Endangered forests, heatwaves, increased fires, rising pollution indices… Every week, adolescents hear about the consequences of climate change on our planet. And in recent years, the media coverage of Greta Thunberg and the climate marches have driven the point home. “Now, at that age, adolescents are real sponges. They are very imbued with the surrounding discourse and the information that is relayed via social networks and news channels, ”observes child psychiatrist Stéphane Clerget.
Exposure to climate issues which is not without consequences. “There has been a surge in ecological concerns in some of my adolescent patients over the past few years. The idea of the irreversible collapse of the world as we know it is spreading and it refers some to their anxieties linked to their own finitude, ”Stéphane Clerget analyzes. Same story with Valérie Masson-Delmotte, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): “We are seeing an upsurge in consultations with eco-anxious adolescents in medico-psychological centers”, indicates- she does. “Most of the time, this eco-anxiety is added to other worries. And the anxieties of these young people are rekindled with each new climate disaster or each declaration of a climate skeptic, ”adds psychiatrist Christine Barois.
“The emotions they go through sometimes resemble those that one experiences during a bereavement”
First targets of this eco-anxiety: “adolescents from advantaged socio-educational backgrounds, who are the most informed, and therefore the most up-to-date on the subject,” notes Christine Barois. “The fact that there is no dedicated school time where children can discuss with their teachers the collapse of biodiversity or global warming leaves them very alone in the face of their concerns”, estimates Valérie Masson-Delmotte. Another explanatory factor, according to her: “Adolescents are subject to contradictory injunctions: on the one hand, brands and YouTubers encourage them to consume, and on the other, they are aware of the ecological impact of their mode of consumption. consumption ”.
Sometimes this concern for the fate of the planet takes on enormous proportions. “The emotions they go through sometimes resemble those that one experiences during a bereavement: they are afraid, feel powerless, are angry with politicians and companies”, notes Valérie Masson-Delmotte. And some express real anxiety about the future. “One of my young patients told me about his fear of seeing all humans disappear from the Earth”, testifies Christine Barois. “This eco-anxiety can sometimes lead to sleep or eating disorders. Or be the starting point for a gradual withdrawal from school or friends, ”notes Stéphane Clerget. It is also difficult for some teenagers to let go of a form of guilt, when they indulge in not very green gestures. For example, it is impossible to savor a hamburger at a fast food restaurant or take a plane without feeling a certain embarrassment.
“Some parents find themselves with ‘Greta’ at home, systematically in opposition to them”
Their ecological obsession can also lead to family conflicts: “They express strong demands on their parents: they ask them not to use the dryer, to buy only organic, not to use the car, to be irreproachable in terms of selective sorting … And the challenge to the way of life of their parents sometimes turns into a conflict of generations ”, observes Christine Barois. “Some parents find themselves with” Greta “at home, systematically in opposition to them and make them crises at the table”, adds Stéphane Clerget.
Yet parents can play a big role in helping their offspring turn this eco-anxiety into a positive driver. “They must show them that there are solutions to improve the fate of the planet, share readings with them, think with them about the place of vacation or food choices,” says Valérie Masson-Delmotte. “They can show them that they can act to improve the lot of the planet, because you cannot educate a child without stimulating his notion of hope. They must invite them to engage in actions to their measure (join an activist association, participate in a climate march, become an eco-delegate at college, inform their contemporaries on social networks) and to think about an educational orientation. in line with their concerns, ”advises Stéphane Clerget. “Parents must teach their teenagers to live from day to day, to value their small actions. Because by acting on the ground, their concern for the planet will seem less anxiety-provoking to them and their commitment will give meaning to their existence, ”says Christine Barois.
Paradoxically, the coronavirus crisis also gave some teenagers reason to hope, as for Noémie: “During confinement, we saw a real drop in greenhouse gas emissions, the return of animals… Which proves that it is possible to solve this problem together, if we give ourselves the means. I don’t think this crisis is really advancing ecological awareness in France, but it has changed people’s habits, by favoring the local in terms of food and travel, for example. The question is whether this will really change in a fundamental way ”.