Climate anxiety vs climate indifference (and why neither is your fault)

Case Studies

Both climate anxiety and climate indifference are common responses to the impact of global warming. But it isn’t your responsibility to ‘fix’ the climate – or your fault if you feel nothing at all. In fact, experts suggest both of these reactions are completely natural. Read more and find out why…

…rapidly increasing climate change poses a rising threat to mental health and psychosocial well-being…”

What is climate anxiety?

The Handbook of Climate Psychology describes climate anxiety as "heightened emotional, mental or somatic distress in response to dangerous changes in the climate system."

Despite this being a growing problem, many argue against defining it as a medical condition. New Scientist’s Graham Lawton, for instance, describes climate anxiety as "a rational response to the state of the climate."

That might help explain its prevalence: A study of 10,000 children and young people aged 16 to 25 found that 84% were at least moderately worried about the planet’s future. 59% were very or extremely worried.

Despite climate anxiety disproportionately affecting young people, a not-insignificant 67% of Americans are experiencing "at least mild levels of climate change-related psychological distress," according to the American Psychiatric Society.

If you’re feeling this way, you’re not alone.

While the cause is clear, these symptoms are thought to be made worse by engaging with, "bad news." A paper published by Health Communication found that people engaged in problematic news consumption are "significantly more likely" to experience poor mental health. One of these "problematic" behaviors is often referred to as "doom scrolling."

But the Handbook of Climate Psychology also suggests that paying attention to what is happening is "a healthier response than turning away in denial or disavowal" – indicating a tendency to avoid climate issues.

Then where does climate indifference come from? And is social media making it worse?

The role of social media

Avoiding bad news is easier said than done. Especially considering media reports with negative news or statistics catch 30% more attention.

This can make it easy to overlook more hopeful perspectives and news stories, which could increase both anxiety and indifference. But social media platforms aren’t necessarily helping.

A BBC investigation found that climate misinformation is a growing problem on platforms like TikTok, with one climate denial video racking up over 9 million views.

While many users might be able to differentiate between outright climate denialism and stories from more reliable sources, social media algorithms can show bias and create an "echo chamber effect." This means people who have previously engaged with climate conspiracies may be served more of the same content.

Without diversity of sources, it can be difficult to maintain a clear or nuanced perspective. This could certainly embed feelings of both climate anxiety and climate indifference. But are we too quick to blame social media?

While it certainly plays a role, many believe that blaming social media is an unwelcome distraction. In fact, a UK study found that government inaction on climate change is also linked to psychological distress in young people. In this case, the best tonic would be to see more action from those in power, not less time spent on social media.

Centering the climate change conversation around online communities can also skew it towards Westernized goals, furthering discrepancies in climate action around the world.

“Researchers are particularly worried that countries and regions that experience the harshest effects of climate change are where the least climate mental-health research has been done,” said Jennifer Uchendu of SustyVibes – an environmental organization based in Lagos, Nigeria.

In 2022, Uchendu started the Eco-Anxiety in Africa Project, which documents the emotional turmoil that heat and erratic weather has created for citizens of five African regions.

We know people around the world are affected by climate-related distress. But where does indifference come from? And why is it a problem?

What’s the difference between climate anxiety and climate indifference?

If climate anxiety is the result of sitting up and paying attention to climate issues, climate indifference could be seen as a form of ignorance or denial. It may not be that simple.

While climate deniers are often active in engaging with and spreading misinformation, those who feel indifferent are perhaps more accepting of climate change but less intent on taking action.

Why do people experience such different reactions to the climate crisis? And how does this affect behavior?

Psychology tells us that humans deal with anxiety in complex ways, with various coping mechanisms helping us, “defend against anxiety, conflict and threats to self-esteem.” Apathy is one such defense mechanism.

Climate anxiety and climate indifference may, therefore, be two sides of the same coin – both natural responses to the uncertain times we find ourselves in.

Why do people act so differently in response to the climate crisis?

It is often assumed that individuals who feel more positive about a challenge may be more engaged with the solution than those feeling anxious, depressed or threatened by one. And theories of behavioral science do suggest that psychological distress makes inaction more likely, predicting that anxiety and depression, "reduce self-efficacy and hence reduce the probability of effective behavior change."

Another prominent theory called "learned helplessness" suggests that feeling hopeless due to "an individual-level inability to address climate change" may lead to a lower level of motivation to engage with solutions.

Some researchers believe it’s not just the type of emotion that affects behavior, however, but the level of "activation" – as The Journal of Climate Change and Health explains:

"While all negative emotions are unpleasant, their degree of activation differs. This is important because less activating emotions lead to disengagement from a perceived threat, while more activating emotions predict behavioral attempts to lessen the threat, either by approaching or avoiding the situation (i.e. by fight or by flight)."

The paper used Australian national survey data to predict how certain emotions impact individuals’ climate action responses. It found that "experiencing anger predicted better mental health outcomes, as well as greater engagement in pro-climate activism and personal behaviors," while feelings of anxiety and depression were "less adaptive, relating to lower wellbeing."

How to cope with climate anxiety

From feeling stressed and stuck to physical symptoms such as panic attacks, loss of appetite and sleep disturbance, climate anxiety can affect people in different ways. Psychologists agree we should not be looking to erase, pathologize or fix the problem, but help individuals cope.

As Graham Lawton writes, if this form of anxiety is treated as pathology, "the forces of denial will have won…what we are witnessing isn't a tsunami of mental illness, but a long-overdue outbreak of sanity."

What can be done to support people feeling this way? And how can people begin to manage their symptoms?

Britt Wray, Director of CIRCLE at Stanford Psychiatry, acknowledges the benefits of holding space for your feelings around the climate crisis, while also seeking to support sufferers:

"What we are trying to do is protect the parts of [climate anxiety] that are galvanizing and positive for social and environmental change and then protect against how it can hurt people's mental health."

Self-efficacy

Know that your actions can lead to real change, no matter how small. Some people will take comfort from taking control of small changes they can make – from recycling household waste to making more sustainable dietary choices. Others will prefer to use their voice to hold locally elected officials accountable. Remember, it’s not your job to fix the problem. But finding activities that make you feel like part of the solution can certainly help you feel empowered.

Community

There's no substitute for being part of a community of likeminded people all fighting for a common cause. Joining an organization or volunteering with a charity helps people feel connected. One such organization is Force of Nature – a team of young trailblazers seeking to turn climate anxiety into agency.

"What helped me release some of that anxiety was to become an agent of change and transformation in my community," Julia Borges told the BBC. "I can still feel that despair, but I've been working on it with my therapist - and it helps to talk about it.

"Wray also calls for a public health approach to the rising threat. She believes it's something governments and healthcare organizations should seek to help manage. But businesses also have an important part to play.

What role should businesses play in climate action?

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), around 70% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions stem from just 100 companies.

Because businesses pose the greatest threat to the environment, they also hold the greatest potential when it comes to finding solutions – the simplest of which comes from reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But not every business has been quick to leap into action. In fact, it was oil giant British Petroleum (BP) that first popularized the term "carbon footprint" back in 2004. In a move that pushed blame onto consumers and allowed the business to dodge accountability, BP released a "carbon footprint calculator" that focused on an individual's daily food, travel and buying habits instead of the emissions produced by the oil industry and use of its products.

Today, there's no denying businesses have a huge responsibility. The Paris Agreement set out a goal to limit global warming to just 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century. This will require huge collective effort from governments, businesses and other organizations to transition away from reliance on fossil fuels and embrace more sustainable alternatives.

Businesses can and should play a key role in this transition by reducing emissions associated with their operations and supply chains, reducing waste, and moving to circular economy models.

And it's not all about surrendering to a noble cause. With more demand for low-energy technology and renewable alternatives, zero-carbon solutions can present an exciting opportunity for businesses. By 2030, zero-carbon solutions could be competitive in sectors representing over 70% of global emissions, according to the UN.

These changes can also improve business productivity. Over 93% of employees state that climate action is important to their personal sense of motivation and wellbeing at work.

Never to blame

When we talk about climate anxiety and climate indifference, it can be easy to center the individual, asking them to change their behavior to improve their well-being. But individuals are never to blame. And neither is social media – at least, not entirely.

Those with the most power to effect change (and improve the mental health of people the world over) are the businesses contributing the most to climate change and the governments and organizations that regulate them.

And, in many cases, businesses are agreeable. Half of America’s Fortune 500 companies have a goal to cut climate pollution. Their efforts are equivalent of taking more than 40 coal-fired power plants offline for a year. But we still have a long way to go.

Climate anxiety and indifference are both rational responses to a difficult transition in which many individuals feel a lack of control. These feelings cannot be blamed on social media or misinformation alone. It’s widespread change, backed by governments and implemented by businesses, that will make all the difference.