Study exposes emotional fallout of climate crisis for youth

A few years ago, researcher Maya Gislason’s young child came home from school with her crayon drawing of Earth in 2020 and 2050. “The first was blue and green; the second was a planet on fire,” she says. “Her question to me was: How old will I be when I die in 2050?”

Now, new Simon Fraser University research into the full range of emotions kids and teens feel around climate change is providing one of the clearest pictures yet of how the climate crisis is reshaping young people’s daily lives, future thinking and sense of security.

“We have a generation that doesn’t know if they want to have children or not, especially young women and girls, and we have youth who don’t know what kind of a world to prepare for or what kind of an environment they’ll be growing up into,” says Gislason, associate professor of health sciences and study co-author.

“Eco-emotions are our effort to develop a larger vocabulary around what’s happening and reflect the complexity of experiences and emotions beyond anxiety.”

Key findings: Eco-emotions in children and adolescents

• Grief and mourning for disappearing species, landscapes and ways of life
• Anger, frustration and betrayal, often aimed at systems, corporations or older generations seen as indifferent, dismissive, or complicit in harmful practices
• Powerlessness and helplessness, including “eco-paralysis” when individual actions feel insignificant
• Guilt, related to engaging in actions not perceived to be environmentally friendly, like eating meat
• Fresh sources of hope, often rooted in community organizing, local action and collective care
• Spectrum of emotions shifts depending on geography, lived experience and exposure to climate impacts
• Some youth hesitate to speak about climate change for fear of being judged or dismissed

The rapid review study, published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, analyzed 48 international qualitative and mixed methods studies on emotions related to the awareness of climate change and ecological degradation in children and adolescents up to 19 years old.

Some emotions like anger, apathy, and feelings of betrayal are more likely to be expressed when youth can describe their experiences in their own words, through focus groups and interviews, instead of simply answering survey questions, says Judy Wu, Ph.D. candidate and lead author of the study.

Many young people reported they struggle to talk about climate-change-related emotions with peers or adults, fearing judgment, guilt or dismissal, especially when they live in regions perceived to be less impacted by climate change, she adds.

The study also found Indigenous youth and those living in regions already experiencing severe climate disruptions reported immediate impacts, like changes to activities and interruptions in daily life, rather than more distant fears for the future.

Helping kids cope with eco-emotions

Today’s youth are already experiencing high rates of stress, anxiety and depression as a background issue, and climate change only amplifies anything that’s preexisting, explains Gislason.

“Many don’t know what kind of world they’re growing into. We, as adults, are also wrapping our heads around climate change,” she says. “We may not always know what to say, but we can show up, help them integrate what they’re feeling, and decide what to do next so they’re not facing this alone.”

Young people have creativity, imagination and the ability to dream into reality a different kind of future, she adds. “When we engage young people’s ‘heads, hands and hearts’ to tackle these issues, we’re utilizing their intellects, their actions and their emotional intelligence to make change.”

The study review found environmentally-themed programming shows promise in helping youth turn negative eco-emotions into hope and optimism and build personal and collective resilience. Gislason says she hopes to see this emerging evidence-based research drive positive changes in school curriculum, therapeutic supports, and other policies affecting kids and mental health.

Researchers also suggest helping kids engage in individual activities that help them feel empowered and encourage feelings of agency, connection and optimism. Those activities and actions often look different for different age groups:

• For younger children: hands-on activities that nurture growth like planting seeds and caring for them create success on activities like planting seeds and nurturing growth
• For teens: joining community climate initiatives, youth-led action groups and neighborhood resilience efforts led action groups and neighborhood resilience efforts
• For all ages: strengthening community networks, from urban food-growing to checking on neighbors during heat waves