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Abstract
Climate change is an ongoing public health crisis. Efforts to reverse climate change and protect future generations' physical and mental health are more urgent than ever. Youth are particularly vulnerable to a fonn of anxiety related to stress or distress caused by awareness of environmental changes, tenned eco-anxiety. We conducted a scoping review to better understand the value of youth climate change activism as a strategy to combat climate change and mitigate eco-anxiety. Our review highlights risk factors for eco-anxiety among adolescents and gaps in the literature, considers the benefits and drawbacks of youth activism, and discusses models and strategies to promote youth engagement in climate change activism. To identify relevant literature, we searched a variety of databases, related research suggested by database algorithms, reference lists of resulting literature, and grey literature sources such as global reports and governmental resources. We summarize the findings on eco-anxiety and activism, and we provide recommendations for future research to inform effective public health practices and policy. As we shift our focus to the societal impacts of climate change, it is critical that we elevate the recognition of eco-anxiety as a reality and develop strategies to protect young people and their future.
Keywords: Adolescents, activism, climate change, eco-anxiety, youth, United States
Introduction
Climate change is an ongoing public health crisis. With a growing global population, increased industrialization, and heightened consumerism, Anthropogenic climate change is dramatically impacting human health and well-being. Tlie Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report cautions that climate change is expected to have adverse and often severe impacts on the well-being of children and adolescents (1). Efforts to protect the physical and mental health of future generations are more urgent than ever.
Climate change affects the social and environmental determinants of health by disrupting the basic requirements needed to live a healthy life such as clean water, air, and access to food. According to the World Health Organization, youth are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and it is estimated that they will suffer more than 80% of the illnesses, injuries, and deaths due to climate change (2). Beyond the biological and psychological impacts of climate change, social, economic, and ecological factors that affect health will also be disrupted since many of...