2019-12-02_Time

56 Time December 2–9, 2019

Under The brighT whiTe lighTs of a london exhibiTion space,

an instructor asks those who identify as extremely anxious about cli-

mate change to go to the far side of the room. Those who don’t should stay

closer to her. Soon, she is mostly alone; 30 ft. away, a few dozen strangers

cram together, signaling that they suffer “eco-anxiety.”

This workshop, hosted by King’s College London, is one of sev-

eral events organized in the British capital this fall to help people work

through the feelings that arise when confronting the fact that, according

to the U.N., we now have less than 11 years to prevent catastrophic cli-

mate change. “I try not to be hard on myself, because I know I’m doing as

much as I can,” says Leyla Kaya, a 29-year-old IT consultant. She is vegan,

avoids flying and has reduced her nonrecyclable waste to less than a liter a

month, but she’s worried by how little governments and others are doing.

“It’s really scary,” she says. “It does get me down.”

The American Psychological Association first defined eco-anxiety in

2017 as “a chronic fear of environmental doom.” In 2019, as protests, heat

waves and natural disasters pushed climate up the news agenda, eco-anxiety

has exploded across the Western world—even as developing countries suf-

fer most from climate change. Mental-health studies reveal a surge in people

reporting stress or depression about the climate. Interest in the Good Grief

Network, a U.S. organization coordinating eco-anxiety support groups, has

grown in the past six months, with new

branches popping up in half a dozen states.

Eco-anxiety is not the same as a clini-

cal anxiety disorder, though physicians

say fears about the climate can worsen

or trigger pre-existing mental-health

problems. In fact, in most cases anxiety

is actually a healthy response to the cli-

mate crisis, says psychotherapist Caroline

Hickman, a member of the Climate Psy-

chology Alliance, a U.K. working group

for psychology professionals.

For those in wealthy northern-

hemisphere countries, eco-anxiety does not stem

from an existential threat, but from uncertainty over

the future, says Aimee Lewis-Reau, who in 2016 co-

founded Good Grief and began developing a 10-step

program in the mold of AA. “In the past, we’ve had

the belief that if we just follow certain rules, things

will be predictable and safe. The climate predica-

ment is challenging that,” Lewis-Reau says.

Hickman agrees that loss of control can be intoler-

able. To cope, “we project into the future, sometimes

into apocalyptic thinking.” That’s why some British

children think they will die in a few years as a result

of climate change and parents worry about societal

collapse within a couple of decades—a time frame

most scientists say is unlikely in Western Europe.

Experts say taking action can restore a sense of

agency. But before hitting the streets, “you need to talk

about your feelings,” Hickman says, stressing that we

need to accept our vulnerability. “It doesn’t have to be

a therapy group, but I wouldn’t advise doing it all alone.

Because this is pretty scary stuff.” □

As the destabilization of our planet becomes clear,

many are experiencing eco-anxiety By Ciara Nugent

^

A fire near the Jacundá National

Forest in Brazil’s Amazon in August

CLIMATE

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