global climate action from cities, regions, and businesses yale

The findings highlight the importance of providing people distressed about climate change with ways to act on their concerns. Here, we investigate whether distress about climate change is associated with climate action (e.g., political actions, discussion of climate change with family and friends, etc.) using data from our December 2022 Climate Change in the American Mind survey.

In turn, taking action, especially joining a group or social movement working on climate change, can help people overcome their negative emotions. However, some research shows the opposite – that experiencing distress about climate change can prompt an adaptive behavioral response and motivate people to take climate action. Experiencing distress can impact behavior and potentially lead to maladaptive behaviors, including avoidance and decreased engagement with climate issues, as ways to cope with the distress. The negative effects of climate change can also be experienced indirectly (e.g., learning about its severity and hearing about others’ experiences from friends or family members, or through the media), which can lead to psychological distress about climate change. Some groups are especially at risk, including youth, older adults, people of color, Indigenous populations, lower-income individuals, women, people with disabilities, and people with pre-existing medical conditions. People who directly experience climate- or weather-related disasters often suffer from serious mental health consequences – including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression – which often occur simultaneously and can have long-lasting effects. Psychological Distress from Climate Change Many studies show that rising temperatures and climate impacts, such as wildfires and floods, can directly and indirectly contribute to psychological distress about climate change, including feelings of helplessness, depression, grief, or anxiety (often referred to as “ eco-anxiety ”). The effects of climate change on mental health are growing.

Global climate action from cities, regions, and businesses yale