For this generation, the climate crisis is not a future problem, it’s a present reality.
Generation Z has grown up in the shadow of a global climate crisis, a reality that has fundamentally shaped their worldview in a way no previous generation has experienced. The constant stream of news about wildfires, record-breaking heat, and dire scientific warnings is not just background noise; it is the soundtrack to their lives. This has created a profound and pervasive sense of “climate anxiety.”
It’s a rational response to inheriting a world on fire, and it is impacting their mental health, their relationships, and their plans for the future.
1. It is reshaping their fundamental life choices, like having kids.
The uncertainty of the climate crisis is forcing Gen Z to question the traditional milestones of adulthood. Many are expressing a deep ambivalence about having children, questioning the ethics of bringing a new life into a world they fear is destined for ecological collapse. They are also making career choices based on the crisis, either choosing to work for sustainable companies or avoiding industries they see as harmful.
Even decisions about where to live are being influenced by long-term climate risk assessments, with many avoiding coastal areas or regions prone to drought. This is a generation that is planning their entire lives around a crisis they did not create.
2. They feel a deep sense of intergenerational betrayal.
A core component of Gen Z’s climate anxiety is a deep and simmering anger at the perceived inaction of the generations that came before them. They have grown up hearing scientists’ warnings become increasingly dire, while seeing what they consider to be a catastrophic failure of leadership from politicians and corporations. They feel that their future has been stolen from them for the sake of short-term profits.
This sense of betrayal creates a massive intergenerational rift. It fosters a deep cynicism about existing political and economic systems, which they believe have prioritized the comfort of the present over the habitability of the future.
3. Their digital lives are a constant stream of climate “doomscrolling”.
Gen Z is the first generation to experience the climate crisis through the lens of a 24/7, algorithm-driven news cycle. Their social media feeds on platforms like TikTok and Instagram are filled with a relentless stream of content about climate disasters, from terrifying videos of California wildfires to heartbreaking images of endangered animals. This is a daily diet of doom.
This constant exposure to negative information, a phenomenon known as “doomscrolling,” can lead to feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and overwhelming anxiety. It makes the problem feel so large and insurmountable that it becomes emotionally paralyzing, a constant background hum of dread.
4. It’s a tangible mental health crisis, not just a worry.
The term “eco-anxiety” has entered the mainstream vocabulary for a reason. Psychologists and therapists are seeing a very real and growing mental health crisis among young people that is directly linked to the climate. They are treating a generation that is experiencing genuine grief for a future they fear they will never have, a condition now sometimes called “solastalgia.”
The symptoms are real: depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and a pervasive sense of hopelessness. The psychological burden of inheriting a world in crisis is immense, and it is a unique mental health challenge that previous generations have never had to face on this scale.
5. Their anxiety is manifesting as physical health symptoms.
The mental strain of climate anxiety is not just in their heads; it is having a real impact on their physical health. The chronic stress and feelings of hopelessness associated with eco-anxiety can manifest as a variety of physical symptoms. These can include insomnia, headaches, digestive issues, and a weakened immune system, all of which are classic signs of a body under constant, low-grade stress.
This is a stark reminder that the psychological burden of the climate crisis has tangible, physiological consequences, as young people’s bodies are being forced to carry the weight of an uncertain future.
6. It’s fueling a new, more urgent wave of activism.
For many in Gen Z, the only antidote to their feelings of helplessness is action. Their anxiety is being channeled into a powerful and increasingly confrontational wave of climate activism. They are the generation leading school strikes, organizing protests, and using their social media savvy to hold corporations and politicians accountable in a very public and often disruptive way.
This activism is born from a desperate sense that the traditional systems have failed and that radical action is the only option left. It is a direct conversion of their fear and anger into a demand for immediate and transformative change, a fight for their very future.
7. They are grappling with “solastalgia,” or grief for a disappearing world.
A newer concept that perfectly describes the Gen Z experience is “solastalgia.” It is a form of homesickness that you feel while you are still at home, a sense of grief and distress caused by seeing your familiar home environment being negatively transformed by environmental change. It’s the sadness of seeing a local river dry up or a familiar forest burn down.
For Gen Z, this is a constant state of being. They are mourning the loss of a stable and predictable natural world that their parents took for granted. This feeling of living in a world that is actively disappearing around them is a profound and deeply painful part of their modern experience.