Understanding how children are coping with climate change anxiety by exploring coping strategies and supportive interventions
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 climate change. These ramifications can negatively affect their mental health and well-being. In this commentary, we put forward our viewpoints regarding the effect of climate change anxiety on this population group and discuss the coping strategies and supportive interventions used to cope with said anxiety. Empowering children to engage in climate action has been recognized as a coping strategy while equipping them with knowledge and resources on climate change and providing safe spaces and experiences in nature are identified as supportive interventions. However, further empirical research evidence is needed to determine the next steps to address the extent of the impact of climate change anxiety and prepare our children for the future.
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