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A ‘greenhouse affect’? Exploring young Australians’ emotional responses to climate change

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  • Tanja Russell

    (Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
    The Australian National University)

Abstract

Recent studies reveal that young people are experiencing a range of emotions relating to climate change, including anxiety, anger and a sense of powerlessness. Young people have also voiced distrust in governments for failing to adequately address climate change, which they see as a critical threat to their future. However, there is limited research considering the interplay between young people’s emotions about climate change and the broader social context in which they live; social-ecological theory can assist in identifying important systemic factors influencing emotional responses to climate change. In this qualitative research project, I drew upon a social-ecological theoretical framework to explore the affective dimensions of climate change as experienced by young Australians aged 18–24 (N = 14). A primary, overarching finding was of climate change as a multidimensional emotional challenge for young people, with four sub-themes that describe key experiences through which it manifests: a fragmented climate education; disillusionment with politics, but hope for change; reckoning with uncertain futures; and grappling with agency. The findings contribute to the growing literature on climate-related emotions, highlighting experiences of interrelated emotions that resist being reduced to one label (e.g., ‘eco-anxiety’). Accordingly, I discuss a ‘greenhouse affect’ to convey the affective quandary provoked by climate change, expanding upon established anxiety-centred concepts. I also discuss implications for educating young Australians about climate change, and how this might improve their sense of agency to meaningfully contribute to climate solutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Tanja Russell, 2024. "A ‘greenhouse affect’? Exploring young Australians’ emotional responses to climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 177(5), pages 1-20, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:177:y:2024:i:5:d:10.1007_s10584-024-03737-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-024-03737-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Matthew Schneider-Mayerson & Kit Ling Leong, 2020. "Eco-reproductive concerns in the age of climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 163(2), pages 1007-1023, November.
    2. Christine Wamsler & Jamie Bristow, 2022. "At the intersection of mind and climate change: integrating inner dimensions of climate change into policymaking and practice," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 173(1), pages 1-22, July.
    3. Adam Corner & Olga Roberts & Sybille Chiari & Sonja Völler & Elisabeth S. Mayrhuber & Sylvia Mandl & Kate Monson, 2015. "How do young people engage with climate change? The role of knowledge, values, message framing, and trusted communicators," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 6(5), pages 523-534, September.
    4. Hasini Gunasiri & Yifan Wang & Ella-Mae Watkins & Teresa Capetola & Claire Henderson-Wilson & Rebecca Patrick, 2022. "Hope, Coping and Eco-Anxiety: Young People’s Mental Health in a Climate-Impacted Australia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-12, May.
    5. Tara J. Crandon & James G. Scott & Fiona J. Charlson & Hannah J. Thomas, 2022. "A social–ecological perspective on climate anxiety in children and adolescents," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 12(2), pages 123-131, February.
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