Eco Worrier, Eco Warrior: Exploring Eco-anxiety and Climate Activism in Britain

Researchers:

Dr Bridget Bradley, Principal Investigator
Dr Rika Hirose, Research Fellow
Hannah Fitchett, Research Assistant
Eleonora Ranuzzi, Research Assistant

Department of Social Anthropology – School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies

Eco Worrier, Eco Warrior explores the lived experiences of eco-anxiety for those involved in climate action in Britain. Funded by the Scottish Funding Council, this short research project involved online interviews and focus groups with people between the ages of 17 and 80 and aimed to find out about intergenerational perspectives on eco-anxiety, and unpack the relationship between climate activism and mental health. The project revealed the intense social and emotional effects that the climate crisis is already causing, and the need to pay attention to the ways that people of all ages are coping with these issues.

This image captures many of the themes that arose from Dr Bridget Bradley’s research group: the sense of isolation that many people feel as a result of their climate work and the subsequent effects this work has on their mental health; the way that fear, sadness and grief relating to the climate crisis can impact peoples’ relationships with the natural world. Furthermore, the mood of the image captures the attempts of climate activists to remain hopeful for a future that feels increasingly uncertain due to the likelihood of severe climate disruption and chaos.

Photography: Marc Millar, Schnapps Photography, Edinburgh