It all began—as many times it does—with a cup of coffee.
“Professor,” I said, “eco-anxiety is the new pandemic today. Young folks are spiraling. Between the IPCC, the AQI, and the RSS feed of floods and typhoons, nobody is breathing properly—except those who can afford air purifiers.”
The Professor nodded solemnly. “Indeed. The air in Delhi and now in Mumbai is thicker than my Mysuru filter coffee.”
“So I had a wild idea. What if we opened a… clinic?”
He blinked. “Clinic? For whom?”
“For the climate-concerned, the despairing, the social media-drenched youth. A place where people can come and take advice.
The Professor sipped slowly. “Hmm. A kind of psychological sustainability clinic?”
And so, the Eco-Anxiety Clinic was born. A modest space above a bookstore, next to a vegan dosa café.
Day One: Footfall of the Fearful
The first to arrive was a group of college students – with wide-eyed, sleep-deprived, and emotionally overwhelmed faces. One wore a T-shirt that read ‘Ban Capitalism, Save Turtles and Whales.’
Patient #1: Meera, 22, Sustainability Studies Student
“I get chest pains every time someone says ‘net-zero by 2070’,” she said.
The Professor smiled. “Classic case of future-shock with a side of green guilt.”
“I have given up meat, fast fashion, Uber, even online shopping! But the emissions still go up!”
Aha,” he said. “You’re experiencing what I call climate treadmill fatigue—doing everything you can, but it feels like the planet is still slipping away.”
Meera blinked. “So, what do I do?”
“Take a deep breath. Use the air only if it is breathable. Then pick one problem and work on it. Anxiety multiplies when we think in terabytes. Relief often comes in kilobytes.”
Common Symptoms of Eco-Anxiety
As more people visited, we started noticing recurring symptoms. Eco-anxiety isn’t just a buzzword, it’s a tangle of emotional, cognitive, and physical reactions. Most patients described a combination of:
– Sleeplessness and doomscrolling before bed
– Constant guilt over personal carbon footprint
– Feeling overwhelmed or powerless despite good intentions
– Avoidance of reading newspapers, or obsession with catastrophic headlines
– Mood swings, especially when seeing others remain indifferent
In short, they carried the weight of a warming world on their conscience.
Patient #2: Prakash, 27, IT Consultant, Weekend Crusader
“Everyone is talking about climate doom. Why not just legislate climate action?” he asked. “Ban diesel, plant trees, tax carbon. Why this climate circus of UN talks and webinars? I don’t care even if the regulators/enforcers make more money in this process”
“Excellent question,” the Professor beamed. “But you see, legislation is like a rain dance. Just because you passed a law doesn’t mean implementation will come down like monsoon rain. Ask our thirsty forests.”
Prakash frowned. “So, we’re stuck?”
“No,” the Professor said. “We are in motion. But unfortunately, not in the right direction.”
Patient #3 :Mrs. D’Costa, 78, Retired Schoolteacher
She wasn’t here for eco-anxiety. She had wandered in, thinking this was the orthopedic clinic.
“It’s for climate anxiety, Aunty,” I explained gently.
She looked around the room, bemused by the murals of melting glaciers and cities in floods.
“I don’t know,” she said slowly. “Yesterday I dropped my son off at the airport. He is moving to Toronto. When I said goodbye, I was anxious. And then I came home to this empty flat and wondered, how will I manage? These are the real anxieties for people like me.”
There was a silence.
The Professor nodded softly. “That’s very real, Aunty.”
“But these children here,” she said, pointing at the huddle of youth, “they worry about climate collapse. Maybe because they believe they will live long enough to see it.”
“And you don’t?”
“Oh, I’ll compost, upcycle used garments, teach my maid” she chuckled. “But they need to stop worrying and start working. Plant a tree, start a garden, Action is the best pain-relieving balm.”
Patient #4: Gautam, 24, Philosophy MA, Vegan but Vexed
“I read we have only six years to reverse everything. I feel I should do something dramatic.”
The Professor leaned forward. “You know, even the Buddha tried extreme paths before he settled under the Bodhi tree.”
Gautam’s eyes lit up. “Exactly! That’s why I have taken up meditation. I believe eco-anxiety is solved by stillness. By doing nothing”
“Interesting approach,” Professor said. “But tell me: if you’re calm and non-anxious, will you still act?”
Gautam paused. “Maybe the calm leads to clarity which leads to… action?”
“Or complacency,” I mumbled.
Closing Reflections
The Professor and I sat with steel tumblers of filter coffee, watching the sun struggle through the haze.
“Do you think this clinic helps?” I asked.
Professor sipped slowly. “Eco-anxiety is a sign of awareness. It is a symptom of sensitivity. It means people are awake.”
“But it also paralyzes.”
“True,” he said. “Which is why the goal isn’t to erase anxiety—but to convert it. From despair to determination. From paralysis to purpose.”
He pointed to a handmade sign on the wall:
‘If you are not anxious, perhaps you’re not paying attention. But if you are, do something useful with it.’
Outside, someone was setting up a repair café for “product life extension” of electronic goods. Mrs. D’Costa was leading a community composting circle to motivate “recovery of resources.” A teacher was guiding schoolchildren in painting a wall mural with the theme “climate optimism.” Two college students had begun a seed-sharing station near the banyan tree. Women in a nearby housing society decided that they will use a reusable carry bag each time they shop. And the Philosophy MA was meditating beside a potted neem tree, offering free “mindful breathing sessions” for overwhelmed activists.
And the Professor was smiling, watching eco-anxiety sprout into eco-action.
Eco-Anxiety: Scientific Evidence and Statistics
Recent surveys and expert reviews underscore that eco-anxiety isn’t a fringe emotion—it’s widespread and growing. A 2020 poll by the American Psychiatric Association found that 67% of Gen Z (age 18–23) and 63% of Millennials (age 24–39) in the U.S. reported being somewhat or extremely anxious about the impact of climate change on their mental health.¹ Globally, a Lancet Planetary Health study (2021) involving over 10,000 young people across 10 countries—including India—found that 59% felt “very” or “extremely” worried about climate change, and more than 45% reported that it interfered with daily functioning.² Among Indian youth specifically, 63% reported extreme worry, placing India second among the most distressed countries surveyed, and over 74% expressed that the government is failing them.³ The American Psychological Association (APA) officially defines eco-anxiety as “a chronic fear of environmental doom,” reflecting increasing concern and distress among younger cohorts.⁴ More broadly, global mental health bodies—including the WHO—now recognize climate change as a rising threat to psychological well-being, particularly in regions like South Asia where exposure to air pollution, heatwaves, and water scarcity is acute.⁵
References:
- American Psychiatric Association. Climate Change and Mental Health. Available at: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/climate-change-and-mental-health-connections
- Hickman, C. et al. (2021). Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: a global survey. The Lancet Planetary Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(21)00278-3
- See Change Report on Climate Change and Youth Mental Health. National Health Center for Climate Change and Mental Health. https://www.nhclimatehealth.org/s/See-Change-Report-on-Climate-Change-and-Youth-Mental-Health.pdf
- Eco-anxiety. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eco-anxiety
- American Psychiatric Association. Climate Change and Mental Health. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/climate-change-and-mental-health-connections