1. Eco-anxiety: a legitimate concern, with many different manifestations

In just a few years, eco-anxiety has become an important topic of research and a growing public health concern. However, one point must be made clear: eco-anxiety is not, in itself, a psychiatric disorder. It refers to a range of emotions, thoughts and reactions linked to environmental degradation and the anticipation of its consequences: worry, fear, sadness, anger, guilt, a sense of powerlessness or grief in the face of the degradation of the living world.

The concept gained prominence in the wake of major environmental disasters, notably following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 [1]. In 2017, the American Psychological Association helped to popularise it by describing it as a chronic fear of environmental doom. However, this formulation should not lead to the medicalisation of all ecological concerns [2].

Several concepts help to clarify this diversity:

• Action paralysis, or ‘eco-paralysis’, which refers to the feeling of powerlessness that prevents people from taking action in the face of the ecological crisis.
• Solastalgia, a concept developed by the Australian philosopher Glenn Albrecht, which describes the distress caused by the degradation of a place to which one is deeply attached [3]. It corresponds to a particular form of suffering: that of seeing a familiar environment gradually disappear while still living there [4].

A major international survey, published in 2021 in The Lancet Planetary Health, polled 10,000 young people aged 16-25 across ten countries [5]. A majority said they were very or extremely concerned about climate change. This distress was linked to a feeling that governments were responding inadequately to the crisis, or even that they were betraying younger generations [5].

In France, eco-anxiety is beginning to be recognised as a public health issue: it is now understood as an anticipatory concern about a future perceived as under threat, revealing the deep link between the degradation of ecosystems and psychological distress [6]. Several organisations now offer specific support to people suffering from eco-anxiety. The aim is not so much to ‘treat’ an illness as to help people transform their distress in the face of ecological crises into resources for adaptation and engagement [7].

2. A renewed understanding of eco-anxiety

Over the past two years, understanding of eco-anxiety has expanded considerably. In a major landmark review published in 2025, a team led by researchers from Université Laval (Quebec) analysed 202 scientific publications on eco-anxiety. Their work shows that the phenomenon is far more complex than a simple fear of climate change [8]. The authors propose that eco-anxiety be viewed as a multidimensional phenomenon, comprising affective, cognitive, behavioural and existential dimensions. It develops, in particular, around two fundamental experiences: uncertainty and the feeling of having perceived loss of control over environmental changes. Above all, these researchers emphasise the importance of a factor that is often underestimated: societal response. Eco-anxiety does not depend solely on exposure to an environmental threat. It can be amplified by the perception of an inadequate political or collective response. The feeling that institutions are not rising to the challenge can generate anger, moral distress, and a sense of abandonment or betrayal.

This perspective helps explain why two people exposed to the same climate-related event may experience very different emotional responses. The perception of risk depends on personal experience, vulnerability, psychological and social resources, but also on the ability to understand the situation and, above all, to act upon it.

Eco-anxiety is thus part of a complex web of interactions (Figure 1). Environmental and social stressors do not affect all individuals in the same way: their effects depend on factors of vulnerability or protection, but also on the coping strategies employed. Depending on the situation, these strategies may foster engagement and well-being, or conversely contribute to avoidance and psychological distress.

This dynamic is based, in particular, on the interplay between three elements:

• what is happening to the environment,
• how we perceive these changes,
• what we believe we can do about them.

3. Summer 2026: when the threat becomes an experience

The summer of 2026 has brought renewed relevance to this discussion. In France, climate change has not merely been a reality described by scientists or portrayed in the media. For a large part of the population, it has become a lived physical, emotional and social experience. The climate observations cited are well documented by Météo-France [9].

Repeated heatwaves, drought, wildfires and visible changes in the landscape are reshaping perceptions of risk. An exceptional heatwave may still be experienced as a one-off event. When extreme episodes recur, however, they can instead give the impression that a new climatic normal is emerging. The climate issue then becomes very tangible: When will the next heatwave strike? Will we still be able to cope with these summers? What kind of environment will our children inherit?

Three dimensions may then overlap:

• Anticipatory eco-anxiety. This concerns the fear of a future perceived as uncertain or threatening. It has been studied in particular amongst young people, whose life plans are set against a climate future they know to be profoundly different from that of their parents.
• Lived climate distress. This arises when the threat becomes a physical reality: difficult nights during heatwaves, exhaustion, being unable to pursue certain activities, and concern for children, the older people or vulnerable loved ones. The climate is then no longer merely a scientific fact: it becomes a personal experience.
• Solastalgia. This refers to the suffering linked to the transformation of the familiar world: burned forests, dried-up watercourses, withered vegetation, altered landscapes, a decline in snow cover or the disappearance of species.

4. From concern to action

4.1 A concern that is not necessarily pathological

This distinction is fundamental: a certain degree of concern can be an appropriate response to a real and well-documented threat. It can even encourage people to seek information, find solutions, show solidarity and get involved. Collective action can, in particular, help to break the cycle of powerlessness. Taking part in a demonstration, joining a community organisation or developing projects with others does not make the causes of eco-anxiety disappear. However, these forms of engagement can restore a sense of personal and collective efficacy, strengthen social support and provide a concrete for the emotions experienced (Figure 2).

The framework proposed by Boivin et al. [8] specifically enables us to move beyond the dichotomy between ‘normal anxiety’ and ‘illness’. Eco-anxiety can have different consequences depending on the action-oriented coping strategies employed. Some may lead to avoidance or paralysis; others may promote problem-solving, social support and environmental engagement. The authors therefore emphasise the value of combining emotion-focused strategies with action-focused strategies.

The challenge is therefore not simply to lessen these emotions, but to enable the individual to regain a sense of agency. However, when anxiety becomes constant, overwhelming and paralysing, and causes long-term disruption to sleep, social relationships or daily functioning, it can contribute to genuine psychological distress and require professional support. Eco-anxiety should therefore be viewed as a continuum, ranging from legitimate concern to distress that may become psychopathological.

4.2 Eco-anxiety attracts media attention

This issue has has gained renewed attention in France following the publication of a recent article on the ‘15 million people experiencing eco-anxiety’ (Figure 3) [10]. This figure should be interpreted with caution. It does not mean that 15 million French people suffer from a psychiatric disorder. It corresponds to levels of eco-anxiety identified using a validated measurement scale and, above all, reflects the prevalence of environmental concern amongst the population. This distinction is essential.

4.3 Regaining a sense of agency

Eco-anxiety is not merely a psychological consequence of the ecological crisis: it can also shape how individuals respond to it. It can foster avoidance and a sense of powerlessness, but it can also contribute to environmental engagement. The systematic review by Cosh et al. (2024) [11] shows that eco-anxiety can be associated with psychological distress and symptoms of affective disorders. This distinction is particularly important for children and young people. The systematic review by Furman et al. (2026) [12] highlights the heterogeneity of the definitions and tools used to measure climate anxiety, which makes it difficult to compare prevalence estimates. The figures should therefore be interpreted with caution: a high proportion of young people expressing climate-related concerns does not mean that an equivalent proportion suffers from a psychiatric disorder.

5. Eco-anxiety: turning a warning signal into resilience

The public health challenge is therefore not to eliminate all ecological concern. Rather, it is to prevent paralysis without denying the reality of the threat. Eco-anxiety can thus be seen as an indicator of our relationship with the living world. It shows that the ecological crisis is not merely an environmental crisis: it also affects our perceptions, our emotions, our social ties and our vision of the future.

It also reflects the profound emotional bond between human beings and their environment. And as climate increasingly becomes a lived experience, it could become one of the most sensitive indicators of how our societies perceive, feel and respond to a changing world.

---

Notes and references

Thumbnail. Detail from one of the versions of The Scream by the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, produced between 1893 and 1917. [Source: Munch Museum, Oslo].

[1] Galea S et al. Exposure to hurricane-related stressors and mental illness after Hurricane Katrina. Arch Gen Psychiatry. Dec 2007;64(12):1427–34. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.64.12.1427. PMID: 18056551; PMCID: PMC2174368

[2] Clayton S, Manning CM, Krygsman K, Speiser M. Mental Health and Our Changing Climate: Impacts, Implications, and Guidance. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association and ecoAmerica; 2017

[3] Albrecht G, Sartore GM, Connor L, Higginbotham N, Freeman S, Kelly B, Stain H, Tonna A, Pollard G. (2007). Solastalgia: the distress caused by environmental change. Australas Psychiatry. 15 Suppl 1:S95–8. doi: 10.1080/10398560701701288. PMID: 18027145

[4] Albrecht, G. (2019). Earth Emotions: New Words for a New World. Cornell University Press.

[5] Hickman C et al. (2021). Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: a global survey. Lancet Planet Health. Dec;5(12):e863-e873. doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(21)00278-3. PMID: 34895496.

[6] Desbiolles A. (2024). Quand l’effondrement du vivant angoisse les individus [When the collapse of the living world caus https://eco-anxieux.fr/qui-sommes-nous/?es anxiety]. La Santé en action, no. 467, October 2024, pp. 25–27. Santé publique France.

[7] https://eco-anxieux.fr/qui-sommes-nous/?

[8] Boivin M et al. (2025). Towards a unified conceptual framework of eco-anxiety: mapping eco-anxiety through a scoping review. Cogent Ment Health. 17 April;4(1):2490524. doi: 10.1080/28324765.2025.2490524. PMID: 41262948; PMCID: PMC12443025.

[9] Météo-France. Climate review: July 2026 was the hottest and one of the driest months ever recorded in France. 4 August 2026. Météo-France. Drought in France: the soil has never been this dry since records began. 18 August 2026. Météo-France. Climate change: what impact on heatwaves? 24 August 2026. https://meteofrance.com/presse/bilan-climatique-juillet-2026-est-le-mois-le-plus-chaud-et-un-des-plus-secs https://meteofrance.com/news/drought-in-france-the-soil-has-never-been-so-dry https://meteofrance.com/changement-climatique/changement-climatique-quel-impact-sur-les-vagues-de-chaleur? (in french)

[10] https://vert.eco/sante-environnement/canicules-megafeux-secheresse-extreme-plus-de-15-millions-de-francais-eco-anxieux-pendant-cet-ete-apocalyptique-un-record (in french)

[11] Cosh et al. (2024) The relationship between climate change and mental health: a systematic review of the association between eco-anxiety, psychological distress, and symptoms of major affective disorders. BMC Psychiatry; 24:833.

[12] Furman L, et al. (2026). Climate anxiety in children and young people: A systematic review of prevalence and measurement methods. Journal of Climate Change and Health;30:100705. DOI: 10.1016/j.joclim.2026.100705.