Earth Day, Eco-Anxiety and Psychology. Let’s talk about our environment in the light of eco-anxiety and Psychology.
On March 25th, we participated in the Earth Hour. While the call is to turn the lights off for one hour, it is actually a symbolic global event. The aim was to show that we can all make a difference in the fight against climate change. And on April 22nd, we will celebrate the Earth Day. Earthday.org‘s theme is year is Invest In Our Planet.
“We need to build a global citizenry fluent in the concept of climate change and inspired by environmental education to act in defense of the planet.”
EARTHDAY.ORG President Kathleen Rogers
Most Companies and HR practitioners rally to take action for the planet. Most of us know about climate change and that we should take action. And from time to time, in our own little ways we do.
Despite all these, life on earth as we know it continues to be under threat. As David Attenborough said in his Netflix documentary,
“We often talk of saving the planet, but the truth is that we must do these things to save ourselves. With or without us, the wild will return.”
David Attenborough, A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future
Earth Day, Eco-Anxiety and Psychology
Some people are developing what’s called an eco-anxiety. Eco-anxiety (short for ecological anxiety and also known as eco-distress or climate-anxiety) has been defined by the American Psychological Association as “a chronic fear of environmental doom.”
Now the only action that will help eco-anxiety is to do something. That’s right, no matter how seemingly minuscule, just like when we turn off our lights for one hour, we can help make a difference.
First, if you want to know where you stand, you can calculate your ecological footprint in the Global Footprint Network. Second, make the necessary changes. It could be lessening your meat consumption (or altogether changing to a vegan lifestyle) or being more conscious about electricity usage and water consumption. Third, there are so many organizations that work towards a more sustainable environment. Greenpeace and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) immediately come to mind. And here’s a list of the 14 most influential sustainability NGOs you can support or join: The 14 Most Influential Sustainability NGOs (sustainabilitydegrees.com).
But hey, don’t wait for you or your loved ones to experience eco-anxiety, just go ahead and do something already.
PRIORITIZE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING