Page 77 - IJPS-10-2

International Journal of

Population Studies

COMMENTARY
Understanding how children are coping with

climate change anxiety by exploring coping
strategies and supportive interventions

1
1
1
Jessica Eve Jackson *, Rebecca Rawson , Rory Colman , Michelle Brooks-Ucheaga ,
2
and Yasuhiro Kotera 3
1 School of Nursing, College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby, Derby,
United Kingdom
2 School of Built and Natural Environment, College of Science and Engineering, University of Derby,
Derby, United Kingdom
3 Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom

Abstract

Climate change presents a significant threat to both the planet and humans,
impacting our physical health and mental well-being. The challenges that it
presents underscore an imperative to execute immediate and concerted actions.
These threats, even if circumvented timely, will have repercussions persisting into
the future, implying that (i) our children have been born into unprecedented times
and (ii) as future adults, they will find themselves facing the major consequences of
*Corresponding author:
Jessica Eve Jackson climate change. These ramifications can negatively affect their mental health and
(j.jackson2@derby.ac.uk) well-being. In this commentary, we put forward our viewpoints regarding the effect
Citation: Jackson, J.E., Rawson, of climate change anxiety on this population group and discuss the coping strategies
R., Colman, R., Brooks- and supportive interventions used to cope with said anxiety. Empowering children to
Ucheaga, M. & Kotera, Y. (2024). engage in climate action has been recognized as a coping strategy while equipping
Understanding how children are
coping with climate change anxiety them with knowledge and resources on climate change and providing safe spaces
by exploring coping strategies and experiences in nature are identified as supportive interventions. However,
and supportive interventions. further empirical research evidence is needed to determine the next steps to address
International Journal of Population the extent of the impact of climate change anxiety and prepare our children for the
Studies, 10(2):71-77.
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.0850 future.
Received: April 25, 2023
Accepted: October 17, 2023 Keywords: Children; Climate change; Climate change anxiety; Well-being; Coping;
Interventions
Published Online: November 17,
2023
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s).
This is an Open-Access article 1. Introduction
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2021) Sixth Assessment report
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, confirms that the climate is changing, a change caused by the release of greenhouse
provided the original work is gasses from human activities, which are warming our planet. Between 1901 and 2020,
properly cited. the global temperatures had increased by 1.1°C (NOAA, 2021) and as a consequence,
Publisher’s Note: AccScience occurrences such as rising sea levels, droughts, wildfires, biodiversity loss, and flooding
Publishing remains neutral with have become a commonplace, which in turn affect human health. Power generation,
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional manufacturing, growing transportation networks, overconsumption of resources,
affiliations. food production, and deforestation all contribute to human-induced climate change.

Volume 10 Issue 2 (2024) 71 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.0850