“Worry is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere.”
Erma Bombeck
If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say they worry about climate change, I could solve it singlehandedly. Some of the climate change information out there is just plain alarming. Climate anxiety is a real thing, so I want to focus for a minute on eco-anxiety and the antidote.
Sleepless nights
If you ever find yourself lying awake at night worrying about what climate change means for the future, you are in good company among two-thirds of American adults.
Is there a young adult in your life? Maybe that person is you. A recent study found that 84% of teens and young adults are are at least moderately worried about the changing climate, and 59% reported being very worried.
As you might expect, many people who have been directly impacted by extreme weather events experience eco-anxiety. Some develop more severe anxiety issues including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The antidote
The good news is there may be an antidote to eco-anxiety: climate optimism. I’m not minimizing the challenges we face. They are enormous. But there is a lot of positive momentum toward decarbonization, and optimism helps. This blog regularly highlights solutions and reasons to be hopeful. There are lots of others out there spreading optimistic messages as well. Here are some who have inspired me:
- The Climate Optimist – monthly newsletter by Harvard’s C-Change
- The Garbage Queen – Alaina Wood on TikTok
- Climate Optimists – podcast
- Saving Us – book by Katharine Hayhoe
- Nicole Kelner – educating about climate change through art
What can we do?
Doing something makes us feel like we have agency. That’s why I started this blog. If you want to take action, here are some suggestions:
- Read and listen to positive things about climate change (see above)
- Talk to family members and friends about what you learn
- Make small changes in your own life
- Influence larger-scale change
Let’s do something about climate change. Learn about it. Think about it. Talk about it.