{"id":7644,"date":"2020-02-20T18:34:42","date_gmt":"2020-02-20T18:34:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/?p=7644"},"modified":"2020-02-20T18:34:42","modified_gmt":"2020-02-20T18:34:42","slug":"climate-anxiety-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/2020\/02\/20\/climate-anxiety-101\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate Anxiety 101"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eco-anxiety has been described as a source of stress when people watch \"the slow and seemingly irrevocable impacts of climate change unfold, and worrying about the future for oneself, children, and later generations\u2026 affected by feelings of loss, helplessness, and frustration due to their inability to feel like they are making a difference\u201d\u00a0(American Psychological Society, 2017<\/a>) and there would seem to be an increasing amount about.<\/p>\n

A recent\u00a0Guardian\u00a0<\/strong>article<\/a><\/em>\u00a0[Overwhelming and terrifying\u2019: the rise of climate anxiety<\/em> ] dealt with young people's' climate anxiety which, the article explained, can occur in surprisingly young children. \u00a0Dr Patrick\u00a0Kennedy-Williams was quoted saying that tackling climate anxiety and tackling the climate crisis are intrinsically linked:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe positive thing from our perspective as psychologists is that we soon realised the cure to climate anxiety is the same as the cure for climate change \u2013 action. \u00a0It is about getting out and doing something that helps. \u00a0Record and celebrate the changes you make. \u00a0Nobody is too small. \u00a0Make connections with other people and at the same time realise that you are not going to cure this problem on your own. \u00a0This isn\u2019t all on you ... .\u201d<\/p>\n

The article also featured Elizabeth Wathuti, a climate activist from Kenya. \u00a0Her experience of climate anxiety is not so much about the future but what is happening now. \u00a0She said:<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople in African countries experience eco-anxiety differently because climate change for us is about the impacts that we are already experiencing now and the possibilities of the situation getting worse.\"<\/p>\n

She works with young people through the Green Generation Initiative<\/a> she founded and sees the effects of eco-anxiety first-hand. A common worry she hears among students is: \u201cWe won\u2019t die of old age, we\u2019ll die from climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

A recent study by the Environment Agency<\/a>\u00a0was also quoted. \u00a0This found that people in the UK who experience extreme weather such as storms or flooding are 50% more likely to suffer from mental health problems, including stress and depression, for years afterwards. \u00a0More than 1,000 clinical psychologists signed an open letter\u00a0<\/a>highlighting the impact of the crisis on people\u2019s wellbeing and predicting acute trauma on a global scale in response to extreme weather events, forced migration and conflict. \u00a0Kaaren Knight, a clinical psychologist who coordinated the letter, said:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe physical impacts related to extreme weather, food shortages and conflict are intertwined with the additional burden of mental health impacts and it is these psychologists are particularly concerned about.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the end of the article advice for\u00a0parents was offered. \u00a0It is set out below together with my comments:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2013 1 \u2013<\/strong> Remember that you do not need to be a climate expert. \u00a0It\u2019s OK to explore learning together. \u00a0If your child asks a question you can\u2019t answer immediately, respond by saying: \u201cWhat a great question. \u00a0Let me look into that so I can answer it properly.\u201d<\/p>\n

This depends on the question. \u00a0The answers to these the following ones are quite different in nature: \u00a0\"Which is the more potent greenhouse gas, methane or CO2?\" \u00a0and \"Will we have to change the way we heat our home? \u00a0 The first is a question of fact which you can look up. \u00a0The other is contingent on a range of factors some of which are conjectural. \u00a0There are a lot of questions of both kinds out there. \u00a0Then there are questions of value such as \"How should we live in order to safeguard the biosphere? \u00a0which are hard to answer \"properly\".<\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0\u2013 2 \u2013<\/strong> Try to validate, rather than minimise, children\u2019s emotions. \u00a0If children express anxiety, it\u2019s much better to say: \u201cIt\u2019s OK to feel worried. \u00a0Here is what we can do about it,\u201d than to say: \u201cDon\u2019t worry. \u00a0It\u2019s all fine.\u201d But always try to support this emotion with suggestions for positive action.<\/p>\n

Sometimes emotion is wholly misplaced. \u00a0If someone says that they think that world will end in 10 years because of climate change, it's surely not enough to say don't worry\". \u00a0Saying that it's not true \u2013 and explaining why \u2013 would be a more responsible parental response. \u00a0As would exploring what's behind the question and where it comes from.<\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2013 3 \u2013<\/strong> Negative information hits harder. \u00a0Bad or threatening facts tend to resonate more strongly \u2013 and therefore stick in the mind. \u00a0So try to balance one piece of negative news with three pieces of positive news. \u00a0Have some examples of good climate-related news ready \u2013 for example, successful conservation projects.<\/p>\n

Whilst recognising the potency of this issue, it's not simply about numbers and ratios which is just as well given how much troubling info there is out there about the climate. \u00a0A key issue here is whether the negative info is true or not \u00a0\u2013 and how you know. \u00a0<\/strong><\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2013 4 \u2013<\/strong> For younger children, keep it local and tangible. \u00a0Suggest litter picks and school events. \u00a0For teenagers, encourage them to stay connected at a wider level \u2013 help them write to their MP, take part in protests and join local communities and campaigns.<\/p>\n

Good advice apart from the litter picks which will not address the climate challenge. \u00a0Local campaigns to help prevent waste might but only at the margins. \u00a0By all means involve the MP and your local councillors. \u00a0Go with your children to see them. \u00a0Encourage them to ask awkward questions, and demand action.<\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2013 5 \u2013<\/strong> Set practical goals as a family and follow through. Record and celebrate your climate successes together (even a piece of paper on the fridge door). \u00a0Reinforce the message that small actions can make a big difference.<\/p>\n

This is all very well, and we all should do it as part of good living, but it won't necessarily solve the climate crisis. \u00a0Only actions of and between governments and their agencies will do this. \u00a0So, encourage them to pressure government through MPs, but recognise the truth that small actions will only likely make a small difference.<\/h5>\n

................................<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eco-anxiety has been described as a source of stress when people watch \"the slow and seemingly irrevocable impacts of climate change unfold, and worrying about the future for oneself, children, and later generations\u2026 affected by feelings of loss, helplessness, and...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":237,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-comment","category-news-and-updates"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/237"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7644"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7644\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}