The reality of climate change is actually very frightening. We are already in times of dangerous climate change, with worse forecast if we continue with business as usual, pouring excess greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
This information sheet is on how to deal with the distress and stress of not just knowing that climate change is a threat, but also feeling that it is a threat. The feeling part is very important. Knowing about climate change is not enough for most people to take action. There are many, many ways in which people can ignore climate change or choose to do nothing about it. But when we feel the threat, then we are more likely to be motivated to take action. But it’s also then, of course, that we feel the most distress and worry.
Feeling the threat of climate change involves a whole host of difficult emotions. Common feelings are fear, anger, guilt, shame, grief, loss, helplessness. These strong feelings might result from direct fears about climate related weather events affecting us, or vicarious distress about future threats, or about climate change impacts in other places, or even distress in response to the existential threats to civilisation as we know it. Coping with the feelings we have about climate change is very important so that:
- we don’t become overwhelmed by these feelings
- we don’t try to avoid the problem in order to avoid the feelings
- we don’t burn out
- we can keep functioning well in our everyday lives
- we can stay engaged with climate change and with the changes we are making to reduce the threat.
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