Climate-anxiety and eco-anxiety are affecting increasing numbers of children and young people, according to University of Bath psychologist Caroline Hickman who says “Broken promises and inaction coupled with the enormity of the climate crisis are all beginning to take their toll on children’s mental health.” [1]

Elsewhere she writes [2] “In our work we are increasingly seeing relationship fractures and personal distress stemming directly from the environmental crisis. Teenagers, for example, who feel alienated from their parents because they don’t share the same concerns about biodiversity loss. I have talked with children who say they feel unable to trust their parents because of the older generation’s lack of action. I hear couples talk of marriages unable to bear the strain of one partner living in fear of the future, whilst the other places their faith in technology.”

Climate Psychology Alliance

Hickman is a member of this group [3] which makes connections between depth psychology and climate change. Their website says

Climate change is not a scientific problem waiting for a technical solution. It’s an urgent, frightening, systemic problem involving environment, culture and politics.

It engenders fear, denial and despair amongst individuals, evasion, indifference and duplicity amongst the powerful.

It forces uncomfortable dilemmas about justice, nature and equality into consciousness. It challenges all of us in modern societies both personally and politically.

To work with these dilemmas the CPA draws on a broad range of perspectives including philosophy, the arts and humanities, and systems thinking.

Our core focus however is in psycho-social studies and the psychotherapy field, approaches which help us to understand the unconscious processes and emotions which control our thoughts, beliefs and behaviour and which manifest in mutually reinforcing systems of defence in society.

Anxiety, guilt and shame make it very difficult for people to face the reality of climate change and lead to denial and disavowal while the norms and structures of everyday life validate and reinforce these responses.

They have a podcast, Climate Crisis Conversations [4].

Coventry Action

UNA Coventry are developing a project on this topic and started a Whatsapp group where people can make suggestions or comments about how we move forward. Join this group via the link

Resources and References

[1] Rise of ‘eco-anxiety’ affecting more and more children says Bath climate psychologist, 19-09-2019
https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/rise-of-eco-anxiety-affecting-more-and-more-children-says-bath-climate-psychologist/

[2] What psychotherapy can do for the climate and biodiversity crises
https://theconversation.com/what-psychotherapy-can-do-for-the-climate-and-biodiversity-crises-116977

[3] Climate Psychology Alliance
https://climatepsychologyalliance.org/

[4] Climate Crisis Conversations
https://feed.podbean.com/climatepsychology/feed.xml