ECO-ANXIETY … … AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

• BY MARION SPÉE

A new concept has recently emerged in the media. More and more people feel as though they have a sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. They’re feeling depressed and powerless about ongoing and inexorable climate change. People talk about climate angst, green depression, ecological burnout, but the term that seems to be increasingly used is eco-anxiety.

While the scientists who study climate change have been some of the first to admit the fragility of their mental health, fears about climate change are now affecting everyone. “In my clinical practice, I never saw this kind of case a year or two ago,” says psychologist Joe L. Flanders. “Now, I’ve got several cases.”

Young people, more likely to bear the brunt of the consequences of a feverish planet, suffer more from green depression than other age groups, it seems. The young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg sank into depression after seeing a documentary on polar bears, before becoming the figurehead of the youth ecology movement.

But what is eco-anxiety exactly? Anxiety refers to an increase in stress hormones as the body prepares to defend itself. “If we come face to face with a lion, fear will trigger our biological defence mechanisms and make us take to our heels. For eco-anxiety, it’s sort of the same thing, in that our survival’s at stake, except that the threat is more abstract,” explains Joe L. Flanders.

The American Psychology Association (APA) refers to this issue in a March 2017 report devoted to the consequences of climate change. The report defines eco-anxiety as a “chronic fear of a condemned environment.”

But fear sparks a reaction, so maybe this predicament should also be seen as an opportunity for individual or collective initiative. Still, what can we do to cope with the despair that overcomes us when we see temperatures soaring, glaciers melting and species disappearing? Act, act, act. “Doing nothing would be worse,” says Joe L. Flanders. Taking action is the best thing to do to make yourself feel that you’ve got at least some control over the situation and so reduce your anxiety. Act within the realm of possibility, according to the time you have available, at your scale: campaign, write, speak, get involved in your community. Or identify areas where you can make a difference: consumption, plastic, waste, transportation.

… AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

GREEN MUTATION

Green your balcony, a wall, your street, put in a garden or grow vegetables: these are concrete things you can do to preserve biodiversity and attract pollinators. The My Space for Life Garden program has lots of ideas you may find useful. A bonus is that everyone benefits from plants, which sequester CO 2 and produce O 2 , capture contaminants and fine particles, and provide islands of coolness.

Planting a tree on your property is a significant contribution, as even a small, slow-growing tree 8 to 15 cm in diameter can sequester 16 kg of CO 2 every year. When it reaches its maximum growth rate, it can sequester 360 kg a year. And if it’s close to your house, it can reduce your air-conditioning needs by up to 30%.

ECOLOGICAL GIFTS

Offer experiences that will leave unforgettable memories (cultural outings, sports events, interesting restaurants, etc.), give your time (offer to babysit, help clear snow, etc.) or breathe new life into old things: simple alternatives to buying new items for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas and other holidays.

In addition, when wrapping gifts, using reusable cloth bags, recycled brown paper or simply old wrapping paper will make a huge dent in the amount of waste you produce. Over 500,000 t of wrapping paper and gift bags are thrown out every year in Canada. The problem is that these bags, the ribbons that decorate them and the tape used on them can’t be recycled.

ORGANIC AND LOCAL

Opting to buy local, organic fruits and vegetables means eating with the seasons, promoting agriculture that foregoes the use of synthetic products, and fostering a short supply chain.

Food travels an average of 2,500 km between its place of harvest and your plate (the equivalent of a trip from Montreal to Havana, Cuba), so opting for local produce makes a huge difference in helping to reduce greenhouse gases.

Buying Quebec products is also a way to promote the local economy. According to the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ), if every Quebec consumer spent $30 more per year on Quebec products, the Quebec economy would grow by a billion dollars over five years.

PHOTO Shutterstock/Antonina Vlasova

ACTIVE OR COLLECTIVE TRANSPORT

Opting for active transport, public transit, carsharing, carpooling or an electric vehicle, and avoiding single car occupancy, is another way to meaningfully reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. In the transportation sector, single occupancy vehicles are responsible for over 75% of such emissions.

Over short distances, taking your bike is quicker than taking your car and helps to prevent traffic jams. Half of the people who work in cities could cycle to work because they live within 8 km of their workplace. For longer trips, a carsharing vehicle can replace 9 to 13 personal vehicles, while a bus can carry the equivalent of 40 to 50 cars.

PHOTO Shutterstock/Halfpoint

REUSE YOUR CONTAINERS

Opting for a reusable water bottle is a way to save on both water and energy! It means you don’t have to use plastic bottles. Manufacturing one plastic bottle requires 3 litres of water and 0.25 litres of oil, releases 0.09 kg of CO 2 and uses up to 2,000 times more energy than the treatment and supply of tap water. What’s more, a plastic bottle takes 1,000 years to decompose.

For coffee, one of Canadians’ favourite beverages, you can opt for a reusable cup and say good-bye to disposable ones, which aren’t recyclable. Cardboard cups are coated with a waterproof film and topped with a plastic cover. If you drink a medium-sized coffee (16 oz or 475 ml) from a stainless steel travel cup, for example, you’ll be producing just one fifth of the CO 2 generated for a disposable cup.

PHOTO Shutterstock/Alxcrs

Upon reopening, the Biodôme will be showcasing instigators of change. You’ll discover organizations and individuals who are working to protect the environment.

For even more ideas, check out the websites of Equiterre (equiterre.org), Unpointcinq (unpointcinq.ca) or Itallstartswithme (https://julienvidal6.wixsite.com/ itallstartswithme).