A global survey led by Bath University, in collaboration with five other universities, and funded by research group, Avaaz, revealed the extent of anxiety youngsters feel due to climate change. They surveyed 10,000 people between the ages of 16 and 25 across 10 countries, in what is clearly the largest survey of its kind. The survey found that young people are very anxious about climate change and are afraid that humanity is doomed.
Around 45 per cent of the participants said their anxiety about the climate affected their day-to-day life. Approximately 60 per cent of the people surveyed said they felt extreme worry about climate change. 56 per cent of youngsters said they believe humanity is doomed, and around 75 per cent of people said they felt fearful about the future of humanity.
Apart from feelings of anxiety and fear, youngsters also feel anger and frustration because they believe the government and other adults fail to take the necessary actions, thus endangering their future. “This shows eco-anxiety is not just for environmental destruction alone, but inextricably linked to government inaction on climate change. The young feel abandoned and betrayed by governments,” the lead author, Caroline Hickman from Bath University, told BBC News.
Due to such circumstances, four out of 10 young people are not keen on having children, Hickman revealed. A 16-year-old participant said they don’t want to “live in a world that doesn't care for children and animals.”
The research also found that people in countries with the weakest climate policies reported the highest level of anxiety. The authors of the study believe that a government’s inaction to heal the earth’s environmental health is cruelty under human rights legislation.
The report will be published in the journal Lancet Planetary Health, and the survey has been carried in countries including UK, Finland, France, the US, Australia, Portugal, Brazil, India, the Philippines, and Nigeria.