<
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/apr/20/they-are-despairing-climate-crisis-weighs-heavy-on-mental-health-of-young-australians>
"Ruby Bron feels “helpless” and “anxiety-ridden” when she thinks about the
future and the irreversible damage occurring because of the climate emergency.
The 17-year-old Sydney student says without drastic action to cut emissions,
her generation will be left to deal with the climate crisis in an increasingly
damaged and volatile world.
“That is a massive responsibility placed on us,” Bron says. “Anxiety builds
up.”
The climate crisis is such a big issue and causing so much harm that sometimes
she feels as though it is impossible to fight it. “There is a constant
occurrence of disasters,” she says. “Fires, floods, droughts and cyclones.
“These disasters affect people’s livelihoods, their homes, the way their
communities run. In that world, there would be a lot of disappointment and
regret that nothing was done sooner.”
The youth mental health organisation Orygen and Mission Australia on Thursday
released the findings of a survey of nearly 19,000 young Australians aged 15 to
19.
More than a quarter (26%) say they are “very concerned” or “extremely
concerned” about the climate crisis, and 38% of those respondents say they
experience high psychological distress.
Those who report being very or extremely concerned are more likely to report
higher levels of distress, lower wellbeing and more negative feelings about the
future.
Dr Caroline Gao, a biostatistician and epidemiologist at Orygen and co-author
of the report, says the impact of the climate emergency on mental health is “an
emerging but significant issue” that will probably grow as global heating
becomes more severe.
Gao says urgent measures are needed to reduce this distress and anxiety, and to
“foster hope and avoid despair, while still motivating positive climate
actions”."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
