Happy Eco News Climate Anxiety- Is it warranted?
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Climate anxiety- Is it warranted?
What should a teenager be worried about?
The obvious answers would be grades, friendships, chores, maybe even their job.
Why?
Because a teenager can control these things.
Can a teenager control, in a substantial way, the global sea levels? How about deforestation in the Amazon? Your average teenager is somewhat handicapped when it comes to dealing with issues that are happening across the world from them. However, the youth are scared due to social media’s misleading nature and over-exaggerated, attention-grabbing headlines. According to a survey of young people done by The Lancelet, 84% of respondents were at least moderately worried about climate change, with 59% being “very or extremely worried. 75% said that the future is frightening, and 83% said that they think people have failed to take care of the environment.
In a way, their fears are valid.
The current state of the climate is scary. Things seem to be going worse than ever, and there is no shortage of ecological horror stories in the mainstream media, so the fear of the average teenager is understandable.
In the article “Mediatization and the Disproportionate Attention to Negative News”, Toni G.L.A. van der Meer focuses on the case of plane crashes, but the conclusion applies here. Simply put, airplane crashes are very few and far between. Their rarity increases their importance, so when one does happen, it is heavily reported upon. No news outlet will report on a successful flight because of its frequency. This can lead to the public thinking airplane crashes happen often, which is far from true.
The same can be said for climate change stories. Bad news gets more attention, so it gets reported on more, while good news is underreported because it doesn’t get the same amount of clicks. This is an issue, so we, as the public, must do our own research. Every headline you read, you must trust, but verify. Check sources, listen to both sides on an issue, and don’t believe any sensational headlines you see on social media, and don’t fall for stories that appeal too heavily or exclusively to emotions to make you feel guilty.
The truth is, a politician’s private jet contributes far more to carbon emissions than a car does. In fact, a cruise ship’s carbon footprint surpasses that of 12,000 cars. There are huge industries that produce more waste and carbon in a day than a teenager produces in a year. Such things cannot be immediately changed by a teenager; it just isn’t within their control.
Now, this isn’t to say that teenagers should just throw their hands up in surrender to the ever-present concerns of our environment; there is still a lot we can do. Youth activism has been a huge part of American and global history, and we have already seen its effects today, such as Greta Thunberg’s rise to prominence, which showed youth all over the world that they can make a difference and get their voices heard. Teenagers can start small, organize conservation clubs at school, go to city council meeting to propose ideas, and try to give input in decisions made by their family, such as using solar power or family compost.
Social media is often the source of climate anxiety, but it can also be used to fight it. Teenagers should, as mentioned before, maintain a balanced social media feed so they are aware of ever present issues, but also don’t feel overwhelmed and understand the good things happening for the environment. They can also create social media accounts to share good news with others who may be struggling with climate anxiety or to post their own nature-related content.
Teenagers can also get involved in their local governments, fighting for change in their own communities, or spearhead projects that require professional assistance. Remember, progress can range from simple, small scale tasks, such as recycling or educating a friend, to large scale projects that make a big difference. Either way, anything helps, and even the biggest projects must start small.
In addition, positive things are happening for the climate every single day, you just might not hear about them as much. For example, on 5/15/25, France moved forward on a ban on forever chemicals, harmful synthetic chemicals that do not break down easily. On May 6th, Malaysia passed a law that requires full community consent for development. If you are struggling with climate anxiety, websites such as Happy Eco News can provide a different, more positive perspective to brighten your outlook.
So I leave you with this: control what you can and get involved. Minimize your plastic use, recycle your trash, and ride your bike when you can, but keep your focus on how climate change is directly affecting you instead of getting overwhelmed by things you cannot control.
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