Jonathan Shenfield, Barbara Lewis, and Natalie Thomas

LONDON (Reuters – Many young people are overwhelmed by the issue of climate change. They feel saddened, guiltied, and helpless.

Climate anxiety is commonly referred to. Research has been done to determine its extent ahead of U.N. negotiations in Glasgow at the end. These talks will attempt to figure out the best way to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement to curb climate change.

The largest study to date was funded by Avaaz (an online campaign network) and conducted by the University of Bath in Britain. It surveyed 10,000 people between 16-26 years old from 10 different countries. The results were published in September.

According to the survey, around three quarters thought that the future was frightening. However, 45% of people surveyed felt anxiety about climate change and distress.

Elouise Mayall is an ecology student at the University of East Anglia in Britain and a member of UK Youth Climate Coalition. She told Reuters that she felt overwhelmed and guilty.

“What would I be left with? Maybe a sense of shame. Like, ‘how dare YOU still want beautiful things when the universe is ending, and you don’t know if there will ever be a safe place to grow up in.’

She spoke about conflicts of emotions.

She stated that you might feel sadness or fear. Sometimes, there is even wild optimism.

Caroline Hickman is a University of Bath psychotherapist, lecturer and psychologist. She was one of the coauthors of September’s research and works to support young people with climate-related emotions.

According to her, “They are growing up with grief and fear and anxieties about the future.”

“SENSE OF MEANING.”

Alastair, a psychiatrist based in London, believes that climate change and COVID-19 could add to the burden, particularly for anxious people.

Climate anxiety does not require any psychiatric treatment. Although it’s very distressing, you can find some positives in it, as long as it doesn’t spiral out of control.

It is possible to be motivated by some anxiety regarding climate change. “It’s only a matter of how much anxiety motivates and how much you can handle,” Santhouse said. He is the author of a book about how complex mental disorders are dealt with by health care services.

He said, “The concern is that climate change will set in and there will be more clearly defined mental health impacts.”

Extreme weather conditions can create problems in communities already most at risk, such as posttraumatic stress disorder.

Greta Thunberg (18), a leading climate activist, has suffered severe climate anxiety.

She said, “It’s quite natural because, as you can see, the world today, that seems to not care about what’s going on, it’s only human for me to feel this way.”

However, for now she remains hopeful as she does everything possible.

You also feel a sense that there is something happening when you act. She said that you can eliminate anxiety by taking action.