It's no secret that young people in the UK are worried about climate change. They're genuinely concerned about the state of our planet, and for lots of them it’s not just a passing thought. Between 2017 and 2018 there was a dramatic shift in their climate consciousness, perhaps the result of media coverage of the IPCC special report released that year and of Greta Thunberg’s ‘school strikes for the future’. What's interesting is in the last few years there's been an apparent shift from those that were convinced to more uncertainty. Whether this is a longer trend or just a one off drop in 2022 we don't know, only time will tell. But it's possible that given everything else going on in the world in the last 2-3 years young people are dealing with information overload and not quite so clear on their views on climate change. Or it may be that as the data for 2022 is provisional that it may rise again with the release of the next Wave in the the Autumn.

Regardless of this variation in the recent data, climate anxiety has become a daily companion for many of young people. In fact, almost half of them – 49% to be precise – are very or extremely worried about climate change. And get this, 28% of them say that this anxiety is affecting their daily lives and how they function.¹It's a stark reminder that the climate crisis isn't just an environmental issue; it's taking a toll on the mental well-being of the younger generation as well.

Lily’s advice? ‘I put my fear into action. Things will get better because you’ll learn to deal with it. It won’t disappear but if you can, reach out to groups that can help. Take your fear and turn it into action – that’s all we as young people can do.’²