Blowing up in the media in 2021, climate anxiety gained attention from mental health professionals over the last few decades as people’s concerns about climate change increased. Numerous studies have found rising environmental distress among people around the world, but also indicate that increased awareness is more likely to prompt action. Michael and Kimberly consider the underlying factors that propel personal action, government policy, and technological developments, and what combination of these variables might lead to achieving climate goals to reduce the planet’s growing temperatures.
Key Topics
Why Glenn Albrecht coined the term solastalgia that came to be known as climate anxiety
What various factors led to increased concerns of eco-anxiety
Whether climate anxiety is a real disorder or a fabrication of the media
Who’s most affected by climate change
Whose actions will have the biggest impact on curbing climate change
How time factors into what individuals can sanely do to make a difference
Why individuals are only part—but an important part—of the equation
Follow up on Friday with Kimberly’s Substack follow-up post on extreme weather and climate anxiety
Recommended Resources
Lots of studies:
Albrecht, Yale, China, The Lancet, global concerns
Growing media attention to climate anxiety
