In an age where climate headlines dominate our news feeds and environmental changes become increasingly visible in our daily lives, many young people are experiencing what researchers now call “eco-anxiety.” If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, worried, or even hopeless when thinking about climate change and environmental issues, you’re not alone. This phenomenon is real, widespread, and worth understanding deeply—both as a personal experience and as a philosophical challenge of our time.
What Exactly Is Eco-Anxiety?
Eco-anxiety describes the persistent feelings of worry, stress, and concern related to environmental destruction and climate change. These feelings might show up as:
- Worry about what the future will look like when you’re older.
- Sadness when hearing about species extinction or habitat destruction.
- Frustration or anger when seeing environmental protections reduced.
- Helplessness when considering the scale of environmental problems.
- Grief for natural places that are changing or disappearing.
- Stress about making the “right” environmental choices in daily life.
While not officially recognized as a clinical disorder in diagnostic manuals like the DSM-5, mental health professionals increasingly acknowledge eco-anxiety as a significant experience affecting many people’s wellbeing, particularly among teenagers and young adults.
What makes eco-anxiety different from some other forms of anxiety is that it’s responding to real threats, not imagined ones. As philosopher Glenn Albrecht notes, “These are not irrational fears; they are based on realistic assessments of genuine threats to our future.” This raises an important philosophical question: How do we distinguish between helpful concern that motivates positive action and debilitating anxiety that overwhelms us?
Why Are Young People More Affected?
The 2021 global survey published in Lancet Planetary Health found something striking: among 10,000 people aged 16-25 across ten countries, about 60% reported feeling “very worried” or “extremely worried” about climate change. Nearly half said these feelings affected their daily functioning.
Why might young people experience eco-anxiety more intensely? Several factors are worth considering:
Longer future horizons: Simply put, younger people will likely live to see more climate impacts unfold. When scientists discuss changes projected for 2050 or 2070, today’s teenagers and young adults recognize these as dates within their expected lifetimes.
Digital connectivity: Young people today consume unprecedented amounts of information through social media and digital platforms, where environmental catastrophes from around the world appear in real-time, creating a constant stream of concerning news.
Developmental timing: Adolescence and early adulthood are periods when people naturally question their place in the world and develop their values. Environmental threats can intersect with these developmental processes in particularly challenging ways.
Educational exposure: Today’s educational curricula often include more environmental content than previous generations experienced, creating greater awareness of environmental issues.
Philosopher Edmund Husserl would encourage us to examine how these factors shape the “lifeworld” of young people—the taken-for-granted reality they inhabit—making environmental concerns more immediate and tangible than they might be for older generations.
The Activism Connection: Finding Purpose in Action
Many young people have discovered that channeling their environmental concerns into action helps transform anxiety into purpose. This isn’t just about feeling better—it reflects a deep philosophical insight that humans need to engage meaningfully with the challenges they face.
Youth-led movements like Fridays for Future demonstrate how collective action can create both community and hope. As 16-year-old climate activist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez explains: “Taking action is the antidote to the despair that many of us feel.”
The relationship between activism and wellbeing is complex, however. Research suggests that engaging in environmental action can reduce feelings of helplessness and increase sense of purpose. At the same time, constant activism without proper self-care can lead to burnout. The key seems to be finding sustainable forms of engagement that match your personal strengths and capacity.
This connects to what philosopher Albert Camus called “the absurd”—the tension between our desire for meaning and clarity in a world that sometimes seems chaotic and overwhelming. For Camus, engagement with genuine problems, even unsolvable ones, creates authentic meaning. Applied to eco-anxiety, this suggests that thoughtful engagement with environmental challenges may prove more satisfying than attempting to escape the discomfort they cause.
Beyond Basic Coping: Developing Environmental Wisdom
Addressing eco-anxiety requires more than simple coping techniques. While mindfulness practices and anxiety management strategies can help in the moment, deeper engagement with environmental challenges may provide more lasting resolution.
Here are some approaches that combine philosophical depth with practical value:
Critical information literacy: Learning to evaluate environmental information critically helps distinguish between alarmism and genuine concern. This includes understanding how to interpret scientific uncertainty, recognize quality research, and put environmental problems in proper context. For example, understanding that “12 years to act on climate change” doesn’t mean a specific doomsday in 2030, but rather highlights the urgency of reducing emissions to avoid the worst impacts.
Value clarification: Reflecting on what you truly value about the natural world and human communities can help direct your concern toward meaningful action. As philosopher Kathleen Dean Moore asks: “What do you love too much to lose?” Answering this question can clarify where to focus your energy.
Systems thinking: Developing the ability to see connections between environmental, social, and economic systems helps avoid oversimplified thinking. This approach, championed by environmental thinkers like Donella Meadows, helps you understand feedback loops, unintended consequences, and leverage points for change.
Connection to nature: Research consistently shows that time spent in natural environments improves mental wellbeing. Beyond this immediate benefit, developing a personal relationship with specific natural places can provide emotional grounding amid abstract environmental concerns.
Ethical reasoning: Exploring various philosophical approaches to environmental ethics—from indigenous perspectives emphasizing reciprocity to utilitarian approaches focused on reducing harm—can deepen your understanding of why environmental protection matters and how to navigate complex decisions.
These approaches go beyond mere coping to develop what philosopher Arne Naess called “ecological wisdom”—a mature understanding of humanity’s place within natural systems.
Creating Supportive Communities
Addressing eco-anxiety shouldn’t be a solitary burden. Philosopher Martin Buber emphasized that genuine human connections—what he called “I-Thou” relationships—provide essential support during times of difficulty. For young people concerned about environmental issues, finding or creating communities that share these concerns can be transformative.
What might such supportive communities look like? They could include:
Discussion spaces: Regular gatherings where people can honestly share their environmental concerns without judgment. These might be formal support groups or informal conversations among friends.
Action collectives: Groups working together on specific environmental projects, from community gardens to advocacy campaigns, which combine social connection with meaningful action.
Intergenerational dialogue: Conversations between younger and older people about environmental concerns, where each generation can learn from the other’s perspective and experience.
Educational forums: Spaces where experts can share accurate information about both environmental challenges and promising solutions, helping to contextualize concerns.
Mental health professionals increasingly recognize the importance of addressing eco-anxiety as legitimate rather than dismissing it. Psychologist Susan Clayton notes: “We need to recognize that climate anxiety is not a pathology. It’s a normal response to an abnormal situation.”
Media Literacy and Balanced Information
The media landscape significantly shapes how we understand environmental issues. Learning to navigate this landscape critically can help transform overwhelming anxiety into informed concern.
Consider how different media approaches affect your response to environmental information:
Catastrophic framing: Headlines that emphasize worst-case scenarios without context (“Climate Change Will Make Earth Uninhabitable“) can provoke anxiety without facilitating understanding.
Solution-oriented coverage: Stories highlighting innovations and progress (“Renewable Energy Reaches Record Growth”) can foster hope and engagement.
Systemic analysis: Reporting that examines root causes and interconnections (“How Transportation Choices Impact Both Climate and Public Health”) promotes deeper understanding.
Personal narrative: Stories focusing on individual experiences of environmental change can create emotional connection but might obscure broader patterns.
Developing what philosophers call “epistemic virtues”—habits of careful thinking—can help you engage with environmental information more productively. These include intellectual humility (recognizing the limits of your understanding), fair-mindedness (considering multiple perspectives), and proportionality (giving appropriate weight to different concerns).
Global Dimensions and Global Justice
Environmental challenges cross national boundaries, raising important questions about fairness and responsibility. Understanding these global dimensions can help situate your personal concerns within a broader context.
Some key considerations include:
Differential impacts: Climate change affects different communities unequally, with those who have contributed least to the problem often facing the most severe consequences. Young people in countries like the Philippines, Bangladesh, and many African nations face particularly acute climate risks.
Historical responsibility: Different countries have contributed differently to environmental problems like climate change, with developed nations generally responsible for more historical emissions. This raises questions about who should bear the costs of addressing these problems.
Intergenerational ethics: Decisions made today will affect future generations who have no voice in current policy-making. Philosopher Henry Shue describes this as “the ethical problem of making decisions affecting those who cannot participate in the decision-making process.”
Justice movements: Environmental justice movements worldwide connect environmental concerns with broader questions of equity, democracy, and human rights. These movements often highlight how environmental harms disproportionately affect marginalized communities.
Understanding these dimensions can help transform vague anxiety into more specific concerns about justice and fairness—concerns that can motivate constructive engagement rather than despair.
Finding Balance: Hope Without Denial
Perhaps the most challenging philosophical task in addressing eco-anxiety is finding a balance between acknowledging real threats and maintaining hope. This isn’t about forced optimism or denying problems, but rather developing what philosopher Jonathan Lear calls “radical hope”—hope that persists even when facing genuine uncertainty.
Several approaches can help cultivate this balanced perspective:
Distinguishing between what you can and cannot control: Focus your energy on spheres where you can make a difference, while acknowledging larger systemic issues without feeling personally responsible for solving them entirely.
Recognizing multiple futures: Environmental challenges will certainly shape our future, but exactly how they unfold depends on countless decisions yet to be made. The future remains open rather than predetermined.
Embracing both/and thinking: It’s possible to simultaneously acknowledge serious problems AND recognize positive developments. For example, both these statements can be true: “Climate change presents serious threats to human wellbeing” and “Renewable energy is growing faster than many predicted.”
Finding meaning beyond outcomes: While working toward positive environmental outcomes matters, finding meaning solely in expected results can lead to disappointment. Environmental philosopher Kathleen Dean Moore suggests that acting in accordance with your values provides meaning regardless of guaranteed outcomes.
Cultivating perspective: Throughout human history, people have faced significant challenges—from plagues to wars to economic collapses. While environmental challenges are distinctive in many ways, human resilience and creativity have repeatedly found ways forward through seemingly impossible situations.
Conclusion: A Thoughtful Path Forward
Eco-anxiety represents a rational response to real environmental challenges. Rather than something to be eliminated, it might better be understood as something to be transformed—from paralyzing worry to informed concern, from helplessness to purposeful engagement.
This transformation doesn’t happen overnight. It involves developing philosophical depth, emotional resilience, and practical skills for engaging with complex problems. It means finding your own authentic relationship with environmental challenges rather than adopting prescribed responses that might not fit your situation.
For young people especially, developing this balanced approach offers benefits beyond addressing immediate anxiety. The skills involved—critical thinking, systems understanding, ethical reasoning, and finding meaning amid uncertainty—serve well in navigating many of life’s challenges.
Environmental philosopher Joanna Macy offers this perspective: “The pain we feel for the world is evidence of our interconnectedness with it.” In this view, eco-anxiety isn’t something to overcome but rather something to channel—a natural response that, when engaged thoughtfully, can motivate the kind of care and action our world genuinely needs.
MINI SELF-ASSESSMENT TEST: DO YOU SUFFER FROM ECO-ANXIETY?
Read the sentences below and select the ones you agree with and that you think make the most sense.
Count the number of boxes checked and read the corresponding profile.
0: You don’t suffer from eco-anxiety at all
1-2: You are concerned but not anxious
3-4: You show symptoms of eco-anxiety
5-6: You are definitely eco-anxious
MINI SELF-EVALUATION TEST: ARE YOU AN ENVIRONMENTALIST?
Read the following statements and select the ones you agree with and believe to be true.
Count the number of boxes selected and examine the resulting profile.
0: You are anything but an environment lover!
1-2: You have poor environmental awareness
3-4: You show some care for the environment
5-6: You are a true environmentalist!