How to Save a Planet

Feeling Doomed? How to Tackle Climate Anxiety


Listen Later

“We’re all doomed.” If you’ve ever thought this to yourself while looking down at the remnants of your paper straw floating in your plastic coffee cup (just me?), you may be experiencing climate anxiety. Climate feelings, like anxiety and grief, are on the rise all over the world. And researcher Britt Wray started feeling them herself when she was newly married and started thinking about having children. So she started to study these feelings to learn more about the roots of her climate anxiety, how common it was, and why learning to cope with it is an important step towards taking climate action.


Guest: Britt Wray


Calls to Action


  • If you’re looking for climate related mental health treatment, the Climate Psychology Alliance has a directory of climate-aware therapists in North America and the UK
  • If you’re looking to connect with others over climate anxiety, check out some Climate Cafe directories here and here, or search “my city + climate cafe” to find one near you. If you want to host your own Climate Cafe, here’s a discussion guide. The Good Grief Network and Climate Awakening also host virtual ways to connect.
  • If you want to try some of the mindfulness techniques that Britt mentioned as a way of stretching your window of tolerance, check out the Free Mindfulness Project and Headspace
  • If you want to check out Britt’s work on climate anxiety, you can subscribe to her substack Gen Dread or check out her book Generation Dread

  • Check out our Calls to Action archive for all of the actions we've recommended on the show. Send us your ideas or feedback with our Listener Mail Form. Sign up for our newsletter here. And follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

    This episode of How to Save a Planet was produced by Anna Ladd. The rest of our reporting and producing team includes Kendra Pierre-Louis, Rachel Waldholz, Daniel Ackerman, Hannah Chinn, and Meg Driscoll. Our supervising producers are Katelyn Bogucki and Matt Shilts. Our editor is Caitlin Kenney. Sound design and mixing by Peter Leonard with original music from Peter Leonard and Emma Munger. Our fact checker for this episode was Stephanie Abramson. 

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    How to Save a PlanetBy Gimlet

    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8

    4.8

    1,522 ratings


    More shows like How to Save a Planet

    View all
    This American Life by This American Life

    This American Life

    91,088 Listeners

    Radiolab by WNYC Studios

    Radiolab

    44,010 Listeners

    Planet Money by NPR

    Planet Money

    30,686 Listeners

    Reply All by Gimlet

    Reply All

    27,389 Listeners

    99% Invisible by Roman Mars

    99% Invisible

    26,180 Listeners

    Outside/In by NHPR

    Outside/In

    1,469 Listeners

    Climate One by Climate One from The Commonwealth Club

    Climate One

    568 Listeners

    The Daily by The New York Times

    The Daily

    112,376 Listeners

    Every Little Thing by Gimlet

    Every Little Thing

    4,421 Listeners

    The Nod by Gimlet

    The Nod

    3,375 Listeners

    Ologies with Alie Ward by Alie Ward

    Ologies with Alie Ward

    24,231 Listeners

    Today, Explained by Vox

    Today, Explained

    10,229 Listeners

    GONE by Parcast Network

    GONE

    2,533 Listeners

    Without Fail by Gimlet

    Without Fail

    1,633 Listeners

    The Receipts Podcast by The Receipts Media LTD

    The Receipts Podcast

    353 Listeners

    Throughline by NPR

    Throughline

    16,225 Listeners

    Espionage by Parcast Network

    Espionage

    1,970 Listeners

    100% Related? by Ramon Rams

    100% Related?

    382 Listeners

    Not Guilty by Spotify Studios

    Not Guilty

    1,145 Listeners

    The Climate Pod by The Climate Pod

    The Climate Pod

    298 Listeners

    Short Wave by NPR

    Short Wave

    6,344 Listeners

    Living & Learning with Reba McEntire by Spotify Studios

    Living & Learning with Reba McEntire

    859 Listeners

    A Matter of Degrees by Dr. Leah Stokes, Dr. Katharine Wilkinson

    A Matter of Degrees

    505 Listeners

    The Climate Question by BBC World Service

    The Climate Question

    176 Listeners

    Stolen by Spotify Studios

    Stolen

    542 Listeners

    544 Days by Gimlet / Crooked Media / A24

    544 Days

    43 Listeners

    Shots of Science Vs by Spotify Studios

    Shots of Science Vs

    7 Listeners

    Caife: The Lost Sound by Spotify Studios

    Caife: The Lost Sound

    12 Listeners

    Sex, Lies & DM Slides by Spotify Studios

    Sex, Lies & DM Slides

    2 Listeners

    Stuck with Damon Young by Spotify Studios / Crooked Media

    Stuck with Damon Young

    29 Listeners

    Nosy Neighbors by Spotify Studios

    Nosy Neighbors

    8 Listeners

    Cents and the City by Spotify Studios

    Cents and the City

    9 Listeners

    WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

    WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT?

    127 Listeners