A recent international study that surveyed ten thousand young adults and teenagers in 10 different countries including United States, India, Australia, Nigeria and Philippines has concluded that young generation is experiencing high levels of mental distress caused by climate change and lack of actions from the governments.
The large-scale study was assisted by human rights activists, academics and experts of mental health including Dr. Eric Lewandowski, a clinical associate professor at New York University. The study that was funded by AVAAZ, a non-profit organisation for promoting global activism based in US, is expected to be published in Lancet Planetary Health.
Almost half of the participants of the survey said that their daily life is affected by anxiety and stress regarding this particular topic. Caroline Hickman, co-lead author of the study said that it portrays a horrific picture of climate anxiety that’s widespread among the people of our younger generations.
Hickman points out that this is the first study to show government inaction linked to high levels of psychological distress in youth. She also added that this ‘climate anxiety’ of young people is totally rational, since the governments around the world perform inadequately to the fast-approaching climate crisis.
A global youth-led ‘climate strike’ is planned in thousands of cities all around the world with rallies for Friday. The study quotes Greta Thunberg, the world-renowned teenage climate activist saying, ‘Young people all over the world are well aware that the people in power are failing us.’
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