Young global citizens, eco-anxiety, and climate activism: An intergenerational conversation

The climate crisis is one of the biggest threats humanity has had to face, and many children and young people across the world are taking urgent actions to defend each other’s futures. Simultaneously, interest and research into emotional and psychological distress linked to the climate crisis are growing, a phenomenon often referred to as eco-anxiety. While eco-anxiety is not a clinical condition and therefore should not be pathologized, it can be very uncomfortable and potentially overwhelming, especially when those feelings are dismissed or belittled. Through intergenerational conversation and collaboration, this chapter sets out to explore the complex feelings of eco-anxiety by combining the experience of a young climate activist with the knowledge of a psychotherapist who has been researching the emerging wave of eco-anxiety for over ten years. The authors also suggest ways older generations and educators can provide the valuable community and validation needed to support children and young people’s voices in the climate movement going forward.