People across the globe share concern about climate change and its impacts. This climate anxiety, or ecoanxiety, can lead to a lack of a sense of agency, and thus inhibit climate action.  To avoid this pitfall requires a deeper understanding of the roots of climate anxiety and its connection to how climate change science is often communicated. Seeking a clearer picture of the psychological impact of climate change on young people, Michael Mann, Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, leads a research community to advance an understanding of the differential effects of climate change on young Philadelphians.

This research community is recruiting middle and high school students who were affected by Hurricane Ida, which hit Philadelphia and Montgomery counties particularly hard in September 2021, causing historic flooding. Goals include gaining insight into the students’ emotions, thoughts, and beliefs about climate change; the extent to which they may be experiencing climate anxiety and distress; and how their beliefs and concerns connect to climate science communication and messaging.