The scientific consensus on how our climate will change over the coming 50 years should be enough to alarm anyone who cares about the future of our planet.

As Sir James Bevan warned in 2021 during his tenure as chief executive of the Environment Agency, we are facing a future in which “Much higher sea levels will take out most of the world’s cities, displace millions, and make much of the rest of our land surface uninhabitable or unusable”, while “more extreme weather will kill more people through drought, flooding, wildfires and heatwaves than most wars have”.

He explained that the net effects “will collapse ecosystems, slash crop yields, take out the infrastructure that our civilisation depends on, and destroy the basis of the modern economy and modern society”.

The best-case scenario is that these effects can be mitigated by drastic action in the next few years to reduce carbon emissions and keep average global temperatures at no more than 1.5 degrees C (2.7F) warmer than pre-industrial levels. We are not on course yet to reach this target. 

It is no surprise, then, that a significant proportion of people now embarking on their adult lives – the ones whose life expectancy will allow them to see this nightmare become a reality – are suffering psychological distress about how their future will unfold. 

A paper published in The Lancet sets out the impact of ‘climate distress’, as it is termed, on young people’s mental health. 

The researchers surveyed 10,000 children and young people from ten countries, including the UK, and found that respondents everywhere were worried about the climate, with 59pc ‘very or extremely worried’ and 84pc ‘at least moderately worried’. 

Worry was not the only emotion they reported.

Others include sadness, anger, powerlessness and guilt.

More than 45pc of respondents said their ability to handle daily life is adversely affected by their feelings about climate change.

Many are plagued by negative thoughts: 75pc said they are frightened by the future and 83pc said people have failed to look after the planet. There was also a strong sense of betrayal over governments’ handling of the crisis, with many feeling let down by politicians’ inability or disinclination to take effective action. 

“Government inaction and the absence of a new future vision is one of the biggest causes of distress in the young people – and adults – we work with,” confirms Azza Dirar, who runs Norfolk and Waveney Mind’s sUStain programme.

Since 2021 the project has supported hundreds of people in activities such as a six-week mindfulness course that encourages feelings of hope and agency, instead of despair and powerlessness. It draws from ideas developed in Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone’s book Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in with Unexpected Resilience and Creative Power. 

As the authors write, “Active Hope is about being active participants in bringing about what we hoped for. Active hope is a practice. It is something we do, rather than have. It is a process we can apply in any situation.” 

How can this be applied to a situation as dire as the climate emergency, though?

“The idea is that by sharing our feelings of overwhelm in our climate cafés and courses,” says Azza, “we can resource ourselves together, which is critical (represented by the ‘us’ in sUStain). 

“The journey in Active Hope starts with appreciation for what we still have, and then, with mindfulness as an anchor, enables us to turn towards difficult truths about the climate with resilience and even a sense of flourishing, as we find new perspectives that can propel us into positive action in our lives – and, more importantly, greater self-care.” 

Psychologically it can help us to know that we are doing something to make a difference, however small.

This could involve lobbying or writing letters on an environmental issue; joining in a local conservation activity and enjoying the nature around us; and looking after ourselves better, for instance by sleeping at regular hours and restricting time on our phones. Feeling better about ourselves can also mean we are better able to take effective action.

As well as the Active Hope course, sUStain runs drop-in climate cafes for young people – and the public – at UEA and around Norfolk, and focus groups in coastal communities such as Sheringham and Happisburgh where residents are impacted by erosion and flooding. To find out more, contact sustain@norfolkandwaveneymind.org.uk. 

For more information about Norfolk and Waveney Mind’s sUStain project, visit https://www.norfolkandwaveneymind.org.uk/news-campaigns/mind-news/sustain-project. 

For general resources and information about NWM’s other services, visit norfolkandwaveneymind.org.uk or call 0300 330 5488. For urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 option 2. 

The Lancet article, ‘Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: a global survey’, can be read here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(21)00278-3/fulltext