“I think it’s different for young people. For us the destruction of the planet is personal”, 16-year-old

Young people are future leaders and consumers and corporations neglecting climate change should take note of their opinions and reactions for the future of their businesses.

A new study published in The Lancet explores young people’s mental health and the results are devastating. Nearly six in 10 young people (age 16-25) are very or extremely worried about climate change and are experiencing “significant emotional distress and a wide range of painful, complex emotions”. Report by Nordic Sustainability. 

The findings of the study show that the distress experienced by young people appears to be greater when they believe that government response is inadequate. As the study points put, both the impacts of climate change as well as governments’ lack of action are chronic, meaning that the long-term mental stressors will only get worse.

Morten Jastrup comments: “If the current election debate in Germany and recently Norway is to be seen as an indicator of how far politicians are willing to go, unfortunately the outlook is bleak. In some of the arguably most progressive countries in the self-professed most climate-focused part of the world, climate change seems to be getting only lip service from politicians.”

Hopefully this study will trigger action. It outlines the lived realities of tomorrow’s voters, workers, parents (if they overcome their fear of putting children into a world ravaged by climate change), and leaders. It seems imperative that politicians begin to not just listen, but also act accordingly.

The study begs the question from all of us: Are we doing what we can and are we doing enough?

Report link: https://lnkd.in/edS-aFe5