Climate Change Anxiety Is Ruining People's Lives

Mental Health is Suffering

Young people are reporting daily anxiety and fear of the future due to society’s obsession with possible climate change. A recent global study has found that young people are suffering “profound psychological distress” due to both their fears about the supposed environmental crisis and government inaction on the matter. 

10,000 people, aged 16-25, from 10 different countries were surveyed for this study. Nearly half said that this anxiety was impacting their ability to function in daily life. 75% responded that the future frightens them. Over 60% maintained that governments were failing to protect the planet. The authors of the study warned that the mental health of children and young people will be severely impacted by this growing anxiety. 

Nearly half of those surveyed said that this anxiety was impacting their ability to function in daily life.

It's Scaring People into Childlessness

Many people are making huge life decisions based on the possibility of a future environmental disaster. The most tragic is the decision not to have children. Environmentalist propaganda maintains that having children is directly linked to the earth’s demise. And people are buying it, and therefore trying to “save the world” by not populating it. 

One study that surveyed 600 Americans between the ages of 27 and 45 who were already concerned about climate change found that 96% were extremely worried about the wellbeing of future children due to climate change. A 31-year-old female participant said, “Climate change is the sole factor for me in deciding not to have biological children. I don’t want to birth children into a dying world [though] I dearly want to be a mother.” 

6% of parents expressed remorse over having kids, because they fear that their children will face an apocalyptic world. A 40-year-old mother said, “I regret having my kids because I am terrified that they will be facing the end of the world due to climate change.” However, for many who factor climate change into their family planning, adoption is an acceptable alternative to having biological children.

“I regret having my kids because I am terrified that they will be facing the end of the world due to climate change.”

Some of the respondents held drastic views about what the future in a climate-changed world will look like. One, for instance, projected that it will be akin to the terror of World War I. The minds behind the study asserted that the number of those disinclined to have biological children will continue to grow. 

This crusade for fewer children is led by celebrities such as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and other like-minded people who, like journalist Erica Gies, feel that they’re doing everyone a service by shaming people into not having babies. Writing for The Washington Post, Gies argued that “given our extreme population, having more than two kids, the replacement level for a couple, is impinging upon other people’s liberty by using their share of resources.” In this article, she draws the absurd conclusion that “​​for optimal quality of life, we need fewer of us.” Such virtue signaling is easy for one whose parents already chose to bring them into this world. 

The alternative to such anti-life thinking is simple: stop letting fear rule you, recognize the dignity of human life, and raise intelligent, responsible children who will be capable of dealing with whatever real problems may arise down the road. 

A Future Ruled by Fear

A future ruled by such fear is far scarier than the potential impact of supposed climate change. This future looks like a dying human race, plagued by crippling anxiety and paranoia. The most impressive part of climate change hysteria is how it has convinced entire societies to abandon everything that ties us together as people. We must fear others for "not doing their part" or taking away resources that will soon be scarce for everyone. We should distance ourselves from our parents and grandparents since their generations are to blame for this catastrophe.

Worse still, young people are convinced that the only way to survive is to deny themselves one of the most natural and joyful parts of life: having children. Instead of putting down the roots of marriage, family, and community, young people are being eaten up by fear and division.

Whatever disservice previous generations have done to our planet, they've done an even worse disservice to their own children. New generations need strength and hope for whatever challenges lie ahead, not all-consuming guilt for wanting to live a normal life.

Closing Thoughts

A rational person looks at the future and sees, yes, the possibility of all sorts of problems. But they also see the ability of human beings to face and overcome all sorts of obstacles (as we always have). And they see the beauty of human life which continues on from generation to generation, growing and thriving amidst change. 

Whether climate change is a true threat or just a natural, cyclical variation of the earth, the fear surrounding it is deeply concerning. Making projections for the future based on a future that may or may not come to pass isn't sound. Hypotheticals are robbing people of their peace and leading them to make decisions that will negatively impact their own lives and even future of our world. That we can see for sure.

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