Carrying the World in My Chest: Eco-Anxiety and Me

22 October 2025 - Luyanda Dlamini

Luyanda Dlamini came third in the 2025 Climate Change and Me essay competition.

Luyanda writes about how climate change is impacting many young people who feel anxious about the future and powerless in the face of inaction by those in power.

When I started the course Climate Change and Me, I expected to learn about scientific facts such as carbon emissions and how the climate system works. I did not expect to experience emotional stress. The more I learned the more I started to feel anxious and worried about the future. This emotional response is known as eco-anxiety. It is a type of anxiety that develops when a person feels overwhelmed by environmental problems and fears the future effects of climate change (Clayton, 2020). Each day I wake up and hear birds outside, but instead of peace, I feel concern. I begin to think about what kind of world we will live in ten or twenty years from now. I wonder if we still have time to fix the damage. Climate change is not just a topic in textbooks. It is already affecting the world around us. In my community, people have noticed unusual weather. Rains come late or not at all. Crops that used to grow well now fail. These effects show that climate change is not only a science problem. It is also a human problem (IPCC, 2023).

As I attend more lectures and read more reports the seriousness of the situation becomes clearer. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that human activities have warmed the air, oceans and the land. These effects are now causing more heatwaves, droughts, floods and rising sea levels (IPCC, 2023). The reports are not predictions. They describe problems that are already happening. However, many people and leaders are still not acting fast enough. This makes it hard to feel hopeful. People are often told to recycle or save water and use less plastic. While these actions are important, they are not enough to stop climate change. Large industries and companies produce most of the emissions, yet they continue to harm the environment without real punishment. This creates an unfair situation. We are asked to fix problems we did not cause while using tools that are too small. According to Hickman et al. (2021), many young people around the world feel that their governments are not listening to them or taking climate change seriously.

In South Africa, the problem is even more difficult. Over 80 percent of the country’s electricity still comes from coal (Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, 2021). This increases pollution and contributes to climate change. At the same time, the country is already experiencing severe weather such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves. People in farming communities feel these changes first. They can tell that the seasons are no longer the same, even without reading climate reports. Solving the climate crisis means we must change our systems in a fair way. One way to do this is through a plan called a Just Transition. This means moving to clean energy while protecting workers and poor communities. For example, coal miners should be trained for new jobs in renewable energy. Farmers should receive support to adapt to new weather patterns. If we do not make this change in a fair way, we risk making poverty and inequality worse (ILO, 2015).

Eco-anxiety is not just about fear. It is also about feeling powerless. When world leaders attend climate meetings and make promises but do not follow through, it becomes harder to trust them. Some climate conferences are even sponsored by fossil fuel companies, which creates a sense of betrayal. Young people see these contradictions and feel ignored or disrespected (Oxfam, 2022).

Even with all of this, I still care about the planet. It is not easy to care so deeply, but it keeps me active. I try to learn about renewable energy, attend discussions, and talk to people in my community about climate change. These small actions may not fix everything, but they are part of building a stronger future. I am not the only one who feels this way. Many young people across the world are feeling anxious, but they are also becoming more aware, more active, and more determined. We live in uncertain times, but we are learning how to respond. Fear and hope can exist at the same time. Both can push us to act.

I have not yet found peace with the climate crisis. I am still learning and still searching. But I believe that if we can speak about how we feel, we are already taking a step toward solving the problem. Climate change affects everyone. If we act wisely, fairly, and together, we may be able to carry this world not as a heavy burden, but as a shared responsibility.

References

• Clayton, S. (2020). Climate anxiety: Psychological responses to climate change. American Psychologist, 75(5), 627–638.
• Department of Mineral Resources and Energy. (2021). Integrated Resource Plan 2019. Government of South Africa. [Online] Available at: https://www.energy.gov.za/IRP/ [Accessed 27 July 2025].
• Hickman, C., Marks, E., Pihkala, P., Clayton, S., Lewandowski, R. E., Mayall, E. E., Wray, B., Mellor, C. and van Susteren, L. (2021). Young People’s Voices on Climate Anxiety, Government Betrayal and Moral Injury: A Global Phenomenon. The Lancet Planetary Health, 5(12), e863-e873.
• International Labour Organization (ILO). (2015). Guidelines for a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all. Geneva: ILO.
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (2023). Sixth Assessment Report: Summary for Policymakers. [Online] Available at: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/downloads/ [Accessed 27 July 2025].
• Oxfam. (2022). Climate Injustice: How fossil fuel sponsorship threatens global climate talks. [Online] Available at: https://www.oxfam.org [Accessed 27 July 2025].