Taking action without anxiety

Feeling worried about the planet is common and understandable. The aim is not to stop caring, but to turn worry into action that is useful, shared and sustainable for you.

Eco-anxiety is real and common

• Eco-anxiety, also called climate anxiety, is a challenging emotional response to climate change and other environmental problems. It is not a medical diagnosis.
• A 2021 survey of 10,000 young people in 10 countries (Hickman and colleagues, published in The Lancet Planetary Health) found almost 60 per cent were very or extremely worried about climate change.
• Many experts see worry about a real threat as a rational response, not a sign that something is wrong with you.
• If worry is affecting your sleep, eating, studies or friendships for weeks, talk to a trusted adult, school counsellor or doctor. The Mental Health module explains where to get help.

What actually helps

• Action helps: taking practical steps is linked with lower anxiety, because it replaces helplessness with a sense of control.
• Community helps: acting with other people builds connection and makes the problem feel less overwhelming.
• Talking helps: sharing feelings with friends, family or a group lets you process them rather than carry them alone.
• Limit doom-scrolling. Choose a few reliable sources (such as UNEP, NASA and the WMO) and set a time limit for climate news.

Individual and collective action

• Personal habits matter: UNEP's '10 ways' include cutting energy use, choosing walking or public transport, wasting less food, eating more plant-based meals and buying fewer new clothes.
• Collective action multiplies impact. UNEP highlights spreading the word, and reports that the organisers of the 'Count Us In' platform say that if 1 billion people took action, they could cut up to 20 per cent of global carbon emissions.
• Speak up through proper channels: student councils, school eco-clubs, letters to your school or a local organisation proposing one specific change.
• Pick one or two causes and go deep, rather than trying to fix everything at once.

Volunteering in the UAE

• Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) runs programmes the public can join, including Clean Up UAE, a can collection campaign, recycling projects and tree-planting.
• EEG lists upcoming events with sign-up forms on its website. Age rules are not published there, so contact them, and get a parent's permission for events.
• Beach and desert clean-ups: wear gloves and closed shoes, bring water and sun protection, avoid the hottest hours, and never pick up sharp objects or medical waste with bare hands.
• Record what you collect; data from clean-ups helps organisations campaign for change.

Careers that help the planet

• Almost every field now needs sustainability skills: engineering (renewable energy, water, cooling), science (marine biology, ecology, climate science), business (sustainability reporting, supply chains), law, policy, design and communication.
• Useful school subjects include sciences, geography, maths and economics, but people enter the field from many backgrounds.
• Try it out: volunteer, join an eco-club, do a project on a local issue, or ask someone working in the field for a short informational interview (see the Careers module).
• Pace yourself. Caring for the planet is a long-term commitment, and rest is part of doing it well.