Do the impacts of climate change have you worried? Does it change the way you look at the future?
In an article last week by Rachel Konig Beals for MarketWatch, she writes about how young people ages 25 and younger are experiencing extreme anxiety about climate change. In a study published recently in the science journal The Lancet Planetary Health, nearly 60% of young people surveyed said “they were “very” or “extremely” worried about climate change.”
Most respondents in the study “believe the future is frightening,” and that governments are not being aggressive enough, are ‘letting them down.’ Young adults said they ‘are not buying into being told to meditate and cope’ as a response to climate change.
According to the study, 45% of young people said their feelings about climate change negatively affected their daily life and functioning.
Study authors contributors were from the University of Bath, New York University Langone Health, Stanford University, the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and other academic institutions. They stressed the significance of the anxiety survey’s reach across several regions of the world.
A separate study done earlier this year showed that four in 10 young people said they were reluctant to have their own children because of the expected future impacts of “unchecked climate change.” Responders cited worrying about the ongoing natural disasters, eroding coasts, dying crops, drought, heat and more.
Do the impacts of climate change have you worried? Does it change the way you look at the future? ClimateYou invites you to write your comment on this post in the space below.
Photo: https://www.wbur.org/news/2019/03/15/photos-the-youth-climate-change-protest-at-the-state-house
2 Responses
I think that climate change is a very real issue we are facing globally. From reviewing the article it can not be denied that climate change is affecting people mentally. I myself am worried about how my kids will be affected and how climate change can effect their health as well. With the ice capsules melting, bacteria and disease that were thought to be eradicated long ago are now being seen again. The affects these bacteria and diseases will have on our future population whether they can be treated and controlled are still unknown.
Thinking about how climate change is effecting us is enough to make anyone anxious. If climate change can be measured and there being tangible evidence proving not only its existence but its affects, then it’s necessary for our government to take charge and implement strategies to solve the problem.
My family and I try our best to be considerate of the environment by recycling, saving water, using less electricity and trying to reduce our carbon footprint, but I believe more should be done and more can be done.
Global warming, in my opinion, is a significant problem. When carbon-based chemicals are burned, carbon dioxide is emitted, and C02 is discharged into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide absorbs heat, resulting in an increase in CO2 levels in the atmosphere. Global warming will continue to accelerate as long as humans emit greenhouse gases. The consequences are being felt on a much smaller scale now, but they will grow more severe in the near future.
The Arctic is one of the worst hit areas affected by global warming. The Arctic Sea is significant because its ice keeps the Polar Regions cool and contributes to global climate regulation. The temperature of the sea is rising as a result of climate change, and the ice is melting. The ice will melt if the temperature rises too high, damaging wildlife habitats while also raising sea levels, causing floods in coastal cities. Climate change has resulted in increased precipitation and storm fronts, as well as long-term sea level changes due to ice sheet melting. Extreme heat has the potential to reduce crop productivity and increase food scarcity, increase water scarcity and drought, and increase human exposure to heat-related sickness.
It is better to be late than never. We shall have a much brighter future tomorrow if we all take actions today. Global warming is the misery of our life, and many policies have been implemented around the world to prevent it, but this is insufficient. When we combat it on an individual level, we can make a real difference. It is critical to grasp its significance now, before it becomes an irreversible mistake. Global warming must be stopped at all costs.