Eco-anxiety and sustainable careers: “You have left us no choice”

As an empathetic person, I feel the weight of this answer. She is not alone. Youth climate activism icon Greta Thunberg continually delivers a much-needed message (sadly often on deaf ears) to politicians and business professionals in positions of leadership and power today: pay attention, our planet is dying!

Greta Thunberg’s influence resulted in a youth movement in which leaders are pressured to make changes and accept the responsibility they hold. She has also led a huge and influential group of young adults, who are channeling their anger and desperation together to turn the tide. It’s not easy, and there is an overwhelming amount of work to be done in a short time.

There was not only conviction but also an element of fear in the answer from this young adult. There is a recognized term: eco-anxiety. The Cleveland Clinic Education Institute in the United States describes it as a “chronic fear of environmental doom that’s often paralyzing and debilitating, and it can sometimes be exacerbated by existing anxiety disorders.” Is it not time we start looking for environmental anxiety solutions? We need more green initiatives for jobs.