Without corporate donors or advertisers, we rely on donations from readers to fund the nonprofit, progressive journalism you count on. We must reach our Fall Campaign goal to keep reporting the news that the corporate media won’t.

Will you make a donation now—no amount is too large or too small—and help us reach our goal?

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

Common Dreams. Journalism funded by people, not corporations.

There has never been—and never will be—an advertisement on our site except for this one: without readers like you supporting our work, we wouldn't exist.

No corporate influence. No pay-wall. Independent news and opinion 365 days a year that is freely available to all and funded by those who support our mission: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.

Our mission is clear. Our model is simple. If you can, please support our Fall Campaign today.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

Support Our Work -- No corporate influence. No pay-wall. Independent news funded by those who support our mission: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Please support our Fall Campaign today.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

Young people at a climate protest

Schoolchildren march down Queen Street during a climate change protest on May 24, 2019 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Climate Inaction Has Left Majority of Young People Believing Humanity Is 'Doomed'

International survey reveals 'shocking' rise of eco-anxiety and hopelessness. "If this isn't a wake up call for world leaders, what is?"

Julia Conley

Amidst a sharp increase in deadly wildfires and flooding, increasingly violent storms, and extreme heat, new research published Tuesday found that refusal by governments to act on the climate emergency is causing a widespread sense of hopelessness and eco-anxiety in teenagers and young adults worldwide.
 
The global advocacy group Avaaz joined researchers at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom and five other universities to survey 10,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 25—the first large-scale eco-anxiety survey of its kind—and discovered that majorities of the respondents were fearful for the lives and livelihoods of their families and the future of the planet.

"If this isn't a wake up call for world leaders, what is?" —Avaaz

 
As Luisa Neubauer, a 25-year-old leader of the global Fridays for Future movement in Germany, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, while the climate extremes caused by the planetary emergency are frightening, inaction by world leaders "is too much to handle, too much to accept."
 
"Government is pushing us in front of a bus," Neubauer told the outlet.
 
The mental health professionals who conducted the study spoke with young people in 10 countries including Nigeria, the Philippines, India, the U.K., and the U.S., finding that respondents in both wealthy countries and the Global South are facing "feelings of anger, fear, and powerlessness" as the climate crisis directly causes at least one famine, deadly flash flooding, and wildfires in multiple regions.
 
Nearly half of respondents said their worries about the climate crisis negatively affect their daily life and their ability to function, and more than half told the experts they feel humanity is "doomed."
 
Four in 10 said they would hesitate to have children in the future due to the state of the planet, while three-quarters of respondents described their futures as "frightening."
 
Avaaz reported that one of the most "shocking" findings was how respondents described their feelings about government inaction, including more than half who said they feel policymakers "are betraying them."
 
"If this isn't a wake up call for world leaders, what is?" asked Avaaz.
 
Young people in the cyclone-ravages Philippines and Brazil, where deforestation—driven by President Jair Bolsonaro's government—has become increasingly destructive in recent years, showed the most anxiety of the countries surveyed. More than nine in 10 respondents said they were frightened about the future.
 
Caroline Hickman, lead author of the study, which was published in The Lancet on Tuesday, cautioned adults against telling young people it is up to them to save the future of the planet.
 
"Thinking the way to cure eco-anxiety is eco-action isn't right," Hickman told Thomson Reuters, adding that what will solve the climate crisis is decisive action by world governments.
 

The survey "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," Hickman told the BBC. "Governments need to listen to the science and not pathologize young people who feel anxious."

The survey results were released less than two months ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26), where policymakers will meet in Glasgow to discuss commitments to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, provide climate mitigation support for frontline communities across the globe, and rapidly transition to an emissions-free energy system.

Young people are "doing everything we can" to push for climate action, Neubauer told Thomson Reuters, "but that won't be enough."

"We won't fix it" through the Fridays for Future movement, she added. "We need everyone there."

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Comments

This is the world we live in. This is the world we cover.

Because of people like you, another world is possible. There are many battles to be won, but we will battle them together—all of us. Common Dreams is not your normal news site. We don't survive on clicks. We don't want advertising dollars. We want the world to be a better place. But we can't do it alone. It doesn't work that way. We need you. If you can help today—because every gift of every size matters—please do. Without Your Support We Simply Don't Exist.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

Related

"Removing Trump, then, is a necessary first step—but it is only a first step, a prerequisite to the difficult journey ahead. Where to turn next?" writes Hertsgaard. (Photo: Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)

Children Around the World Are Suffering From Climate Anxiety

Ruby Harbour ·

Vanessa Nakate (R) leans on Greta Thunberg

Greta Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate Excoriate World Leaders for 'Blah, Blah, Blah' Climate Failures

Andrea Germanos ·

Greta Thunberg speaks during a climate strike in Germany

Hundreds of Thousands Take to Streets Worldwide for 'Uproot the System' Climate Strikes

Jake Johnson ·

Firefighters combat a wildfire in Athens, Greece

New Climate Analysis Shows Near Total Global Failure to Meet 1.5°C Targets

Andrea Germanos ·

Latest News

See all
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announces the reopening of more Texas businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic at a press conference at the Texas State Capitol in Austin on May 18, 2020. (Photo: Lynda M. Gonzalez-Pool via Getty Images)

Corporate Dems of US Senate Blamed as GOP Texas Governor Approves 'Rigged' Voting Maps

"We must protect our democracy with federal legislation immediately and defeat these cynical politicians at the ballot box."

Jessica Corbett ·

Destruction in Gaza.

'An Act of Cowardice': 21 Israel-Based Groups Condemn Terror Label for Palestine NGOs

The organizations called the designation "a draconian measure that criminalizes critical human rights work."

Brett Wilkins ·

Facebook

The Facebook Papers Spur More Calls to 'Break Them Up!'

Other critics are demanding a "full, independent, outside investigation" of the tech titan as whistleblower Frances Haugen testifies to the U.K. Parliament.

Jessica Corbett ·

Man carries child through flooded waters

'This Is an Emergency': Oxfam Says Rich Nations' $100 Billion Climate Pledge Not Good Enough

"Time is running out for rich nations to build trust and deliver on their unmet target."

Andrea Germanos ·

Progressives Vow to 'Push Very Hard' to Keep Agenda From Being Gutted Beyond Recognition

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar said House Democrats "are fighting to tackle the climate crisis, expand Medicare to cover dental, vision, and hearing, and guarantee family leave in America."

Kenny Stancil ·

Most Popular

 
  1. 'He Isn’t Negotiating, He Is Killing the Bill': Ilhan Omar Slams Joe Manchin
  2. 'Resign or Be Removed': Outrage After Top NY Dem Compares Buffalo's India Walton to David Duke
  3. 'End the Filibuster': GOP Ready to Tank Even Manchin's Compromise Voting Rights Bill
  4. Corporate Cable Outlets Refuse to Report on Financial Conflicts of Manchin and Sinema
  5. 'Like It Never Happened': Federal Judge Tosses Trump Attack on Clean Water Rule
  6. 'It's Not Coming Out': Bernie Sanders Stands Firm on Medicare Expansion
  7. West Virginia Constituents Decry 'Immorality' of Joe Manchin
  8. 'A Toxic Presence in the Party': Ocasio-Cortez Joins Calls for Jay Jacobs to Resign
  9. New Multimedia Report Details Unprecedented 'Permian Climate Bomb' in Texas
  10. AOC Warns That Corporate Lobbyists Would Love People to 'Give Up Before the Deal Is Done'

Support our work.

We are independent, non-profit, advertising-free and 100% reader supported.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

Subscribe to our newsletter.

Quality journalism. Progressive values.
Direct to your inbox.

Subscribe to our Newsletter.

Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit | Privacy Policy
Common Dreams Logo

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.