Navigating the Complexities of Courage and Climate Anxiety

Apr 22

By Ted Otte

Earth Day, celebrated globally on April 22nd, is a day to honor our planet. It’s the anniversary of the first Earth Day in 1970, when 20 million people marched in the streets to demand environmental action.

Earth Day is an opportunity for us to reflect on the state of our planet and the interconnected ecological and climate systems on which all life depends. With the increasing severity of the climate crisis, Earth Day can also be a reminder of present and future catastrophes, instilling a sense of climate anxiety.

Climate anxiety— feelings of dread and despair associated with climate-related psychological distress— impacts our collective mental wellbeing, and is increasingly common particularly among young people. These feelings are understandable: consider that the world’s oceans officially hit record high temperatures every single day for the last year. It’s hard not to feel anxious about what’s to come.

Oftentimes, climate anxiety prompts us to ask, “what can or should we do about it?” We’ve known the scientific answer to this question for decades - we need to swiftly pivot away from burning fossil fuels for our primary energy consumption. To address individual and collective climate anxiety, it can be helpful to look toward our ethics and values instead.

History is full of people who committed themselves to a better future even if they would never live to see that future realized. Such change requires a transformative shift in mindset moving beyond the question “how doomed are we?” and into something like a post-tragic consciousness.

In response to feelings that arise from the daunting realities of our climate and ecological crises, we can find comfort by using our individual and collective agency to engage in constructive behaviors. Below are 6 examples of ways you can channel your climate anxiety into meaningful climate action.