Fifty-nine percent of 16- to 25-year-olds said they were 'very or extremely worried' about climate change in one global study of 10,000 people.

September 29, 2024 | Subscriber Exclusive Dear reader,    Welcome to the Premium Report! As a subscriber, you have exclusive access to our premium content. Our editorial team digs deep to present you with facts that matter, providing a unique perspective on the issues shaping our world. Meanwhile, our designers format it for you into a beautifully curated layout.   We hope you enjoy it.  PREMIUM REPORTS What Is Eco-Anxiety and Why Is It on the Rise? Fifty-nine percent of 16- to 25-year-olds said they were 'very or extremely worried' about climate change in one global study of 10,000 people. Illustration by The Epoch Times, Getty Images, Shutterstock By Katie Spence | September 24, 2024 Updated:September 26, 2024   Sadness, depression, fear, and a deep sense of betrayal, coupled with the feeling that humanity is doomed, are some of the emotions affecting a growing number of people, particularly children and young adults around the world.   What's driving these feelings isn't war, worldwide unrest, politics, or escalating crime. Instead, it's something called "eco-anxiety," which Yale defines as fear about climate change and humanity's existence.   "Scientists and mental health clinicians are in agreement that eco-anxiety will continue to rise and will become one of the biggest sources of mental health distress within the next year," Melissa Porrey, a counselor who specializes in treating eco-anxiety, told The Epoch Times.   "Although symptoms of eco-anxiety can present similarly to other types of anxiety, including general anxiety, eco-anxiety is often rooted in feelings of helplessness and/or hopelessness about the changing climate and our role in it."   As to what's driving the increase in cases, Porrey pointed to more natural disasters, and news coverage about "what we are and aren't doing to address global warming."   Tom Nelson, a member of the CO2 Coalition and producer of the documentary "Climate: The Movie," agreed that increased media coverage has likely fueled eco-anxiety cases, but said the hype around climate change goes beyond what can be backed up by science.   He said the late Stanford climate scientist Steven Schneider "said the quiet part out loud" in 1989.   Climate scientists, Schneider said, are ethically obliged to "tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but, 'including' all the doubts, the caveats, the ifs, ands, and buts."   Simultaneously, he said, climate scientists also want "to reduce the risk of potentially disastrous climatic change," which takes broad-based support.   "That, of course, entails getting loads of media coverage. So we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we might have," Schneider said.   "That dynamic is absolutely still happening today," Nelson said.   "It's 100 percent true that we're seeing the purposeful increase of anxiety in youth and young adults to bring about demands for climate change action." A light display created using drones is performed near the United Nations headquarters as part of a campaign to raise awareness about the Amazon rainforest and the climate ahead of the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 15, 2023. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images) Changing Behavior   The Lancet published a study that surveyed 10,000 people aged 16–25 from 10 countries and asked about their feelings regarding climate change.   Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they were "very or extremely worried" about climate change, 75 percent said the "future is frightening," and more than half of respondents said the government had betrayed them by failing to take appropriate action to address climate change.   The 2021 research was sponsored by political action group Avaaz. The group's website explains how "painstaking work, usually behind the scenes, by dedicated people" can channel "a massive, public outcry" to influence major decisions.   A year later, the Journal of Environmental Psychology published a study that called climate anxiety a "significant psychological burden."   It also said, "climate anxiety may not necessarily be a negative impact of, or maladaptive response to, climate change; but rather, at least to some degree, be a motivating force for effective action."   The authors said the results of the study can be used to find ways to support people in managing their "climate change-related psychological distress, in such a way as to promote wellbeing and pro-environmental behavior."   Study author Lorraine Whitmarsh said the study suggests some levels of climate anxiety are beneficial to society.   "Ours is now one of several studies showing consistently that climate anxiety is positively linked to climate action," she told The Epoch Times via email.   "It seems to be important as a motivator for action and taking action may also be a helpful coping mechanism to keep anxiety in check." A light display created using drones is performed near the United Nations headquarters as part of a campaign to raise awareness about the Amazon rainforest and the climate ahead of the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 15, 2023. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images) The study surveyed 1,338 United Kingdom residents and was funded by the European Union's European Research Council, which is itself funded by Horizon Europe.   Horizon Europe's strategic plan for 2025–2027 is to find ways to address climate change by spurring the "green transition" and bringing forth "a more resilient, competitive, inclusive and democratic Europe."   The European Research Council didn't respond to The Epoch Times' request for comment by the time of publication.   In 2023, Penn State researchers released their own study, which investigated how "frightening news about climate change" impacts people.   "Our findings suggest that people have gotten used to doom-and-gloom reporting around climate change and what may be more important for motivating them to take action is that they see coverage of it on a daily basis," Jessica Myrick, one of the researchers, said in a press release.   "This is called an agenda-setting effect, where a topic that is covered more often in the news is then viewed as more important by people who consume the news."   In May, the Journal of Health Communication published its report that used a cross-sectional survey of 440 college students to determine if media exposure to climate change has an impact.   Among other results, the study found "that the frequency of media use and attention given to climate change news significantly predicted climate anxiety."   "The media plays a crucial role in shaping public perceptions of issues such as climate change," study author Emmanuel Maduneme told The Epoch Times via email.   As a result, he believes it's the media's responsibility to translate complex scientific information into easily understood facts that convey the urgency of the climate change situation without "sensationalizing it."   "If the media realizes its outsized role in shaping reality, especially among young people, then it should pay close attention to the way news coverage impacts the mental health of its audiences," he said...   Continue reading the full story here>> Subscribe to The Epoch Times to read the rest. 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