Why Climate Anxiety May Be Holding Us Back
As climate change becomes more noticeable, now is not the time to be negative.
Updated May 27, 2026 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan
I think many of us can agree that it is hot. Hotter than normal for this time of year. The current heatwave across Europe is rather exceptional. And not necessarily in a good way. In many places, it’s been hotter than Heaven’s mirror. You know the place—the one full of fire and brimstone. The UK media are excitedly informing their readers that it’s currently hotter there than in many other countries that are usually much hotter. And, keeping the boost in ice cream sales aside—which is another fun fact the UK media like to quote whenever it gets hot—the blame is being placed squarely on manmade climate change.
It’s easy to feel despondent and negative as the full reality of global warming hits home, but a recent study has shown that the opposite of climate despondency isn’t just needed; it’s absolutely necessary, especially if we are to do anything about it.
Remaining Hopeful Leads to Problem-Solving
Researchers from the University of Nottingham’s School of Psychology found that messages of hope can be highly effective in inspiring creative problem-solving around climate issues.
Published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology , the study developed a new measurement for that creativity . It may seem blindingly obvious, but positive emotions have a better outcome than negative emotions when it comes to undertaking climate action.
Alexa Spence, the Nottingham professor who led the study, said, “We wanted to explore the theory that positive emotions may have a broader impact on behaviour and be more likely to produce creative behaviour.”
To do this, the researchers undertook two studies. One explored the idea of hope and creativity involving a task and a measurement, whilst the other involved videos to manipulate people’s emotions. One video invoked fear , whilst the other invoked hope.
“We all too often see negative emotions, such as fear, guilt , and anger , used to try to influence sustainable behaviour, and while they may create an initial short-term reaction, we propose that positive emotions may have different, wider-reaching and longer-lasting effects,” said Professor Spence.
The Role of Positive Psychology and Therapy
I’ve certainly seen my fair share of the climate-despondent, the climate-anxious, the climate-depressed, and the climate-angry. I’ve helped them all with a combination of rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT), clinical hypnotherapy, and positive psychology. The latter, especially, fosters many positive emotions, including hope, and helps build agency and resilience in the face of adversity through an exploration of a person’s character strengths.
More than once or twice, I’ve taken on a despairing local environmental or ecological studies student and sent them back to their respective courses with a renewed sense of optimism and determination. Who knows what they will accomplish as they try to pull us back from the brink?
But it’s not just my modalities that help, as any method that fosters positivity rather than negativity can do similar things. A 2024 study, for instance, found that acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) can help support people presenting with climate distress via an exploration of their personal values.
Extreme Weather in India and Its Consequences
And while the UK (and most of Europe) is currently hotter than [insert name of a usually much hotter country here], we all need to spare a thought for India, where many are suffering from temperatures that are in the high 40s and are a danger to life (the term "killer" has been deployed without hyperbole) and to mental health.
In fact, a recent study published at the end of last year in the International Journal of Social Psychiatry found a high prevalence of mental health conditions like PTSD , anxiety , and depression amongst the Indian population due to such extreme weather events.
The Power of Individual Action
Maintaining hope is important as individual change counts as much as governmental, societal, systems, and corporate change.
Still staying with India, as Gandhi once famously (never) said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Seriously, he never said it. What he did say was deeper and more profound, but the sentiment still holds, and this reductionist version of what he originally said (you can Google it) has forever become attached to his name.
Be the change you want to see in the world. Do what you can, when you can. Who knows who you might encourage and embolden as you do so. Hope is stronger than fear. And studies now show it will inspire more action, too.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494426001763?via%3Dihub
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-cognitive-behaviour-therapist/article/acceptance-and-commitment-therapy-as-an-approach-for-working-with-climate-distress/FBA5224AB25B44F9F02F2BB143C55628
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/00207640251362911
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Daniel Fryer, M.Sc., MBSCH, is a psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, expert speaker and author.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.