In addition to those who have lost their homes to floods and megafires, millions have endured record-breaking heat waves. The crisis also hits home in subtle, personal ways — withered gardens, receding lakeshores and quiet walks without the birdsong that once accompanied them.
“This is becoming a number one threat to mental health,” said Dr Britt Wray, a Stanford University researcher and author of “Generation Dread”, a forthcoming book about grappling with climate distress. “It can make day-to-day life incredibly hard to go on”. Almost 40 per cent of young people say they are hesitant about having children. If nature feels this unmoored today, some ask, why bring children into an even grimmer future?
Experts are quick to emphasise that people are justified in their emotional response. The threat is real and growing as carbon levels in the atmosphere pass dangerous new thresholds. With rising temperatures, extreme weather events will become more and more common.