A multiplying number of children are experiencing and displaying anxiety about damage to the environment, flora and fauna, and adverse effects of climate change writes Ranjini Rao

When seven-year-old Kyra Kumar exclaimed to her mother, “Mama, I’m a nature-an!” she not only meant she loved nature, but that she also wanted to care for it and protect everything in it — the plants and trees, lady bugs and butterflies, rain clouds and water lilies.

Kyra is one among a small but fast-multiplying number of children who are exhibiting eco-anxiety — defined as persistent worry about present and future harm to the environment, due to climate change and unrestrained exploitation of nature. The American Psychological Association (APA) defines it as “chronic fear of environmental doom.”

Eco-anxiety in its mild form manifests as worry about damage to ecology, stemming from a deep love of nature. In extreme cases, ecological anxiety tends to cause emotional distress, panic attacks, and feelings of hopelessness. Greta Thunberg (20), the world-famous Swedish environmental activist, traces the roots of her international activism to extreme eco-anxiety as a child.

“It’s common in our home to see Kyra reprimanding her grandmother for swatting a mosquito or her grandfather, for smacking an ant dead. In school too she hates being tied down to her classroom and wants to spend time chasing butterflies and centipedes on the campus,” says Rajathi Subramaniam, a Bengaluru-based homemaker and Kyra’s mother.

Gopa Bose, founder teacher at the Bangalore Steiner School, Kanakapura Road, also reports a rising number of children experiencing and displaying anxiety about damage to flora and fauna. “As the adverse impact of climate change and human exploitation of nature becomes more evident, our students have become more sensitive and caring towards the environment. They want to do all they can to protect it. In our school we encourage this eco-sensitivity and provide all opportunities for our children to develop a meaningful relationship with nature. Our children tend the school’s flower garden, vegetable patch, compost waste facility and care for insects, birds and animals on campus,” says Bose, also trustee of the Bangalore Steiner School (estb.2011) which follows the education philosophy of Rudolp Steiner (1861-1925), an Austrian scientist, educator and social reformer.

Meanwhile, there’s is a growing body of research which shows that climate change is affecting the psychological development of children, and that children in the six-12 age bracket are particularly vulnerable to environmental stressors. Way back in 2018, the American Psychological Association issued a report about the impact of climate change on mental health. It said that “gradual, long-term changes in climate can also surface a number of different emotions, including fear, anger, feelings of powerlessness, or exhaustion”. Therefore, it’s become critically important for parents and teachers to enable children to cope with eco-anxiety.

Prahlad Revankar, a Vizag-based scientist and father of 17-year-old Pravin, who recently participated in the Save Soil movement initiated by the Isha Foundation promoted by popular evangelist Sadhguru, believes that the role of parents is to fully support and encourage children’s sustainability ideas. “Pravin hadn’t talked about anything related to environment conservation in a serious way, until he suddenly expressed his desire to work with Sadhguru’s Save Soil movement. It did come as a bit of a surprise to us because of the extent to which it was affecting him. He wanted to visit local schools and talk to children about the movement,” recalls Revankar who put in a word with friends to organize school visits in Vizag, and also accompanied him on these visits. Pravin played an important role in organizing hundreds of students to sign a Save Soil petition.

“We initially thought that this was a one-off project, but Prahlad’s eco-concern runs deeper. He is still heavily invested in environmental issues,” adds Revankar.

How parents can help children cope with eco-anxiety

A Bengaluru-based counselling psychologist, Priya S. Kumar, says that it’s now common for children as young as six to ask parents questions about the perils of climate change. “There’s a whole new generation of children who are aware and curious about environmental issues such as rising air pollution, damage to flora and fauna, extreme temperatures and flooding. The internet and social media are buzzing with information on the adverse impacts of climate change. Initially parents are taken aback when they encounter children’s questions but they need to understand that conversations are a great starting point to ease children’s eco anxiety,” says Kumar

Kumar’s guidelines for parents to help children cope with eco-anxiety are given below:

• Encourage self-expression and questions. Allow children to express their feelings, and when they do, listen without judgement. Don’t be dismissive or worse, downplay their opinions. Also, encourage questions including those that discomfort you.
• Put a name tag on children’s emotions. Sometimes, children don’t have the vocabulary to express their emotions. For instance if she is experiencing sweaty palms and racing heartbeat, she is most probably anxious. Name this emotion because it validates it.
• Don’t give false assurances. Avoid saying “Don’t worry, everything will be alright” to allay their eco-anxiety because false hope makes things worse. Climate change is real. Instead, acknowledge the eco-reality and provide assurance of your support and assistance in resolving problems.
• Incorporate mindfulness/meditation into the daily routine. Encourage children to practice meditation and mindfulness daily. For instance, children below ten can be taught to practice the bubble breath technique — inhale normally, but exhale as if we are making bubbles with our mouths. Ask older children to draw a deep sigh. Mindful breathing is also a great way to teach children that it’s good to pause and take a short break when emotions run high.
• Canalise children’s anxiety into meaningful activities. Encourage your children to find solutions, however small, to ecological problems. For instance if your child is worried about the shrinking green cover, encourage her to start a project/movement, to plant trees in the neighborhood.