Climate change and the environment have been an ever-growing topic in the media for numerous years. Many people believe we aren’t doing enough as a country and the government aren’t discussing the current issues the world is facing. Extreme weather events are one of the most worrying factors of climate change the world is facing, with record-breaking temperatures and events like the Australian bush fires earlier this year. The question of whether we’ve left it too late is asked regularly and influential figures such as David Attenborough are thinking of ways to show us the importance of acting now.
Tabloids and news channels are always discussing how to reduce our carbon footprint by altering our lifestyles and printing frightening headlines about our future if we don’t make a change. With the rise in individuals seeing these types of articles constantly, the worry of our future and generations to come is leading to “eco-anxiety” in the UK.
Study showing the impact of “eco-anxiety”
CBD retailer Truverra explored the current term “eco-anxiety” in more detail and carried out a survey to see how many people it is currently affecting. When reviewing the study it shows at least 29% of respondents are feeling high stress levels, with 4% having daily uncontrollable thoughts over climate change and the environment.
Mental health is also an important topic in the media currently, over 43% of people find it very beneficial to their mental health by connecting with nature, such as going on walks and outdoor activities. Similar to this, respondents were also asked if they feel their role in helping fight climate change is important, only 11% believed it wasn’t important!
What’s your opinion?
With individuals becoming more aware of the impact of their lifestyle and habits, we can see from the study results how it’s having a negative effect on people’s mental health. With only 11% believing they currently suffer from it and 80% of respondents having never heard of the new term, could we soon see a rise in people suffering from “eco-anxiety?”
