Do you have climate anxiety
Written by Ellen Van Velsor > June 9, 2022
My granddaughter recently sent me a short video that was being passed around her middle school. It was an amalgam of clips relating to the future of youth in a warming world. And she was anxious and ready to be engaged. As much as we might like to protect kids from the news - both exaggerated and factual - most parents know their ability to do that is mostly limited to the years their children are in elementary school.
Adults alike suffer from climate anxiety. The Yale Climate Climate Opinion maps show that, nationally, 65% of adults are worried about the impacts of climate change. In Guilford County, 71% of people are worried. Nationally, 71% of people believe global warming will harm future generations and 74% of people in Guilford county feel that way. Many of the climate activists I’ve met are retired grandparents, worried about the environment we are leaving for their grandchildren or high school and college students anxious about their own futures.
At the same time, most people don’t have access, or time to access, the full range of information on climate change and what is being done to mitigate and adapt to it. The bad news gets the headlines, and there is plenty of fact-based bad news to be had. But good news is often harder to find, easily increasing our anxiety.
While looking for the good news stories is always something I’d recommend if you have time – news about things happening locally like clean air initiatives and water pollution efforts, or actions being taken on our coast to preserve wetlands and beaches – few people have enough time or energy to do that research. I’m planning, by the way, to bring some of that to you via this blog, so keep checking in!
But what else can we do? Prayer, for our church efforts, for our country’s efforts and for our world are certainly important and can have a calming effect, as well. Beyond that, I’ve heard many use the phrase “Action is the antidote to despair”, and I’ve found that to be true. When we tackle a problem with our own hands, we see an impact and that goes a long way towards both reducing anxiety and motivating us to do more. This is a great way to help kids, especially, who can feel powerless in the face of easily obtained bad news. If you like to garden, come help out in St. Matthews community garden. Join one of the city clean-ups when we form a team or come plant trees with us during the next Neighborwoods event this fall. Plant a pollinator garden with your kids right at home to enhance habitat and nourishment for bees and butterflies. Put older kids who like to cook in charge of finding creative ways to use leftovers to reduce food waste. Better yet, brainstorm over dinner all the things your family would like to do to make a difference. Even if only a few of those get done, everyone will feel a little better having done them!