by climate psychologists to engage with such ‘unthought knowns’ and their unconscious, unexplored, emotional implications is ‘social dreaming’. awareness of climate change and its destructive impact, happening in both the present and future, is often very overwhelming. literature investigating how individuals and society respond to crisis and disaster found that when there was space to process and reflect on emotional experiences, these increased emotions were adaptive. furthermore, this then led to growth and resilience. doppelt suggested ‘transformational resilience’ as a property of social systems, in which adversities are catalysts for new meaning and direction in life, leading to changes that increase both individual and community wellbeing above previous levels. climate anxiety (eco-anxiety) this section is an excerpt from eco-anxiety. eco-anxiety (short for ecological anxiety and also known as eco-distress or climate-anxiety) has been defined as "a chronic fear of environmental doom". extensive studies had been done on ecological anxiety since 2007, and various definitions remain in use. another widely cited definition is: "the generalized sense that the ecological foundations of existence are in the process of collapse." some scholars use the term "eco-anxiety" as a synonym for "climate-anxiety", while others like to treat the terms separately. while much ecological disruption results from climate change, some is caused by direct human activity, such as deforestation. the condition is not a medical diagnosis and is regarded as a rational response to the reality of climate change; however, severe instances can have a mental health impact if left without alleviation. there are also evidence that eco-anxiety is caused by the way researchers frame their research and their narratives of the evidence about climate change: if they do not consider the possibility of finding any solution to overcome climate change and for individuals to make a difference, they contribute to this feeling of powerlessness (source: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3986/4/1/6). eco-grief the loss of sea-ice can have psychological impact on people who value it. "we are people of the sea ice. and if there's no more sea ice, how do we be people of the sea ice?" – inuit elder. this section is an excerpt from ecological grief. after a blue origin spaceflight it was among the strongest feelings of grief i have ever encountered. the contrast between the vicious coldness of space and the warm nurturing of earth below filled me with overwhelming sadness. every day, we are confronted with the knowledge of further destruction of earth at our hands: the extinction of animal species, of flora and fauna... things that took five billion years to evolve, and suddenly we will never see them again because of the interference of mankind. it filled me with dread. my trip to space was supposed to be a celebration; instead, it felt like a funeral. — william shatner in boldly go ecological grief (or eco-grief), also known as climate grief, refers to the sense of loss that arises from experiencing or learning about environmental destruction or climate change. environmental grief can be defined as "the grief reaction stemming from the environmental loss of ecosystems by natural and man-made events." another definition is "the grief felt in relation to experienced or anticipated ecological losses, including the loss of species, ecosystems, and meaningful landscapes due to acute or chronic environmental change." for example, scientists witnessing the decline of australia's great barrier reef report experiences of anxiety, hopelessness, and despair. environmental disruption, such as the loss of biodiversity, or even the loss of inanimate environmental features like sea ice, cultural landscapes, or historic heritage can also cause negative psychological responses, such as ecological grief or solastalgia. anthropological perspective on climate psychology climate change has devastating effects on indigenous peoples' psychological wellbeing as it impacts them directly and indirectly. as their lifestyles are often closely linked to the land, climate change directly impacts their physical health and financial stability in quantifiable ways. there is also a concerning correlation between severe mental health issues among indigenous peoples worldwide and environmental changes. the connection and value indigenous cultures ascribe to land means that damage to or separation from it, directly impacts mental health. for many, their country is interwoven with psychological aspects such as their identity, community and rituals. this interconnectedness informs a holistic perspective of health which requires balance and spiritual connection to the environment, both of which climate change threatens and western climate actors do not fully understand. inadequate government responses which neglect indigenous knowledge further worsen negative psychological effects linked to climate change. this produces the risk of cultural homogenization due to global adaptation efforts to climate change and the disruption of cultural traditions due to forced relocation. countries with lower socio-economic status and minority groups in high socio-economic areas are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis. this has created environmental refugees due to worsening environmental conditions and catastrophic climate events. changes in cultural practice and social behavior occurred along with the intensifying climate crisis. indigenous culture is one example of this shift as the human body embodies the surrounding physical environment. understanding how these cultural shifts in the climate crisis influence mental health is essential in creating and providing appropriate support. anthropologists provide an essential tool for understanding the implications of the climate crisis on human health. the ‘environmental body' expands on scheper-hughes and lock theory of the ‘three bodies' – the phenomenological body, the body politic, and the symbolically lived body social. it is now necessary to understand mental health, not just as a product of biomedical imbalance, but as a result of the climate crisis. the hegemonic ideology that prioritizes economic expansion drastically affects mental wellbeing and must be brought to light and challenged. the effects will only intensify over time as unpredictable environmental disasters worsen. due to the extensive impacts of climate change on indigenous mental health, it is crucial for indigenous perspectives to be carefully considered and increasingly incorporated in the field of climate psychology. other other climate specific psychological impacts are less well studied than eco-anxiety. they include eco-depression, eco-anger, and states of denial or numbness, which can be brought on by too much exposure to alarmist presentation of the climate threat. a study that used confirmatory factor analysis to separate out the effects of eco-anxiety, eco-depression and eco-anger, found that eco-anger is the best for the person's wellbeing, and also good for motivating participation in both collective and individual action to mitigate climate change. a separate 2021 report found that eco-anger was significantly more common among young people. a 2021 review of literature found that emotional responses to crisis can be adaptive when the individual has the capacity and support to process and reflect on this emotion. in these cases, individuals are able to grow from their experiences and support others. in the context of climate change, this capacity for deep reflection is necessary to navigate the emotional challenges that both individuals and societies face. impacts on specific groups further information: effects of climate change on mental health § vulnerable populations and life stages people express differing intensities of concern and grief about climate change depending on their worldview, with those holding egoistic (defined as people who mostly care about oneself and their health and wellbeing), social-altruistic (defined as people who express concern for others in their community like future generations, friends, family and general public) and biospheric (defined as people who are concerned about environmental aspects like plants and animals) views differing markedly. people who belong to the biospheric group expressed the most concern about ecological stress/grief i.e., a form of grief related to worries about the state of the world's environment, and engage in ecological coping, – ecological coping includes connection to community, expression of sorrow and grief, shifting focus to controllable aspects of climate change and being close to nature – people who belonged to the social-altruistic group engaged in ecological coping but did not express ecological stress. communities of color communities of color are disproportionately affected by climate change. "the impacts of climate change that we are feeling today, from extreme heat to flooding to severe storms, are expected to get worse, and people least able to prepare and cope are disproportionately exposed," said epa administrator michael s. regan. this has short- and long-term effects on physical and mental health. it is important to recognize how environmentalism and racism are intertwined—how the repercussions of slavery and colonialism and continuous police brutality still play a key role in climate change in communities of color. the response to eco-anxiety is focused on the dominant groups in society and neglects the marginalized communities. according to mental health america, 17% of black people and 23% of native americans live with a mental illness. research has shown that communities of color are less likely to have access to mental health services, less likely to seek out treatment, and more likely to receive low or poor quality of care. this is due to an overwhelming amount of racial, structural, and cultural barriers these communities face. eco-anxiety is affecting the majority of young adults because they have grown up with climate change and see the impacts it has on them locally. there are very few resources for communities of color to help them cope with eco-anxiety. researchers recommend talking with a local therapist, reconnecting with nature, and focusing on positive news of climate change. many minority and low-income communities do not have the same access to green spaces or playgrounds compared to suburban communities. studies have shown the positive impact that physical activity can have on mental health, but once again they do not have access to this resource. children children and young adults are the most vulnerable to climate change impacts. many of the climate change impacts which affect children's physical health also lead to psychological and mental health consequences. children who live in geographic locations that are most susceptible to the impacts of climate change, and/or with weaker infrastructure and fewer supports and services suffer the worst impacts. even though children and young adults are the most vulnerable group regarding impacts of climate change, they have received far less research focus as compared to adults. the world health organization states that more than 88% of the existing burden of disease attributable to climate change occurs in children younger than 5 years. the impacts of climate change on children include them being at a high risk of mental health consequences like ptsd, depression, anxiety, phobias, sleep disorders, attachment disorders, and substance abuse. these conditions can lead to problems with emotion regulation, cognition, learning, behavior, language development, and academic performance. a 2018 study argued that it was crucial to gather information about how children are psychologically affected by climate change because of three major reasons: children will bear a larger burden of the negative consequences of climate change over their lifetimes, and hence, society needs to know how to reduce these impacts and protect them; they are the next leaders of society and how they are responding psychologically now has importance for their current and future decision-making; they will need the capacity to adapt to a climate-changed world, including a rapid transition to a low-carbon economy psychologically and physically and they will require particular knowledge, attitudes, and attributes to facilitate this adaptation. adolescent mental health mental health is a state of well-being where an individual can recognize their abilities, handle daily stresses of life, productively work, and able to contribute to their community. there are a multitude of mental illnesses that affect everyone differently. increased attention to climate change has increased global awareness of the climate crisis, and this awareness comes with a few downfalls. lack of political advocacy and change, with an increase in media attention, has brought upon ecological grief, which has had particular impacts on adolescent mental health. ecological grief is defined as the psychological reaction to loss caused by climate change. climate change affects adolescents differently and in a multitude of ways. many of these ways intersect as each adolescent processes their trauma and distress. adolescents with pre-existing mental illnesses experience an elevated risk of ecological grief and distress. while these feelings are not directly harmful to the adolescent's physical health and conditions, they are unpleasant and a rising issue. ecological grief, distress, anxiety, and anger are the most popular emotions sparked among adolescents. psychologists, specifically climate psychologists, are experiencing difficulties in originating