Online search queries about climate anxiety have risen in England.
Data from Google Trends have shown that the term climate anxiety was nearly as popular in England this autumn as in late 2022 when searches for it reached their peak between 2018 and 2023. YouTube searches increased by 52 per cent this November. Meanwhile, searches for eco-anxiety have consistently risen from October this year.
During this period, findings were revealed about how concerns over climate change have put nearly 11,000 people off having children.
Other countries where there have been sharp rises in the term across the past five years include Ireland, Canada, Germany and the United States (specifically in Massachusetts and Washington). Over the past five years, this was the case with New Zealand, where people have taken the most interest.
What is climate anxiety?
Climate anxiety, or eco-anxiety, which have slightly different meanings, broadly describe people's chronic fear of environmental doom and climate change, including their concern over what might happen if the world does not take action to avert disaster in time.
Eco-anxiety simply refers to the aspect of environmental health in relation to this, such as pollution. The guilt and anxiety accompanying fear is something women experience more than men.
A Google spokesperson told the BBC: "When you look at the kind of queries people are searching for, it's evident that [people across the globe] are seeking understanding, but also wanting to take action.
"For example, 'how to solve climate change' was one of the trending queries about climate change worldwide in the last two years."
Climate organisation Force of Nature believes that much of this can be accredited to young people. More than 70 per cent reportedly feel hopeless in the face of the climate crisis and as many as 56 per cent believe humanity is doomed.
A report published in the National Library of Medicine has put the increase down to women. From their studies across Europe and Africa, women were found to have possessed lower concern about climate change than men as women engage in more pro-environmental behaviour. Women scored significantly higher on the cognitive-emotional subscale.
