A few years ago, conversations about the weather were relatively simple. We spoke about a particularly hot summer, looked forward to the monsoon, or complained about an unexpected rainy day.
Today, those conversations feel different.
Across the world, people are experiencing record-breaking temperatures, floods, droughts, wildfires, and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns. This summer, several parts of India recorded temperatures approaching 50°C. News reports regularly feature stories about water shortages, extreme weather events, and environmental disruption.
Most discussions focus on the impact on infrastructure, agriculture, ecosystems, and physical health. These are all important. However, there is another consequence that receives far less attention: the impact on our mental wellbeing.
Over the past three decades working in the mental health and wellbeing space, I have observed that people do not only struggle with difficult circumstances. Very often, they struggle with uncertainty.
And perhaps that is what makes climate change psychologically challenging.
Climate anxiety is much more than the climate
In recent years, the term “climate anxiety” has entered public conversation. It describes the worry, fear, or distress some people experience when thinking about climate change and its consequences.
Climate anxiety is not a mental illness. Nor does concern about the future of our planet mean that something is wrong.
In many ways, concern is a healthy response. It reflects awareness, empathy, and an understanding that our actions today shape the world that future generations will inherit.
However, when those concerns become persistent, affect sleep, impact concentration, or create a constant sense of unease, they can begin to affect overall wellbeing.
What I find particularly interesting is that climate anxiety often seems to go beyond rising temperatures and extreme weather.
Beneath many of these concerns lies a deeper issue: uncertainty.
Most of us derive comfort from a sense of predictability. We make plans for our careers, our families, our finances, and our future based on an assumption that the world around us will remain reasonably stable.
When that stability begins to feel less certain, the mind naturally starts searching for answers.
Unfortunately, climate change presents questions that do not always have immediate answers.
Why uncertainty is so difficult
Human beings are remarkably adaptable. We can navigate challenges, recover from setbacks, and cope with adversity.
However, uncertainty places a unique burden on the mind.
When we face a challenge that has a clear solution, we can take action. We can make decisions, create plans, and move forward. Uncertainty is different. It keeps us in a state of anticipation.
We do not know exactly what will happen, when it will happen, or how it may affect us.
Therefore, the mind often remains alert.
This is not unique to climate change. We see similar patterns during economic instability, major life transitions, political uncertainty, and periods of rapid societal change.
Climate change has simply become one of the most visible reminders that the future may not unfold exactly as we expect.
For some people, this creates a quiet but persistent background stress that is difficult to name and even harder to switch off.
Why are young people feeling it more
Young people, in particular, appear to be carrying a heavier emotional burden.
Unlike previous generations, Gen Z has grown up with climate change as a constant backdrop to life. Conversations about rising temperatures, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and extreme weather have always been part of their reality.
At the same time, they are exposed to an unprecedented volume of information.
A teenager can scroll through social media and encounter stories about floods, wildfires, conflict, economic uncertainty, and climate projections within a matter of minutes.
The human mind was never designed to process such a continuous stream of global concerns.
Therefore, it is not surprising that many young people describe feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or powerless.
This is not a sign of weakness.
Rather, it reflects what can happen when people are repeatedly exposed to challenges that feel larger than their ability to influence.
The role of wellbeing in an uncertain world
One of the biggest misconceptions about wellbeing is that it is about feeling happy all the time.
It is not.
True wellbeing is the ability to adapt, recover, and continue functioning even when circumstances are difficult.
In other words, wellbeing is not built when everything is going well. It is built when life becomes uncertain.
This is where resilience becomes important. It does not mean pretending problems do not exist. It does not mean forced optimism or avoiding difficult emotions.
Rather, resilience is the ability to remain engaged with life despite uncertainty. It is the ability to take meaningful action even when we do not have all the answers.
For example, spending time in nature, participating in community initiatives, reducing waste, supporting environmental efforts, or having constructive conversations about solutions can all help strengthen a sense of agency.
The actions themselves may seem small. However, they remind us of something important: we are not powerless.
And when people feel less powerless, anxiety often begins to lose some of its grip.
A bigger wellbeing conversation
Climate change is undoubtedly one of the defining environmental challenges of our time.
However, it is also revealing something important about human wellbeing.
People need more than physical safety to thrive. We need hope. We need a connection. We need purpose. We need to feel that our actions matter.
When those foundations begin to weaken, anxiety often grows.
Therefore, as we discuss environmental solutions, we must also consider the emotional and psychological impact of the world people live in.
Mental wellbeing and environmental wellbeing are no longer separate conversations. Increasingly, they are becoming part of the same story.
The challenge before us is not simply how we care for the planet.
It is also how we help people maintain resilience, perspective, and hope while navigating a rapidly changing world.