Climate anxiety
Distress or worry associated with climate change and its consequences.
Example
Concern may affect emotions, attention and decisions in different ways.
The catch
This educational definition is not a diagnosis or treatment recommendation.
In more depth
Climate anxiety, explained.
Climate anxiety is widely understood as a proportionate response to a real threat, and in most people it sits alongside normal functioning. Researchers separate practical worry, which can prompt planning and action, from distress intense enough to disrupt sleep, work or relationships. Surveys in many countries find climate worry especially common among young people.
Connection tends to help. Talking with others who share the concern and joining collective action can turn private worry into something shared and purposeful, and constructive hope rests on that link between honest concern and realistic action. Anxiety also differs from climate fatalism. Many anxious people are deeply engaged, while fatalism tends to close the door on action. Persistent distress that affects daily life is worth raising with a health professional.