Climate Emotions 101
Written by: Ailin Bogers
Edited by: Gianna Hector
Decades after scientists first warned us about global warming, researchers realised it was not enough just to understand the science behind our changing climate, but also to study how people are reacting to it. Hence, the study of the psychological underpinnings of our response to the unfolding crisis began. One major focus has been on climate emotions. There was growing evidence that the climate crisis was shaping people’s feelings, consequently impacting their behaviours and well-being. Climate emotions vary not only from person to person but also with time. Your feelings towards the climate crisis are influenced by your life situation, temperament, daily events, social dynamics and the impacts of climate change. All this is to say, the psychology of climate change has proven to be just as complex as the science of the climate crisis itself. Thankfully, many psychologists have devoted their attention to understanding climate emotions, how they are applied to climate communication, and how they shape action. So, here’s your quick guide to climate emotions!
CLAUDIA GERATZ
Eco-anxiety and its Cousins
Eco-anxiety is one of the most talked-about climate emotions, and for a heartbreaking reason. Characterised by a chronic fear of environmental doom, its growing prevalence is a sign of our times, with over 70% of young people feeling hopeless in the face of the climate crisis. What makes eco-anxiety different from anxiety disorders is that it is not maladaptive, but a legitimate reaction to the climate crisis: if your house is on fire, then yes, you should be worried. However, this is not to say that we don’t need to do anything about this anxiety. Eco-anxiety and its cousins - hopelessness, worry and dread - if left unchecked for too long, will not only impact your health and mental well-being, but can also end in denial or fatalism, both of which threaten humanity in the long run.
There are many effective ways to healthily cope with eco-anxiety. Start by talking about it using empowering language, then spend time in nature, find community and take action. As musician and activist Joan Baez has said: “Action is the antidote to despair”
Guilt, shame and anger
Who is to blame for the climate crisis? Behind this group of emotions is an overarching question of responsibility. Whether it is “self-condemning” like guilt and shame or “other-condemning” like anger, these emotions are rooted in our understanding of the anthropogenic nature of the climate crisis. This is precisely why climate deniers can go about their lives without the gnawing feeling of guilt whenever they fly or eat a steak. The rise of climate guilt and shame is arguably connected to the concept of “carbon footprint”, popularised by BP to shift responsibility from oil giants to individuals. As a result, it has been useful in persuading us to take individual actions such as using a reusable coffee cup and reducing the number of overseas holidays we take. However, taken to extremes, guilt and shame can become debilitating and lead to burnout. Making you feel personally responsible for the climate crisis is exactly what fossil fuel companies want you to feel. Don’t let them win.
On the flipside, anger can be a powerful climate emotion as it is a response to the failure of “others” to act, typically directed towards governments or corporations. Unsurprisingly, researchers have found that out of five climate emotions, anger has the strongest link to climate activism.
Climate Grief
Are you grieving our changing planet? The winters without snow, summers filled with wildfire smoke. We feel and know that our familiar environments, our seasons and our way of life are slipping away because of the climate crisis. This is climate grief, or ecological grief: a sense of loss which we feel and live through each day. For many, ecological grief is what researchers call “anticipatory grief”, relating to both loss that has happened and loss that is coming. However, communities directly impacted by climate-related disasters may also experience bereavement-like grief towards their home and loved ones.
Another term people often talk about is “Solastalgia”, which describes a sense of distress caused by negatively perceived environmental change. Solastalgia differs from eco-anxiety and climate grief by capturing a “place-related” longing and the lived experience of change, rather than mere anticipation and worrying about environmental degradation. Some have described it as a sense of homesickness when you're still at home. Ecological grief and solastalgia are not just about our changing environments; they're about our emotional and cultural connection to our environment. Despite the distinction, early theories of grief can offer important insights into how we can process our ecological grief: from adjustment to the new environment to relearning the world. Sounds similar to climate adaptation, right?
We need to talk about “Hope”
Hope is perhaps the most misunderstood and abused emotion in climate and political discourse. It is fed to us on a spoon by politicians and their powerful friends who profit from the burning of fossil fuels. It is your neighbour recycling nonchalantly, “hopeful” that other people will get it together and solve the climate crisis eventually. More than half a century after the first warning of global warming, did “hope” get us where we are today?
Research highlights the complexity of understanding climate hope. There is wishful thinking, hope based in denial, but there is also radical hope and constructive hope. The wrong kind of “hope” may lead to inaction, but the right kind of “hope” can battle doomism and mobilise us. When it comes to the climate and our future, as the late Jane Goodall articulated, hope isn’t just passive wishful thinking; on the contrary, real hope “requires action and engagement”. This leads us to “empowerment” and the feeling of being “inspired”, which are vital for bridging “hope” to action. Responsible climate communication must utilise “hope” carefully - instead of assuring us that everything will be okay, show us that we are not alone and empower us to act together.
Climate Awe: Our Secret Weapon?
Maybe you’ve never considered this emotion, but I am sure you have felt it. The feeling of amazement at witnessing the resilience and beauty of nature, or from being at a climate protest. Climate awe is a powerful emotion, alongside many other positive ones, rarely discussed in mainstream media. Pleasure, joy, pride and wonder, these emotions arise when you step over the anxiety and grief to take action. Research has found that climate awe and practices of mindfulness were related to less climate inaction by overcoming psychological barriers and increasing nature connectedness. Alongside emotions such as caring, belonging and connection, climate awe may be our secret weapon in science classrooms and in the media.
Thinking about Climate Emotions in Your Life
The climate crisis has been an incredibly emotional subject for many of us. As demonstrated here, a wide range of emotions can be elicited, sometimes inspiring action and at other times holding us back. The climate emotions discussed in this guide are by no means comprehensive, and it is also normal to experience multiple emotions simultaneously. However, this should serve as a great starting point to help you understand how to balance emotions with action and how to communicate effectively about the climate crisis to inspire action. When discussing how you feel, bear in mind that it is a privilege to have these emotions and the space to process them. For many people in the global south facing climate-induced disasters, action must always come first in the face of survival, and feeling second. With this understanding of psychology, we can be more compassionate with each other and encourage “sustainable” action.
References:
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Kluger, J. (2025). How to Manage Your Climate Guilt. [online] TIME. Available at: https://time.com/7293252/climate-guilt-what-to-do/.
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Watts, J. (2024). Would abandoning hope help us to tackle the climate crisis? [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/24/we-need-a-dash-of-hope-but-is-too-much-diverting-our-gaze-from-the-perils-of-the-climate-crisis.
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