Anxious about climate change? Experts discuss its impact on mental health
A house in Crawford County, Illinois, was one of many struck by tornadoes on March 31 Emily Hays/Illinois Public Media
Does the idea of the climate crisis make you anxious? In 2024, a Pew Research survey found that 69 percent of Americans say large businesses and corporations are doing too little to help reduce the effects of global climate change.
In the same poll, a third of people in the age of 18 to 29 think they will need to make major sacrifices because of climate change… compared with only 15 percent of people who are 65 years old and older.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Professor in the Department of Climate, Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences, Steve Nesbitt, State Climatologist at the Prairie Research Institute, Trent Ford, Professor in the Department of Climate, Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences, Jeff Frame and Climate Resilience Extension Specialist, Jessica Rudnick discuss how climate issues affect our mental health and the role of meteorologists and climate scientists in managing public safety and communication during weather events.
Funding for Weather Realness is partially provided by the Backlund Charitable Trust. If you have a question for a local scientist on this program, please leave a voicemail at 217.333.2141 or email weatherrealness@illinois.edu.
