Sixteenth International Conference on Climate Change: Impacts & Responses

Abstract

Eco-anxiety describes heightened anxiety levels related to the threat of global environmental disaster. As the climate emergency grows in urgency, eco-anxiety could precipitate new psychological conditions and worsen existing mental illnesses. This is of particular concern among youth, who are likely to experience repeated stressors related to the climate crisis. This developmental period is also characterized by peak onset of mental health disorders. This study’s objectives were to assess levels of climate concern and eco-anxiety among BC students. Items measuring climate concern and eco-anxiety were included on the Youth Development Instrument, a population-level well-being survey of Grade 11 students in BC. Survey participants included 14,596 students. Many students were worried about climate change (72.2%) and 74.1% thought the threat should be taken more seriously. A smaller proportion reported experiences of eco-anxiety, with 45.0% feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge due to the environment in the past two weeks of the YDI survey. A large number of BC youth are experiencing climate change- and environment-related mental health effects. Developing resources to help youth cope with increasing climate change and environmental stressors is a pressing priority as the climate and environmental emergencies grow in urgency.