Is worry about climate change leading people to tune out or do those anxieties spur them to action? A new study published in npj Climate Action, led by researchers from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC), suggests that it’s the latter.

Using national surveys, the researchers found that 16% of adults report feeling at least some anxiety or depression from thinking about or experiencing the impacts of climate change. They also found that those individuals are more likely to engage in collective climate action, whether that’s participating in protests, writing to elected officials, volunteering, or even just having conversations with friends and family. The results hold regardless of political ideology, and the researchers found no evidence that higher levels of distress would be debilitating or lead to less action.

The researchers said the findings highlight the need to invest in mental health resources and tools that can help people cope with climate change in part by channeling their negative feelings into positive action.

“Some have presumed that people experiencing climate or eco-anxiety are paralyzed by their fears about climate change, but we find the opposite. Most people experiencing climate-related distress are not hiding under the covers. They’re taking action to help solve the problem,” said study co-author Anthony Leiserowitz, the JoshAni-TomKat Professor of Climate Communication and director of YPCCC.

The researchers used data from the Climate Change in the American Mind project, a partnership between YPCCC and George Mason University, which conducts nationally representative surveys to track public understanding of, and response to, climate change. The climate anxiety study found that levels of psychological distress were higher among young people and those most affected by climate change, including Latinos and lower-income communities. Willingness to engage in collective action was  higher among those feeling anxiety, regardless of other factors that may influence their behavior, such as political ideology or social norms.

Source: https://environment.yale.edu/news/article/anxiety-about-climate-change-spurring-action