Anxiety and the Ecological Crisis: An Analysis of Eco-Anxiety and Climate Anxiety

Panu Pihkala

doi:10.3390/su12197836

Abstract

Eco-anxiety and climate anxiety are widely discussed in contemporary media and are subjects of growing research interest. However, there is a lack of research about the definitions and variations of these phenomena. This article analyzes various views of eco-anxiety from a wide range of disciplines. Insights from various anxiety theories are used to discuss empirical studies about forms of eco-anxiety. The article points out that uncertainty, unpredictability, and uncontrollability seem to be important factors in eco-anxiety. Most forms of eco-anxiety appear to be non-clinical, but cases of “pathological” eco-anxiety are also discussed. Other relevant terms and phenomena are scrutinized, such as ecological grief, solastalgia, and ecological trauma. The relationship between studies on eco-anxiety and research about ecological emotions and affect is probed. Eco-anxiety is found to be closely connected to fear and worry, but several disciplines include discussion of its character as existential anxiety. Psychosocial and sociological perspectives point out that social dynamics shape forms of eco-anxiety in profound ways. While paralyzing forms of eco-anxiety emerge as a problem, it is noted that eco-anxiety manifests itself also as “practical anxiety”, which leads to gathering of new information and reassessment of behavior options. This variety of forms of eco-anxiety should be taken into account in healthcare and public discussion.

Highlights

Eco-anxiety and climate anxiety are terms which are nowadays widely used in media
It is clear that many people suffer from eco-anxiety, but what kinds of anxiety does this mean, and how should societies and health care professionals respond to them? Since the mental health impacts of climate change and other ecological crises are estimated to be very significant [2,3], there is a strong need for a growing understanding about them
A 2017 report published by the American Psychological Association (APA) and EcoAmerica, Mental Health and Our Changing Climate [8], sparked much further discussion by providing a working definition of “ecoanxiety”

Summary

Introduction

There is vast array of newspaper articles, documentaries, interviews, blogs and other media which discuss anxiety related to the ecological crisis. These phenomena are subjects of growing research interest [1]. There is still a strong lack of research about various forms of such anxieties and about their relation to other psychological impacts of the ecological crisis. In the 2010s, climate change became the most discussed and researched topic in relation to the psychological impacts of the ecological crisis. A 2017 report published by the American Psychological Association (APA) and EcoAmerica, Mental Health and Our Changing Climate [8], sparked much further discussion by providing a working definition of “ecoanxiety”. The work of individual scholars, especially the Australian environmental philosopher Glenn Albrecht [9,10,11], has been influential in raising attention to eco-anxiety

Methods

Results

Conclusion