“Climate Anxiety” Is Affecting Teens Worldwide

Beyond the widely reported higher temperatures, rising sea levels, and negative impacts on food supplies and animal and human migrations, worsening, human-induced climate change is amplifying mental distress among teenagers in Australia and in the United States.

That’s not good. “Climate anxiety” is not only a concern for the lives of young people today but could have broader consequences decades into the future—for them and for the world.

A new study, however, suggests that youth mental health in urban environments is significantly better when more nature is incorporated into city designs. And there’s one, simple thing, say scientists, that teens can do right now to help them cope: go forest bathing.

For Gen Z, climate anxiety is the number one environmental concern

The term “climate anxiety” (alternatively, “eco-anxiety”) means that your concerns about climate change manifest as disturbing thoughts or overwhelming distress about future climate disasters and the continuing fate of humanity and the world. It can also translate into feelings of anger, exhaustion, fear, insecurity, powerlessness and sadness. Now, new research from Curtin University in Perth, Australia, has shown that the country’s young people have major concerns about climate change, which is having a significant impact on their lives and could have repercussions for the world down the line.

Recently, Australian university students belonging to Generation Z (people born between 1995 and 2010) participated in a survey, the results of which were published in the journal Sustainable Earth Reviews in March 2024. They showed that climate change was the number one environmental concern for people of this generation. In fact, more than 80% reported being “concerned” or “very concerned” about climate change, with many revealing that they felt anxious over the issue.

The authors of the study say that climate anxiety is a contributing factor to Gen Z’s overall sense of unease towards the future, and they feel intimidated by the lack of concrete action being taken to battle climate change. These worries not only impact their mental health—which will be something society and the public health system will have to deal with—but also the choices they’re making; how they spend their money, whether they have families, the careers they pick and more.

But the study also demonstrated that despite Gen Z’s concerns, only 35% of them regularly engage in traditional climate activism, such as donating money to worthy causes, fundraising, participating in events such as marches or protests, or supporting political campaigns. Instead, the survey respondents regularly use social media to voice their concerns and find information.

The researchers conclude that while Gen Z’s online activities are important, young people may need to engage in other ways to both alleviate climate anxiety and drive change. Participating in more traditional or mainstream areas of activism, such as political campaigns, would help them engage with policymakers and better connect with other generations to influence decision-makers, to accelerate climate action and to help safeguard a livable planet for all.

Of course, state the scientists, it isn’t solely Gen Z’s responsibility to solve climate change—a problem they didn’t create—but taking meaningful action can help alleviate an individual’s feelings of anxiety and powerlessness. This can include finding out how they can be part of the solution in their personal lives, whether it’s adjusting the food they eat, the products they purchase or the careers they choose.

For teens, climate anxiety is linked to a rise in mental distress

In the United States, it’s the same.

According to a representative survey of 38,616 high school students from 22 public school districts in 14 U.S. states, the quarter of those adolescents who had experienced the highest number of days in a climate disaster—such as droughts, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires—within the past two years had 25% higher odds of developing mental distress than their peers who experienced few or no disaster events. If the climate disaster was within five years, 20% had higher odds of experiencing mental distress.

This survey is the first large-scale research to look at mental health of adolescents following multiple disaster events—including the duration, frequency and timing of the incidents—spanning 83 federally declared climate disasters occurring within 10 years before the survey was completed. The findings, using May 2019 data on hopelessness, sadness and short sleep duration from the U.S. Youth Risk Behavior Survey and disaster data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, were published in the journal Preventive Medicine Reports in March 2024.

The survey scientists, who work out of the Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, say they were alarmed to find that climate-related disasters were already affecting so many teens in the U.S. For example, within the past two years, many school districts in the study were subject to climate disasters for more than 20 days. The survey respondents reported mental health distress by responding affirmatively to persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness and short sleep duration, two factors that previous studies strongly link to mental health disorders among adolescents. The group controlled for other factors that may influence mental health, such as age, experience of bullying, household income, race, gender and concerns about school safety.

The strongest effects on mental distress were found in the two years immediately following a climate disaster, with the effect gradually weakening five to 10 years after the event. But as the results cannot prove causation, the authors say they would like to see more studies that investigate the range of effects of climate change on youth and methods to improve preparing for potential worsening mental health among this population.

Approximately half of adolescents have experienced a mental health disorder in their childhood or teen years, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Resources for the youth mental health crisis already have difficulty meeting demand, which will only increase as the number of disasters increase. It’s hoped this study will be evidence that clinicians, parents and policymakers—and many others with a stake in youth mental health—can point to when advocating for increasing adolescent-specific mental health resources, particularly in lower-income communities who will be hit the hardest by climate disasters.

For young people, climate anxiety is eased by forest bathing

For teens suffering from climate anxiety, there is, at least, one proven remedy: forest bathing.

A new study from the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, suggests that forest bathing—the simple method of being calm and quiet among trees, and observing nature around you while breathing deeply—can help youth de-stress and boost health and well-being.

With urbanization accelerating rapidly, it’s vital to better understand the impact of urban environments on youth, especially given that anxiety and depression are among the leading causes of illness among adolescents. This study was the first ever to collect on-site, real-time survey data from adolescents about their emotional responses to various urban environments, such as parks, residential streets, trails, transit hubs and waterways. It was found that natural urban spaces were consistently related to significantly higher well-being scores than artificial or man-made cityscapes.

While these findings may not be surprising, what is significant is that for the first time, scientists are able to specifically say how much anxiety is reduced when kids are by a park as opposed to by a city center. After standing and looking at an urban lake for just two or three minutes, youth scores on a validated anxiousness scale decreased by 9%. On the other hand, their anxiousness scores were 13% higher when standing in a busy downtown location for the same length of time. This is after adjusting for several other factors, including age, ethnicity, gender, mental health diagnoses and social status.

Positive emotional experiences for youth were enhanced by nature motifs or patterns on buildings; natural sights in urban environments, such as lakes and public parks; and landscape elements, like gardens and trees. The researchers say these results are unique to adolescents since such urban features might be interpreted differently by adults who pursue other activities. For example, adults might be more likely to walk or run in green spaces, whereas youth are more likely to skateboard or hang out.

In designing cities with health and sustainability for all age groups in mind, then, these findings provide evidence that city builders, health-care providers and planners can use to advocate for specific natural urban design features. While teens are frequently excluded from any kind of decisions about the cities they live in, it is important to get their opinions and quantify their experiences because they could influence many long-term disease and health outcomes.

It follows that the researchers’ next step will be to find a link in the mental health data to the long-term economic and social impacts of urban design features. Future research will assess the mental and physical health of kids living in high-rise apartment buildings, another area of research that is poorly understood in North America.

For future adults, climate anxiety is a mental-health top priority

The challenges and realities of climate change can be scary; and they affect not only the wholeness of local environments and our entire planet, but they also have implications for our own physical and mental health and that of our children. Luckily, it’s not too late for Gen Z to pitch in and move the world toward a more sustainable future.

Let’s make sure that we stand shoulder to shoulder with them and help them do that—for their total well-being and that of the world’s.

Here’s to finding your true places and natural habitats,

Candy