Climate anxiety and mental health

What is climate anxiety? Ecophobia?

Climate anxiety relates to feelings of stress, overwhelm, fear and grief towards the climate and ecological crisis. Climate anxiety’s close cousin is ecophobia - the feeling of powerlessness in the face of environmental catastrophe.

Is climate anxiety a ‘condition’?

Climate -anxiety is not an illness or clinical condition. Feeling anxious in response to the sixth mass extinction, pervasive plastic pollution, and climate tipping points is a perfectly human, natural response. It shows that you care. These feelings occur on a spectrum, and climate anxiety often serves as a catch-all phrase to explain feelings of dread, fear, grief, rage, and other heavy emotions that arise when people confront the reality of ecological loss and destruction. However, as with all emotions, these feelings can tip towards despair, overwhelm and powerlessness, and should be navigated thoughtfully and with great care.

Climate anxiety is not a new phenomenon. Rather, climate anxiety is a term that has emerged in recent years; describing what many people dealing with the climate crisis first-hand have experienced for many years. It is essential to centre the stories of resilience from front-line communities - such as activists in the Global South in order to learn how to navigate the difficult emotions that come with the climate crisis.

Anxiety can be a critical catalyst for action, when navigated and facilitated skilfully with the right mix of community support and empowering stories. When we allow ourselves to experience the depth of our feelings, and see them as a critical part of resilience, we’re in a better position to step up, rather than shut down.

How are young people experiencing climate anxiety?

Climate anxiety is more evident in younger generations. We’re told that we have 11 years to transform the systems we’ve inherited, but had no role in creating, and realise that while we might be the last generation with a window for change, we will also experience the worst brunt of the crisis if we fail.

Young people are at a critical point in their social and psychological development, and stressors are more likely to affect them. However, their youth, while it makes them vulnerable, also grants them the flexibility and creativity to be powerful agents of change.

Why are we seeing this surge in climate anxiety now?

Just as existential fear is nothing new, nor is climate change. And while it has shifted from the periphery of our collective vision to taking front and centre stage, much of climate anxiety today stems not only alarming science, but a) greater awareness of the deeply entrenched global inequality, b) people in elected positions of power failing to act with the urgency required, c) guilt at our personal, individual responsibility, and d) an uncertain future.

Climate change is a largely nebulous, multi-faceted issue with no clear solution - and no clear call to action. There is an enormous diversity in the urgency with which humanity is responding to the crisis. Increased media coverage, mixed political messages and firsthand experience have all contributed to the rise in awareness and the concurrent rise in anxiety - in response to the climate crisis. While it might seem like a "surge", it is important to emphasize that in many parts of the world, the effects of climate change are already being felt profoundly.

How do I navigate my own feelings of overwhelm and climate anxiety?

Anxiety and overwhelm are not things you have to beat into submission. Becoming friends with your feelings is essential to navigating these increasingly turbulent, uncertain times. These feelings are far more common than you might think, and when we open up about them, we can find relief in normalizing the ebb and flow of distress.

Hold space for your feelings - to hold the tension between grief and optimism, and find space someplace in the messy middle for hope. We must look in the face of the damage already inflicted on the planet, and experience grief and loss without judgment for our emotions. Equally, we must be able to imagine a new future - write a better story - and bring pockets of that future into the present. It is essential that we feel compassion for ourselves and for others who are affected by climate change - and use this to fuel our desire for climate and social justice.

We’re very good at internalising feelings, and especially with something like climate change, it can be tempting to bury your feelings. . But grief or anxiety should not be kept in the shadows. Attempting to deal with it alone can leave you feeling frozen and isolated. Surround yourself with a community of people (family, friends, or us at Force of Nature!) who you can share your feelings with and find motivation in the power of people coming together to face these global issues.

I feel depressed when I turn on the news. How do I navigate the negativity of media?

Often, scrolling through social media feels like peering into a frightening future - stories of declining species, the failings of politicians, an ever-ticking doomsday clock. While social media has been an awesome tool to connect with change-makers from all corners, and stay up to date with developments, try setting boundaries with the amount of time you spend - it can be easy to spiral quickly. Sometimes, setting aside a specific time to look at the news online, from a variety of sources, can book-end the ceaseless scrolling. Additionally, making sure that you expose yourself to resilience and solution-based news from people fighting on the front lines is essential.

I'm a parent, how can I talk to my kids about the climate crisis?

Young people are often the worst affected by the mental stress of climate change. For this reason, it is important to support them with the right mix of community, evidence and resilience-based storytelling. Instead of feeling like you either have to shield your child from the problem or immerse them in the distressing issue, set aside some time to sit and have a caring, considerate conversation about the climate crisis. We encourage you to share your stance honestly and openly, and start the discussion by asking them what the planet houses that they love.

Children have a great carrying capacity and emotional intelligence. Discussions with young people that encourage "ecophilia", or love and respect for our natural world (something already innate) are helpful in starting conversations about planetary health with your young person, while also encouraging the values of compassion and stewardship. In very simple terms, "It's normal to feel sad when you see the environment in distress, and overwhelmed by problems like climate change - but we all have a responsibility to be guardians of our planet, and we each have an essential role to play." Explore what this can look like for your family, and help your children identify issues that they care about most deeply.

The climate crisis is multi-faceted, and overwhelm can stem from trying to tackle all of the problems. It is important to meet your child where they are at, and recognize the unique role they have to play by way of their specific skills and aptitudes. Speak to your child honestly, focus on meeting problems with solutions, and lead by example. We all need to appreciate our potential when we choose action over inaction.

What is ‘climate denial’?

There are lots of different types of denial. We’re familiar with denial of the science but there is a more subversive form that is near-impossible to escape: disavowal. The definition of disavowal is to “disclaim knowledge of, responsibility for, or association with” something. With the climate crisis, these coping mechanisms are voiced as, “Nature will prevail - this is mere climate alarmism,” “It’s not my job to fix - that’s on business leaders (say the politicians), or politicians (say the business leaders),” “Technology will fix it…” among many more.

Often, these stories are convoluted or stem from shame and guilt, making them near-impossible to address on a topical, rational level. These coping mechanisms exist to avoid acknowledging how large or threatening the problem is. For some, it is a way to turn away from the discomfort of knowing that profound changes in our behaviour have to take place. It is essential that we understand that there are many who are already experiencing the first-hand experiences of climate change, and while it is difficult, we can't exercise the unjust luxury of "blissful ignorance". In the words of Steffi Bednarek, “We can gain greater presence, depth, courage and wisdom through our willingness to step through the gateway of anticipated suffering."

More on the organisation

Why does Force of Nature exist?

Force of Nature started with a simple realisation: that the threat even greater than the climate crisis is how powerless we feel in the face of it. Strong emotions in the face of climate change are a normal, rational response to the crisis; but they can shut us down when we tip into despair and denialism. Our mission is to mobilise mindsets for climate action: we empower young people to turn their climate anxiety into agency, walk the corridors of power, and in doing so, change the institutional mindset.

We work at the junction of mental health and the climate crisis. Through our programmes, we cultivate individual agency, the tools in how to create change, and communities at scale. We support leaders across business, education and policy to centre young people in delivering intergenerational climate solutions.

Today, Force of Nature is made up of the very young people we seek to serve, with a student network across 50+ countries.

What has your impact been to-date?

Since starting in 2019, the Force of Nature team has grown to 12 people with a 25-person strong volunteer community. We've delivered programmes to 1000+ students in 52 countries; and reached many more by training facilitators to deliver our workshops. We launched the Force of Nature podcast, with a third season arriving in the summer of 2023.

We’ve helped put climate anxiety on the radar of and conducted independent research alongside the Climate Psychology Alliance, Climate Cares, and the Royal College of Psychiatry (among others). We've featured in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Financial Times, Global Citizen, National Geographic, among others.

We’ve also worked with the world’s leading authorities on sustainability, consulted within the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies, and taken the stage with world leaders.

Ok - we'll stop bragging now! You can go ahead and read more in our 2021 impact report
here

How did Force of Nature start?

At age 19, our founder Clover was working as a sustainability consultant when she started volunteering to teach climate change in classrooms across the UK. She was surprised by what she heard from students: not “empowered young leaders”, as the media portrayed, but young people who were scared. Climate anxious and powerless to solve a challenge so enormous, fuelled by the inaction of people IN power.

Ironically, it was also what she'd heard in boardrooms: leaders with real power who believed themselves too small to make a difference, and the system too broken to change. She realised that the challenge even greater than the climate crisis was how powerless we feel to change it. All of us. Anxious 11-year-olds, concerned mums and dads, and even cautious corporate leaders.

Clover quit her 9-5 to start Force of Nature, with the vision of mobilising mindsets in classrooms and boardrooms alike. After a hard first year of pushing to get her vision off the ground, in the spring of 2020 Clover was spotlighted in the Guardian for her work on climate anxiety. She was contacted by hundreds of young people on Instagram who shared the same feelings: three of whom joined FoN as volunteers until they could get money through the door. Force of Nature’s single busy bee had found a hive. And Force of Nature - as we now know it - was born.

Why does Force of Nature aim to 'mobilise mindsets'?

The world’s biggest problems are of our own making, so they’re solvable. We don’t lack the money, resources, or manpower — just the tenacity, focus, and uncompromising resolve. While the biggest hurdles in your way may seem to exist in front of you, they actually live in your own mind. We humans are wired to be risk-averse; we harbour confirmation biases and stay within the safety of our many comfort zones. We learn to fear our own potential, and fall victim to thoughts like: “I’m just one in 7.6 billion. What can I do really?” But to solve our beautiful, bright planet’s dark problems, we must refuse to be ruled by these stories.

Through conversations with young people, business leaders, psychologists, educators and everyone in between, Force of Nature has found that apathy in the face of the climate crisis boils down to three core buckets:

Human psychology (how we’re wired, from an evolutionary perspective things like optimism bias, loss aversion, and cognitive dissonance.)

Cultural narratives (which keep us feeling disempowered, and are rooted in extrinsic values over intrinsic ones - e.g. pursuing status and wealth over community and contribution, or seeking fulfilment through consumerism and disposable living rather than in nature or connection to a higher purpose).

Self-limiting beliefs (how the stories we tell ourselves about the world, and our role in it, can minimise our potential; by negatively reinforcing expectations, attitudes, and decisions concerning what we’re capable of.)

What's the role of intergenerational exchange?

Force of Nature was founded with a philosophy of intergenerational exchange. We're catalysing young people, the generation most vulnerable to the climate crisis, to couple their feelings of climate anxiety with agency. And we're challenging older generations, in existing seats of power, to turn apathy into action.

In spaces without young people, we’ve witnessed a crisis in imagination.

From mindset workshops to international youth advisory boards, Fortune 500 companies like P&G, Unilever and PepsiCo choose to work with us because they want to connect with our generation (and all of our profits subsidise accessible programmes for aspiring change-makers). By convening voices from our global network of incredible young leaders to help decision-makers think without limitations, we bring fresh perspectives that enable new ideas and solutions to emerge. We can’t operate in silos anymore - it is time we feel empowered to lay common ground towards a better future. This means bringing together the energy of youth, with the knowledge of experience.

How you can get involved

I'm a young person: How can I join your youth network?

We are a global community on the pulse of young people’s views, emotions and experiences around the climate crisis. We help others like us shift out of anger, anxiety and despair, toward feelings of agency, community and vision. You can join our network here.

I'm an educator: How can I support my students?

Our student programmes, curriculum support, and teacher resources help sustainability educators foster the next generation of leaders by responding to their emotional needs, helping them mobilise mindsets for action, and increasing their impact as change-makers. You can find out how we support educators here, and view our resources here

If you're looking to understand if your students are eco-anxious, we recently launched a free survey-based tool called The Pulse - which enables you to gauge how your students are feeling, and where they might need support. For more information, shoot us an email

I'm a business leader: How can I be a leader for change?

Our global youth perspective supports businesses to be the leaders in climate and sustainability by shifting mindsets in the room. We offer training sessions, intergenerational forums, partnerships, and more for companies who are ready to provide youth a seat at the decision-making table. You can see our services here, and shoot us an email to learn more about how we can join forces.

Who can I talk to about partnerships opportunities?

We're always looking to partner with businesses, educators, non-profits and others who want to to inspire and catalyse climate action. If that's you, send us a message here.

I have a press inquiry: who can I contact?

Force of Nature has been featured in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Financial Times, Global Citizen, National Geographic, among others. For all press inquiries, please contact us here.

Do you have any volunteer opportunities?

Force of Nature is made up of the very young people we seek to serve. Our impact continues to grow thanks to the contributions of our volunteers across the globe. We have opportunities available across our entire organisation; please apply here.

How can I donate to Force Of Nature?

Force of Nature is a Community Interest Company, limited by guarantee (C.I.C. 11978746). In simple terms: we're a non-profit, and all of our funding goes directly into subsidising workshops, reaching underserved communities, and training young people. By donating to Force of Nature, you can help us mobilise tomorrow's climate leaders.

You can learn more and donate to us here.

On taking action

How do I mobilise my own mindset?

Your mindset is a collection of beliefs, ideas and attitudes - illuminated by the stories you subscribe to about yourself, and the world. We all have our own stories running on repeat, that immobilise us. The stories the world impresses upon us - in boardrooms and classrooms alike. “I’m just one in 7.8 billion people,” “I’m not smart enough,” “The system is too broken to change...”

These kinds of stories paralyse us. Rewriting them is the most powerful thing any one of us can do for the planet, and for ourselves. Indeed, I don’t believe we will solve climate change - or act on the many opportunities it presents us with - until we mobilise mindsets.

Ask yourself now: which ‘story’ gets in the way of you taking action? Then, decide one thing you can do to challenge it.

If your story is that the system is too broken, too big to fix, remember that institutions are made up of organisations, which are made up of individuals. The climate crisis is a symptom of many interconnected problems. From food waste to fast fashion. From social inequality to how we’ve divorced ourselves from nature. Every problem requires a solution; a solution delivered by a Someone. Like you.

How can we move away from small, token gestures toward transformative change?

We all know it’s impossible to confront a problem as complex as the climate crisis with token solutions: yet this is the dominant narrative today. When Starbucks replaces its plastic straws with paper ones, it isn’t addressing the systemic problem — disposable living. It’s rebadging it and profiting from the attention. We're told to tweet, sign petitions, make monthly donations, turn off the lights... the list goes on. Yet to quote our founder Clover: "These are mosquito bites on the bum of a giant that gets stronger by the day. And our window for action is closing."

In the words of Nelson Mandela, “It always seems impossible until it is done.” What we need today is to think big and without limitations. At Force of Nature, we're inspired by young trailblazers such as Elizabeth Wathuti, Melati Wijsen, Isaias Hernandez, Aditi Mayer, Jack Harries, and Aishwarya Sridhar— all of whom embody the kind of transformative change the world needs more of.
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Shifting from token gestures to transformative change means moving beyond small lifestyle changes, to committing yourself to solving a problem that ignites a fire in your belly.

Where does my power lie?

There’s a quote in Spiderman: with great power comes great responsibility. Yet what if the opposite is true? What if it’s really: with great responsibility, comes great power?

Rather than projecting responsibility onto people in 'positions of power' - i.e. elected officials in government, or the heads of big business - we must harness our innate power as individuals and show up to solve these problems. I believe that the fate of our world is a 7.6 billion-piece puzzle in which everyone has a place.

This is something that all of the world’s great movers and shakers have known to be true. None of them were born leaders; they simply decided to make themselves personally responsible. Now, you’re not responsible for solving climate change - because that’s outside of your control. What you are responsible for is the thing inside your control. Indeed, the only thing that has ever been in your control - your mindset.

To quote our founding Executive Director in her recent TED talk: "I want to be able to look back on my life and know I did everything in my power; I wielded every shred of energy, privilege, knowledge, and resource to help others step up, rather than shut down.

When you do the same, and look back on your life - what do you want to see? Will you have chosen despair? Denial? Or something different? Will you have been a spectator to our planet’s problems - or the person who did something to fix them?

What will your story be?"

Where do I start? How do I take that first step?

Start by asking yourself: if I could solve any problem in the world today, what would it be? Think of the injustice that most riles you up in conversation, that ignites a fire beneath your skin. Then, reflect on the skills and gifts you bring to the table. If fashion is your passion, how might we close the loop on our relationship to clothes? If you love making food, how might we stop a third of it being wasted every day? Are you a gifted musician? Then how do we communicate a message of climate action through a universal language?

Once you're this far, visualise a future without this problem. Who benefits from this future? How would we do things differently? What did you need to catalyse change in your own corner of the world?

These are the kinds of questions we ask students in our Force of Nature programmes; they're questions that invite introspection, and will set you on your change-making journey.

What do I need to know to start?

Once you’ve identified where you want to have impact, it’s time to figure out how. Become obsessive - learn as much as you can while by maintaining an open, curious mind.

You don't need to know everything to start; by simply committing to the challenge, and embracing your lack of knowledge, you can quickly become expert at asking the right questions and honing skills you didn't even know you had.

The future is so uncertain… what if we fail?

The hardest pill to swallow is that we don’t know what’s going to happen. We could throw all of our energy behind mobilising mindsets, changing society, transforming the system; and still fail. Still lose the Amazon, still lose Borneo, still trigger irreversible climate tipping points, and lose the life on this planet that we’re fighting for. As counterintuitive as it sounds, we need to reconcile this. We need to relinquish our expectations.

We don’t know what’s going to happen. And if we are too attached to a particular outcome, or take action because we think we’re going to win and succeed, we make ourselves vulnerable to defeat when things don’t go as planned. We must not act from a place of fear, but simply because we know it’s the right thing to do.

The important question is this: when you look back on your life - what do you want to see? Will you have been a spectator to our planet’s problems - or the person who did something to fix them? What do you want your story to be?