11 Facts About Climate Anxiety

Welcome to DoSomething.org, the leading hub for youth-centered activism and service. We are a global movement of millions of young people making positive change, online and off! The 11 facts you want are below, and the sources for the facts are linked. After you learn something, Do Something! Find out how to take action here.

1. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) recognizes climate change as a growing threat to mental health, but many mental health professionals feel unequipped to handle the growing number of people anxious and grieving over the state of the planet.

2. In a 2020 poll from The American Psychiatric Association (APA) it was found that more than half of respondents (55%), were somewhat or extremely anxious about the effects of climate change on their mental health.

3. According to Google’s data, searches worldwide related to “climate anxiety” or “eco-anxiety” increased by 4,590% from 2018 to 2023.

4. When it comes to climate change, a 2022 survey by EdWeek Research Center found that about 34% of young people said they feel afraid and 30% said they feel helpless.

5. Climate change anxiety in young adults is characterized by feelings of being out of control, extremely worried, overwhelmed, stressed, and depressed. Experts predict that this form of climate anxiety and climate change depression could lead to as many as 26,000 suicides among Americans by 2050.

6. More than 45% of respondents (ages 16-25 from 10 countries including the U.S.) in a survey published in The Lancet Planetary Health said their feelings about climate change negatively affected their daily life and functioning.

7. Based on a survey conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication, 1 in 10 Americans reports experiencing anxiety because of global warming.

8. 73% of young people, aged 15-24 recognize health as one of the many ways they can be affected by climate change with over half believing their health is already affected.

9. For those feeling anxiety about climate change, 83% began feeling eco-anxiety for the first time after 2020.

10. 64% of respondents said the top cause of their anxiety is related to extreme weather such as hurricanes, droughts, or wildfires.

11. 84% of children in the Philippines are worried about climate change. The Philippines ranks highest for disaster risk; and has 26 million students impacted by climate change.