A recent global study, which surveyed 10,000 young people from 10 countries, showed that nearly 60 percent of them were extremely worried about the future state of the planet. The report also showed that nearly half of the respondents (受访者) said that such distress affected them daily, and three-quarters agreed with the statement that “the future is frightening.” This, and many other studies, show clearly that climate change is not just a threat to the environment. It also poses a very real threat to our mental health.
Psychologists have classified these feelings of sadness, distress, and worry about the current climate emergency as eco-anxiety. According to the Climate Psychology Alliance, eco-anxiety is defined as the “intense physical and mental discomfort in response to dangerous changes in the climate system.”
Eco-anxiety doesn’t just affect young people. It also affects researchers who work in climate and ecological science, burdened by the reality discovered in their findings, and it affects the poor people across the globe, who hopelessly bear the harmful impacts of climate breakdown.
In recent years, we’ve seen wildfires tear through Canada and Greece, and summer floods destroy regions in Pakistan that are home to nearly 33 million people. Studies have shown that those impacted by air pollution and rising temperatures are more likely to experience mental distress.
The cause of this mental distress is absolutely external. According to Caroline Hickman, a researcher on eco-anxiety from the University of Bath, anyone experiencing these emotions is displaying entirely natural and rational reactions to the climate crisis. Her suggestion? Take eco-anxiety as a tool for good-as an emotion that can urge people to act in protection of our planet.
This is why, in 2024, we will also see more people around the world join the fight for climate justice and apply for jobs that seek sustainable development. Eco-anxiety is not something we will defeat with therapy—we will solve it by taking action.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “distress” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Shock. | B．Anxiety. | C．Happiness. | D．Anger. |
| A．It is a strong reaction to the natural disasters. |
| B．It is a kind of mental disease for the young people. |
| C．It is a physical and mental discomfort when we meet difficulties. |
| D．It is a strong physical and mental discomfort for the dangerous climate changes. |
| A．The process of eco-anxiety. | B．The impact of eco-anxiety. |
| C．The causes of eco-anxiety. | D．The benefits of eco-anxiety. |
| A．Defeat it with a therapy. | B．Just wait for a good solution. |
| C．Join the fight for climate justice. | D．Use it to urge people to protect our earth. |
