels anxious about the direction that our climate is going.
Kirkwood, who lives with anxiety, described eco-anxiety as “the overwhelming feeling that something bad is going to happen and there’s nothing you can do.”
This is similar to regular anxiety, but eco-anxiety feels “like a heightened version of that,” said Kirkwood.
In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report detailing the effects on various aspects of society if the global temperature rose to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels or 2.0 degrees Celsius. According to the report, CO2 emissions need to be reduced by 45 per cent from 2010 levels by 2030 to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
“I think it was when the UN report came out, saying that we only had 12 years,” said Avery McQuirter, a second-year global and international studies student at Carleton.“That kind of really hit home for me because I knew it was an issue before that, but I never really paid close attention. But knowing that before I turned 35, it’s going to be irreversible – that was crazy.”
“Maybe it could be compared to a horror movie, but the villain has not yet showed up on the screen.”
– Robert Gifford, a psychology and environmental studies professor at the University of Victoria
The report also showed that increasing the global temperature by half a degree makes a significant difference in the form of increased droughts, higher risks of extinction, increased flooding, greater negative impacts on human health, and many other consequences.
“Climate change is very large, but vague (in one’s own) experience,” said Robert Gifford, a psychology and environmental studies professor at the University of Victoria, in an email.
“Maybe it could be compared to a horror movie, but the villain has not yet showed up on the screen. So, some of us can ‘put it off’ but other sensitive souls are perhaps too much involved for their personal mental health,” he added.
“I don’t want to have to live through seeing people suffer from it. We’re already seeing it,” McQuirter said. “It’s already happening and people often have to deal with the consequences.”
Awareness of the consequences of climate change is one of the factors that is increasing eco-anxiety.
Kirkwood said that her anxiety about the climate became “aggressive” when she started taking courses in environmental studies. She had already begun to worry about the climate a few years ago, when the summer was unbearably hot.
“I started doing my research on it … That summer was the moment I realized it, but being in school for it has just confirmed my worst fears,” she said.
People who feel more connected to nature tend to think more about the environment according to John Zelenski, a psychology professor and researcher at Carleton.
“Some people seem to feel connected to nature, like their sense of self very much involves nature,” he said. “They have a kind of a common understanding, that what they do matters to the environment and the health of the environment matters to them. Whereas, other people feel very disconnected.”
According to Zelenski, these people also tend to care about climate change and are more environmentally friendly.
“I can say with a lot of confidence, that the kind of people who are connected to nature are also the same people that do have more pro-environmental attitudes, (and) do engage in more sustainable behaviors,” he said.
Does anyone else care?
Eco-anxiety can also be fuelled by the sense that government leaders and policy makers are not doing anything about it.
On Nov. 4, the president of the United States, Donald Trump began the formal process of leaving the Paris climate agreement which multiple countries signed in 2015, committing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
McQuirter expressed similar concerns. “I don’t think, especially older generations, are taking it as seriously as they should be,” she said. “I guess right now, I’m just waiting for my generation to get into office, but by then it’s going to be too late.”
Eco-anxiety also affects the way people think about themselves and their future.
“It is affecting the way I think about my future. I’ve thought about not having kids just so they don’t have to deal with it,” McQuirter said. “And I thought about my career, but I’m like, what’s the point?”
What can you do?
In 2011, Gifford published a paper in the American Psychologist titled The Dragons of Inaction, which detailed 29 reasons why people do not take action on climate change, even when they say that they care about the environment. In 2015, he updated the list to 33 reasons. Some of these include denial, social comparison, optimism bias, and environmental numbness among many others.
“Acknowledge there’s only so much you can do.”
– Olivia Kirkwood, third-year political science student
Gifford compared eco-anxiety to the anxiety one might have before an exam.
“What’s the best strategy, to freak out, or to start studying hard?” he said. “Do something positive. No, none of us can change this by our own efforts. But each of us can do more, and doing something is helpful.”
Kirkwood said people should relieve themselves of some of the pressure.
“Acknowledge there’s only so much you can do,” she said. “I know that the majority of polluters are part of the upper class, part of the one per cent, and as civilians we need to hold ourselves responsible, but we also need to hold big companies responsible, too.”
Research shows that people who see the environment as a threat have lower levels of happiness, but engaging in environmentally friendly behaviors can help reduce anxiety, according to Zelenski.
“The idea here is if you feel like you’re actually engaging in these behaviors, or if you feel a stronger connection with nature, that seems to be helpful in coping with some of the anxiety that comes with the environmental threats that we face,” he said.
Kirkwood shops at farmers markets, reduces how much she eats out, uses reusable bags, and uses water to heat and cool her apartment.
McQuirter “does all the classic stuff,” like using reusable water bottles and straws, and taking the bus. “But at the end of the day, I don’t think it’s on the individual. I think it’s big corporations and governments that have to really do something to stop it,” she said
Kirkwood said she wants the government to shift their focus from making money to reducing climate change.
“Money’s not worth it. You can’t take it with you,” Kirkwood said. “It’s temporary, but the planet is forever. And if you’re just thinking of your lifetime, you’re selfish.”
Feature image by Tim Austen. Graphics by Paloma Callo. With Files from Kristie Mikhaiel.
