Uncertainty Tolerance (UT): Recycling Eco-Anxiety Into Eco-Empowerment [Last Word]

Co-anxiety, as defined by the American Psychiatric Association in 2017, is a chronic fear of environmental doom, usually based on feelings of powerlessness about environmental change or climate change. Other associated terms include: eco-fear, eco-despair, eco-grief, eco-distress, and eco-angst. Society is experiencing higher levels of stress and anxiety relative to climate change. Seventy percent of Americans report they are worried about climate change; nearly 60% feel helpless. According to Global Action Plan, 77% of U.K. teenagers report feeling anxious when merely thinking about climate change. American teenagers report that climate change makes them feel scared (57%) and angry (52%) and they wish for their schools to engage with them more about climate change.