The government must take bold climate action to prevent undue psychological harm to young people
I have a distinct memory of sitting cross-legged on the floor of my year 8 classroom in the late noughties belting out the words, “Save the planet, help save the planet” during our weekly singing class. I can’t recall the name of the song, but it was one of many tunes that has been seared into my brain from that time of my life. Paired, of course, with some very basic dance-moves that mostly involved being arm-in-arm with friends and swaying side-to-side while feeling optimistic about the future.
Two decades on, I can still hear those same words echoing out across Aotearoa. Except now the young people are not singing them jovially in the classroom like I did. They are screaming them on the streets, begging for politicians to do something about climate change. And they are not feeling optimistic.
Setting the Scene
Many young people around the world are becoming increasingly worried about the climate crisis and what it means for their future, and understandably so. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, which assessed the impacts of climate change on ecosystems and human communities across the globe, made for grim reading.
The IPCC report, which relied on the input of 270 experts from 67 countries, revealed a number of harsh realities. Findings revealed that climate change is contributing to widespread losses and damages to nature and communities, which is resulting in humanitarian crises such as famine and climate-related disasters; driving displacements of peoples in all regions of the world; and adversely affecting the physical and mental health of populations globally. A summary of the report for policy makers urged those in positions of power to take urgent action, concluding that any further delays “will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all.”
Despite this dire warning, Aotearoa’s coalition government has demonstrated an ongoing lack of concern for the environment and the climate emergency. In its latest Budget, delivered last week, the government announced it has set aside $200 million over four years for investment in offshore gas fields. It also announced it is reducing climate finance to the Pacific, and scrapping $56 million for electric buses. To add fuel to the fire, the government’s last Budget in 2024, saw a raft of other cuts to climate initiatives, including a reduction in funding to the Climate Change Commission and closure of the Climate Emergency Response Fund entirely. Agricultural activities were also removed from the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme, meaning farmers won’t have to report their on-farm emissions, despite agriculture accounting for nearly half of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. And on top of this, the Fast-Track Approvals legislation passed into law at the end of last year which allows some projects, like mining and infrastructure projects, to be fast-tracked for approval. This was despite thousands of public submissions opposing the Bill due to concerns about the environmental risks and the Bill’s disregard for upholding Te Tiriti O Waitangi. The list goes on.
How the Climate Crisis is Impacting Young People
The impact of the climate crisis is being felt by young people around the globe, with many experiencing high levels of climate-related distress. A recent study surveyed 10,000 children and young people from 10 countries and found that they experienced many negative emotions regarding climate change (often referred to as eco-emotions or climate emotions). The researchers found that three-quarters of the study participants were frightened about their futures, with many saying their feelings about climate change negatively affected their daily lives. More than two-thirds said they experienced sadness and fear regarding the climate crisis, and more than half reported that they felt anxious, angry, and guilty. Optimism about climate change was one of the least commonly reported emotions.
Interestingly, the researchers also found that climate-related distress was associated with beliefs about inadequate governmental responses to climate change, with greater distress experienced when the children and young people believed that their government’s response to climate change was inadequate, highlighting the importance of governmental action.
Researchers are also beginning to identify associations between eco-emotions and wellbeing. In a 2021 study, Australian researchers found that eco-anxiety and eco-depression were associated with poorer mental health generally. The more eco-anxiety participants felt, the more they reported experiencing anxiety and stress in their daily lives. Similarly, the more depressed participants felt regarding climate change, the more likely they were to experience depression generally, suggesting eco-anxiety and eco-depression may contribute to, or co-occur, with poorer mental health.
Mental health professionals are also starting to see young people presenting concerns about climate change. A study published last year surveyed 573 psychotherapists in Germany, and found that 72% of them had worked with patients who had expressed concern about climate change during treatment. Of those who had seen these patients, 41% had worked with at least one patient who had sought treatment specifically due to climate-related concerns. Psychologists have also stated anecdotally that climate anxiety—a chronic fear of environmental doom—is increasingly being addressed during sessions.
What Should Be Done?
The climate crisis is having significant impacts not only on our planet but on the mental wellbeing of the people living on it. Young people are facing an increasingly uncertain future as a consequence of decades of climate inaction by those in positions of power.
According to the IPCC, effective climate action is enabled by a range of factors, including political commitment to addressing the climate crisis, multilevel governance, and climate-friendly laws and policies. The report adds that drawing on diverse knowledges—including indigenous knowledge—facilitates climate resilient development. And yet our government has acted the opposite. The climate crisis cannot be tackled by putting the onus and burden on individuals. It requires government and institutional action, and recognising and valuing mātauranga Māori.
Politicians need to do better by young people and future generations. They must take bold, immediate action to address the climate crisis, and stop putting profits above people and the planet. Climate change is a mental health issue, and young people are being significantly impacted by the climate crisis, with their distress exacerbated by a perceived lack of meaningful action by governments. Failing to act is allowing young people to be harmed.
The young people are screaming on the streets for their futures, and they are not feeling optimistic. But the government can change that, and they must.
