‘Climate Anxiety is Normal’ – And Women Feel It More 

In the July edition of The Evidence newsletter, journalist Josephine Lethbridge examines why women feel more climate anxiety than men – and how concern for the environment can lead to action.  

Cláudia Agostinho, a young nurse living in Portugal, belongs to an international group of activists urging governments to adopt climate-conscious policies. Speaking to The Guardian in 2022, she explained, “I was driven to do this because of the anxiety I feel about what is happening, and what will happen if we don’t take any action.” 

Agostinho’s words echo concerns felt by women across Portugal, a country with high levels of reported climate anxiety. According to a new study, young Portuguese women – like Agostinho – are among the most climate-anxious in Europe, and experience much more anxiety than their male peers. They are also more likely to act on these anxieties. 

Unpacking the evidence 

Research by Clara Kühner and colleagues at the University of Leipzig finds that younger people, women, and those with left leaning political views are more likely to experience climate anxiety. But unlike some other forms of anxiousness, Kühner explains that climate anxiety “[is] not a disease. It’s a natural reaction to an actual threat. It’s normal.” 

Kühner describes environmental concerns as a “double-edged sword”: her research shows that while climate anxiety can negatively affect mental health, it can also drive climate action.  

According to Mariana Pinho of the University of Aveiro, factors that may explain women’s increased climate anxiety include their vulnerability to climate change and stronger social and environmental values. Another explanation is that some men avoid engaging with climate-related issues because environmentally friendly behavior is seen as feminine.  

What this means 

Lethbridge suggests that because climate action is associated with care, empathy, and honesty, it may be seen as “a threat to traditional (often masculinized) notions of power and rationality.” In some corners of the internet, the press, and politics, women’s climate anxieties are mocked and dismissed. 

Normalizing climate anxiety, Kühner argues, could help more people to acknowledge their fears about the future, and turn their anxious thoughts into climate action. This means creating spaces – in educational settings, places of work, and beyond – where people can reflect and find ways to act.  

Read this month’s full newsletter to learn what can be done to support climate anxiety in our communities, our workplaces, and in policy.  An archive of past issues can be accessed through Social Science Space.