A researcher at the Environmental Change Institute has been studying how climate change impacts people’s mental health and their subsequent ability to take action.
The paper, Climate worry: associations with functional impairment, pro-environmental behaviours and perceived need for support, has been published in BMC Psychology.
Dr Fuso Nerini, an Honorary Research Associate at the Environmental Change Institute (ECI) and also Associate Professor and Director of the KTH Climate Action Centre at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, worked with a team of seven other researchers all based in Sweden. The research team had backgrounds in climate/sustainability, psychology, psychiatry and global health.
Dr Fuso Nerini said:
Understanding how climate change impacts individuals' mental health — and how this, in turn, affects their ability to engage in pro-environmental behaviours — is crucial. This knowledge forms the foundation for developing strategies to manage climate-related distress, promoting both individual well-being and collective environmental action.”
In the paper the team of researchers say: “The changing climate increasingly affects human health and well-being through the disruption of ecological, geographical, and societal systems. While there is an extensive body of research on the climate’s impact on physical health, there is a growing demand to understand and address its mental health challenges.”
They say that worry is one of several psychological reactions to climate change and its current and projected consequences. The terms “climate anxiety” and “climate worry” are often used interchangeably. However, climate anxiety is a broader concept that includes emotional, cognitive, physiological, and behavioural components.
Their research involved a cross-sectional survey targeting adult individuals who experience climate worry.
Participants were recruited nationally in Sweden between September and October 2022. The survey included measures of climate worry severity, climate worry frequency, functional impairment, PEBs, depressive symptoms, sleep problems, and questions related to perceived need for support.
Dr Fuso Nerini added:
This interdisciplinary collaboration between health and climate experts surveyed over 1,200 adults, revealing that nearly 40% reported high levels of worry, with a third experiencing significant impairment in their daily lives. Building on these findings, we aim to design personalised interventions to address climate worry and support pro-environmental behaviors, aligned with techno-economic pathways to a safer climate and a deeper understanding of the psychological implications of climate change.”
Their study, which extended previous findings on climate worry, found that a relatively large proportion of individuals with severe and frequent climate worry experienced significant impairments in everyday life functioning. The majority of individuals in this group expressed a need for support.
The researchers recommend that based on their findings, such support should involve strategies aimed toward worry management and well-being, as well as climate change knowledge and tools for sustainable behaviours, as well as psychological support.
Read the paper in full at BMC Psychology: Climate worry: associations with functional impairment, pro-environmental behaviours and perceived need for support