Dora
RebeccaThe consequences of climate change are getting worse and many young people are pointing this out through protests and other awareness campaigns.
In Germany, many environmentalists are risking their lives as protests become increasingly violent.
Climate change causes anxiety in some young people, which has been called “eco-anxiety.”
Scientists conducted a survey with 16 to 25-year-olds to find out how they feel about such changes and the government’s responses to them.
This was the most research done in this field. As many as 10,000 youth participated in it.
The results showed that, on average, almost two-thirds of young people are extremely concerned about climate change.
In the Philippines, India, and Brazil, the percentage of those concerned was even higher. In the Philippines, as many as 84 percent are very concerned about this issue.
The main reason is that these countries strongly feel the consequences of global warming.
At the same time, many indicated that they feel negative emotions such as sadness, fear, anxiety, anger, and a sense of helplessness when faced with climate change.
Almost half of the participants reported that anxiety concerning climate change affects their daily life.
But how do they assess policy responses to global warming? Only a good third of respondents claimed that governments were responding in line with science.
Two-thirds of respondents agreed that the government is failing young people and that they are lying about the positive effects of the measures they are taking against climate change.
The authors believe that large-scale research such as theirs could also be of significant help in climate change lawsuits.
Namely, the research would provide evidence of moral damage, which is related to human rights legislation.
For reflection
- Does thinking about climate change make you feel anxious?
- Did the survey results surprise you?
- Do you think such polls are important?
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The original version of this article was published on January 16th.
Mateja
Romana
