Eco-anxiety is now recognised as a clinical reality. This research paper by Judy L. Wong and Richard A. Powell is part of a special issue “Climate Crisis and Mental Health”, International Review of Psychiatry, with guest editor Professor Mala Rao.
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Abstract
In April 2022, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stated clearly that without immediate and deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, it would be impossible to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. A growing body of research shows an increasing reaction to witnessing or experiencing current climate impacts and concern regarding apparent inaction in response, manifests as negative cognitive, emotional, and behavioural responses, including eco-anxiety. This commentary contends that nature-based activities (NBAs) have a potentially important, but currently neglected, role to play in supporting those experiencing eco-anxiety. However, existing research limitations hinder their adoption in the United Kingdom’s social prescribing agenda and they remain a largely untapped therapeutic resource that need to be mainstreamed into clinical and social care provision. The paper calls for investment in research that advances our understanding of the individual and community benefits of NBAs, the longevity of their impact, and their associated, comparative and opportunity costs.
Notes on the article
INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF PSYCHIATRY
2022, VOL. 34, NO. 5, 537–540 https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2022.2125289
Article History – Received 25 March 2022 Accepted 13 September 2022
Keywords – Nature; mental; wellbeing; climate change