Short description:

How should we react to climate anxiety? This accessible book discusses anxiety and other emotions brought on by climate change, examining what climate anxiety is, why it is becoming so prevalent and how it differs from other types of anxiety.

Long description:

How should we react to climate anxiety? This accessible book discusses anxiety and other emotions brought on by climate change, examining what climate anxiety is, why it is becoming so prevalent and how it differs from other types of anxiety.

Written by an expert psychologist, the book examines why climate anxiety is developing so rapidly, particularly in younger people. It looks at how it can manifest differently?sometimes as hopelessness or despair, and sometimes as anger which can serve as a catalyst for action. The book dives into the nuance around climate anxiety, questioning what we can do about it or whether climate anxiety should be pathologized at all, given the very real threat of climate change. It considers cognitive biases that underlie information processing and discusses how politics and interest groups affect people?s views. Seeking to understand the polarisation that occurs around this topic, the book suggests how we might alleviate climate anxiety without minimising serious concern about climate change.

This highly topical book will be of great interest to students of psychology, environmental science and social science. It will also be of interest to psychologists, mental health professionals and climate communicators, as well as anyone interested in learning more about climate anxiety.

"One of the most substantive books of our time on climate change and its psychological effects on humankind. A must-read on a global scale that offers both insight and validation on climate anxiety's place in the quest for mental health."

Vanessa Botelho, Professor of Broadcast and Digital Journalism, City University of New York, and two-time Emmy Award winner for news coverage.

"Geoffrey Beattie is a household name in various areas, from fiction to psychology and environmental science. His books, fictional and scientific, are hard to put down when one starts reading them. They are insightful and delectable at once. This book is another triumph and may well be one of his best.  This is more than a brilliant book?scary and enlightening at the same time. I could not put it down, reading it twice in a row. This is required reading for everyone?it truly is."

Professor Marcel Danesi, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto.

"Understanding Climate Anxiety is an insightful, thought-provoking and disturbing book. This book outlines the psychological science behind climate anxiety in an accessible and committed way and critically considers climate anxiety in context. This issue affects us all. A must read; ignorance cannot be an option."

Professor David Gibson OBE, entrepreneur. Author of the ?E-Factor:The 21st Century Guide to Entrepreneurial Thinking? (Wiley).

Table of Contents:

 Contents

Acknowledgments

Who am I and Why am I giving you this advice?

PART 1: The context of climate anxiety.

Chapter 1: Introduction: What is climate anxiety?.

Chapter 2: Shouldn?t we all have climate anxiety?

Chapter 3: Do helplines actually help us when it comes to climate anxiety?

Chapter 4: Is climate anxiety made worse by other global crises?

PART 2: Climate anxiety and the brain

Chapter 5: Why can?t people make up their mind about climate change?

Chapter 6: Why don?t we do more?

Chapter 7: Can models of anxiety help us understand climate anxiety?

PART 3: Contesting climate anxiety/contesting climate change

Chapter 8: Why do people claim climate change is fake news?

Chapter 9: How can people stay happy with climate change?

Chapter 10: Is there a stigma surrounding climate anxiety?

PART 4: Thinking of the future

Chapter 11: New horizons?

Glossary

References: