More young people suffering from 'eco-anxiety'
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The reading
More and more children are suffering from "eco-anxiety". This is a condition that causes people to worry a lot about the future of Earth and the life on it. People worry about climate change, pollution and the loss of biodiversity. This has led education experts to call for more teaching in schools about climate change, wildlife and the environment. Many teachers say very little is taught in schools about climate change. Some teachers believe climate change should be taught to all year groups. The Teach the Future campaign group found that only four per cent of schoolchildren felt they knew enough about the climate crisis. The group said this is leading to more children suffering from eco-anxiety.
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Another campaign group, Earth Rangers, has taken action to address the problem of eco-anxiety. It said: "Eco-anxiety is not an official diagnosable disorder. However, it does affect children in very real ways. This includes feelings of fear, hopelessness and despair." It added: "It is important to research and understand the ways in which we can help children find effective strategies to cope with these feelings." Earth Rangers said schools should create conservation activities and help children to teach their parents about how to protect nature. The Earth Rangers president said more needed to be done to help children. She said: "Children are on the front lines of climate change."
Sources:
- https://news.sky.com/story/youngsters-suffering-from-eco-anxiety-as-campaigners-demand-more-climate-change-teaching-in-schools-12321819
- https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/06/02/2240546/0/en/New-research-from-Earth-Rangers-Ipsos-mental-health-experts-shows-rising-climate-concerns-among-children-can-be-healthy-with-the-right-support.html
- https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-health-idUSKCN2D7206
