What Is Climate Anxiety?

This article explores the emergence of climate anxiety, explaining its causes and symptoms. Effective strategies to help business leaders address climate anxiety in their professional and personal lives are then provided.

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Distinguish Between Worries and Anxiety: What Is Climate Anxiety?

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Climate anxiety, also referred to as eco-anxiety, refers to feelings of worry, fear, helplessness, stress, and despair about the problems caused by climate change. These feelings can impair a person’s day-to-day life. Climate anxiety arises from an awareness of how climate change harms the environment, animals, and society.

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It's normal to worry about climate change. But when these worries become overwhelming and impair a person’s day-to-day life, this is considered to be anxiety.

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How Common Is Climate Anxiety? Know That Climate Anxiety Is on the Rise

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27% of Americans were concerned about climate change, as reported by a 2023 Yale study. And the number of people very worried about it has tripled in the last six years. 10% of Americans fit the diagnosis of climate anxiety, as reported by Yale in 2022.

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Research suggests climate anxiety affects young people more, with 59% of youth expressing significant worry about climate change (2021). Within this group, 45% stated this anxiety negatively affects their daily lives. 

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What Causes Anxieties About Climate Change? Define the Signs and Symptoms of Climate Anxiety

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