Tackling Climate Anxiety Through Activism

UK Youth for Nature
3 hours ago
3 min read

A photograph with wetlands in the background and thistles in the fore. — Photo credit - Lucy Twigg

Youth Activism

I hear it a lot. Our young people are a generation of hope, hope for the future and for social justice. It is a huge responsibility that weighs on the next generation. Not only do we have the climate crisis to combat, but the web of social and political issues that are interconnected. The more we try to solve one crisis, the more inequalities and injustice comes to light.

Climate Anxiety

I grew up with a growing sense of anxiety about climate change and grief for the damage this has caused. For a long time I felt powerless to do anything meaningful, but the desire for change never went away. I am lucky that I grew up with this awareness, but awareness is only the start. Action has to follow. And yet, where to start? It is incredibly overwhelming and something that cannot be done as an individual.

An Intersectional Approach

I have a passion for nature, but I believe we must take an intersectional approach when it comes to activism. This means addressing how the climate crisis disproportionately affects marginalised groups and low income areas. It is those who contribute the least to climate change that are affected by it the most. All the while those in power have the least incentive to do anything. I feel intensely the injustice of this, and I want to be an activist, but this comes with a lot of fear as well.

The author speaking at a climate action rally in Newcastle. — Photo credit - Lucy Twigg

Activism

I joined the Climate Action Newcastle rally in 2022 during COP27 for this reason, and this was how I heard about the Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s Young People’s Forum. I didn’t really know what to expect, other than this would be a way to meet other people who shared my passions for nature, but I knew it would be a start.

The Young People’s Forum

The forum was created with the aim for the wildlife trust to work better with young people by supporting them to have their views heard. This looks like providing experience and opportunities through workshops and training, all with the goal to support nature. This was the practical experience I was looking for but did not know where to find.

Connecting With Nature

Shortly before the forum’s first meeting I was hospitalised, which made it even harder to connect with wildlife when I was stuck inside for months. Everyone needs access to nature, but it is easy to forget this and take it for granted, which is why it’s important to find different ways to connect with our roots when we can’t be there physically.

A photograph showing a butterfly in a clear plastic pot, with a crouched figure in the background. — Photo credit - Lucy Twigg

Finding Community

Being able to join the meeting online was amazing. We shared our ideas for the forum and what we wanted it to look like. We began brainstorming our first project, an event that we could plan for the following summer. The theme was sustainability so we decided on a clothes swap to promote slow fashion and raise awareness of the waste and exploitation in the clothing industry.

The Wildlife Trust helped us with funding and supported us to be active in the project planning and curating the event. It was so rewarding to see the clothes swap come together, and it felt like a real hub of activity and connection.

We have since held a second clothes swap as well as collaborated with the Wildlife Trust’s events. For the first time I was able to visit the trust’s nature reserves and we have been on group trips to explore Kielder Forest, the coast at Hauxley and West Chevington.

A photograph of a climate action rally in Newcastle with people holding banners. — Photo credit - Lucy Twigg

The Future

I want to continue campaigning, and even now the forum are planning an event for the summer, celebrating our coasts and raising awareness about water pollution. This will be a full day of festival activities, art and music to celebrate our coastal wildlife. It can be easy to be overwhelmed by climate anxiety, but instead of giving up we can use this to fuel our activism. The solution can be found within nature itself, working with our environment rather than against it. This means centering wildlife within policy and legislation. UKY4N are currently campaigning for Newcastle Council to ban pesticide use on city streets, raising awareness of the harmful effects on both our health and habitats.