What is Ecoanxiety?

Introduction

So what is ecoanxiety? Ecoanxiety: can be defined as a chronic fear of ecological and environmental disaster.

People around the world are becoming more anxious about about the impact of climate change upon the planet and its inhabitants. Internationally, school children are holding school strikes for climate on Fridays driven by their anxiety about climate change.

If a person allows themselves to be overcome by anxieties about climate change, they could become depressed and suffer from what could be described as ecodepression (eco-depression).  More research is needed on ecoanxiety and ecodepression.

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NB. Ecoanxiety is not a clinically recognised disorder. 

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Useful literature

Albrecht, G. (2011). Chronic environmental change: Emerging “psychoterratic” syndromes. In I. Weissbecker (Ed.), Climate change and human well-being: Global
challenges and opportunities (pp. 43–56). New York, NY: Springer.

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Aldrich, D. P., & Meyer, M. A. (2014). Social capital and community resilience. American Behavior Scientist, 59(2), 254–269.

Clayton, S., Manning, C. M., Krygsman, K., & Speiser, M. (2017). Mental Health and Our Changing Climate: Impacts, Implications, and Guidance. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, and ecoAmerica. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/03/mental-health-climate.pdf

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Moser, S. C. (2007). More bad news: The risk of neglecting emotional responses to climate change information. In S. C. Moser & L. Dilling (Eds.), Creating a climate for change: Communicating climate change and facilitating social change (pp. 64–80). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. 

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United States Global Change Research Program. (2016). The impacts of climate change on human health in the united states: a scientific assessment. Washington, D.C.: Author. doi:10.7930/J0R49NQX

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Voggesser, G., Lynn, K., Daigle, J., Lake, F., & Ranco, D. (2013). Cultural impacts to tribes from climate change influences on forests. Climatic Change, 120, 615–626.

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Weber, E. U., & Stern, P. (2011). Public understanding of climate change in the United States. American Psychologist, 66(4), 315–328. doi:10.1037/a0023253

Weissbecker, I. (2011), Climate change and human well-being: global challenges and human well-being: Global challenges and opportunities. New York, NY: Springer.

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Citation for webpage: Palmer, S. (2019). What is ecoanxiety? Retrieved from https://www.ecopsychology.info/ecoanxiety