Does climate change make you anxious? ⏲️ 6 Minute English

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from  BBC Learning English. I’m Rob.  

And I’m Sam. When we talk about climate change,  we usually talk about the effects on the planet,  

or the economic consequences. But all the damage  being done by climate change is also having an  

effect on our minds, our mental health. Fires, heat waves, floods, hurricanes,  

droughts… the list of climate emergencies goes on  and on, and sometimes it all feels like doom and  

gloom – an idiom describing a situation that  is very bad and without hope. This worry is  

leading to mental health problems, not just for  the unfortunate people who experience climate  

events first-hand, but for us all. In this programme, we’ll meet one expert  

who’s investigating the link between climate  change and mental health problems and hoping 

to find some solutions. And, as usual, we’ll be  learning some new vocabulary along the way.

But before that I have a question for  you, Sam. The 2021 UK census reported

that three quarters of adults in Britain are  worried about the impact of climate change, 

and it’s a worry that’s shared by the  young. According to a survey by Greenpeace,

what percentage of young people worldwide say  they feel worried about climate change? Is it:

a) 74 percent? b) 84 percent? or

c) 94 percent? I think the figure will be high

among young people, so I’ll say b) 84 percent. OK, Sam, we’ll find out if that’s the correct

answer later in the programme. The expert  I mentioned earlier who’s investigating

this problem is Dr Gesche Huebner, senior  researcher at University College London.

Here Dr Huebner explains to BBC World  Service programme, The Climate Question,

what she’s been finding out. I think we have very 

clear evidence that, for example, hot temperatures  - heat waves - are leading to an increased risk 

of suicide and also other adverse mental health  effects. We also have pretty good evidence that,

for example, experiencing a natural disaster  - storms, flooding - are linked to negative

mental health outcomes such as post-traumatic  stress disorder or other anxiety issues.

Many people who experience a climate change  event like flooding suffer from post-traumatic

stress disorder, often shortened to PTSD –  a serious mental health disorder that can

develop after a very bad experience like war,  or natural disasters like a flood or fire.

But according to Dr Huebner, even people without  direct experience can suffer anxiety issues about

what the future holds for our planet. This is  known as climate anxiety, sometimes called climate

doom – a low-level feeling of nervousness or  worry about the consequences of climate change.

These mental disorders are different  in terms of how intense they feel,  

but Dr Huebner describes them both as adverse  – having a harmful or negative effect.

In all this doom and gloom, it’s easy to  forget that many of the things which are

good for fighting climate change are also good  for mental health. Here’s Dr Huebner again,

talking with BBC World Service’s, The  Climate Question, this time focussing

on positive things which can be done to help. For example, if we get fossil fuel vehicles off

the road we can improve the air quality, and we  know that per se can be good for mental health. If

we change our road infrastructure to enable more  walking and cycling, again we have fewer… fossil

fuel being burned but also, we know that walking  and cycling are very good for mental health. If

we can change our road layout and create more  urban greenspaces, we already know that green

and blue spaces are good for mental health. Activities like walking and cycle reduce fossil

fuels and improve air quality, but they are  also good per se – a Latin term meaning ‘in

and of itself’. Walking is good for climate  reasons, but also good in itself – per se.

Dr Huebner also recommends more urban greenspaces  – open areas for parks, plants and wildlife which

are built into the design of towns and cities.  With creative thinking like this, it may still

be possible for today’s young people to have a  planet worth living for. Speaking of which, Sam,

it’s time to reveal the answer to my question. Yes, you asked what percentage of young people

worldwide report feeling anxious about climate  change. I guessed it was 84 percent.

Which was the correct answer! Well done! It’s  a high percentage which is not surprising

considering that it’s future generations who  will live with the consequences of what we do,

or fail to do, today. OK, let’s recap the  vocabulary we’ve learned from this programme

about climate anxiety – feelings of distress  caused by worrying about climate change.

The idiom ‘doom and gloom’ describes the feeling  that a situation is very bad and without hope.

Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is a  serious mental illness that can develop as

a result of a very bad experience,  like a war or natural disaster.

The adjective adverse means having  a harmful, negative effect.

The Latin phrase per se, means ‘in itself’ and is  used when considering the qualities of something

on its own, not in relation to something else. And finally, urban greenspaces are areas in towns

and cities which are reserved for parks, trees  and wildlife. Once again, our six minutes are

up! Bye for now! Bye bye!