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Eco-Anxiety & Optimism

Provided by: This Teenage Life

Podcasts

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Synopsis

This podcast episode from This Teenage Life covers the strong feelings of despair and anxiety that young people experience when learning about and dealing with climate change.
The episode is about 20 minutes long and features teens talking about their overwhelming feelings about climate change, the issue that teens and other young people face with feeling powerless to do anything, and their hope for the future.
Students will hear from author Anya Kamenetz and teens in India, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other locations.

Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Civics, Health

Authors: This Teenage Life

Region: Africa, Asia, Europe, United States, Global

Languages: English

Positives

Students will benefit from hearing a wide range of perspectives from other young people whom they can relate to.
The episode ends on a hopeful note, discussing the power of collective action, radical ideas, and a connection with nature.

Prerequisites

Students should have a basic understanding of climate change. It may also benefit students to know the term microplastics.
The episode mentions Hurricane Katrina. Students may benefit from having background information about this event and understanding the role of climate change in extreme weather events. The video Does Climate Change Cause Extreme Weather? can help provide background information about this topic.

Differentiation & Implementation

Teachers in environmental science classes can use this podcast to begin a dialogue in the classroom about feelings of climate anxiety after learning about climate change. Teachers can stress to students that these feelings are normal and they are not alone.
Language arts students can use this podcast episode as inspiration for writing and producing their own podcast episode about climate anxiety or other climate change-related topics. Students can also look at other podcasts, such as The Climate Question or The Big Melt, for more examples.
Using the last section of the episode as a call to action, students can brainstorm solutions and means for collective action. Students can implement school-wide projects such as Meatless Mondays or a Lights Out Day.
The Climate Mental Health Support Activities guidebook can help teachers continue to support students as they experience climate emotions.

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