From Worry to Action: Helping Young Australians Cope With Severe Weather Anxiety

Find out why climate anxiety affects young Australians, when to seek support and how practical severe weather preparation can combat feelings of powerlessness.

WRITTEN BY HUMANS

Published November 05, 2026

Key Takeaways

While a concern for many, climate anxiety is not, in itself, a mental illness. Worrying about severe weather events can be a rational response to a genuine risk.
Understanding local risks, knowing where warnings will come from and having a plan can help young people feel less powerless.
If severe weather anxiety is ongoing or affecting sleep, school, work, relationships or everyday life, help is available.

Trigger warning: Some people have had firsthand experience with bushfires and other climate emergencies, and reading about them may cause stress. For those with lived experience of natural disasters or ongoing mental health challenges, please read with care.

Extreme weather warnings on your phone. Footage of homes disappearing beneath rising flood waters. Smoke from a bushfire burning hours away. Severe weather might leave you wondering: Could that happen here? Would I know what to do?

If you’ve ever felt a knot in your stomach watching flood or bushfire footage roll across your feed, you’re not alone. For many young Australians, those worries may be fuelling climate anxiety – an emotional response to climate change, also known as eco-anxiety or climate distress.¹ It’s important to understand that these feelings are a rational response to our changing climate, says the Climate Council.¹ However, when worry starts getting in the way of everyday life, it may be worth paying closer attention.¹

Feeling anxious doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do. The good news is that the experts we spoke to agree that good information, honest conversations and practical preparation can all help young people feel less powerless.

What is climate anxiety?

Climate anxiety describes fear, worry or distress about climate change and its consequences.¹ It can include concern about the planet’s future as well as immediate fears about bushfires, floods, storms, heatwaves and personal safety.^2,3

And research shows that these negative feelings are widespread. In a 2025 joint survey of more than 17,000 Australians aged 14 to 19, youth mental health organisation Orygen and Mission Australia found that more than 75% of 16,230 respondents experienced some form of emotional distress, functional disruption or safety concerns related to climate change.³

You don’t need to have lived through a disaster to be affected by one.⁴ Young people can see severe weather in the news and on social media, learn about it at school, and even probably hear it discussed at home. Generally, they will also live with the effects of climate change for longer than older generations.⁵

“During adolescence, young people are developing their understanding of the future and may feel they have limited power to influence large-scale problems, which can amplify worry and uncertainty,” says Associate Professor Fiona Charlson from the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research.

Meanwhile, Associate Professor Caroline Gao from Orygen and the University of Melbourne says we shouldn’t blame all climate-related anxiety on social media. Bushfire smoke, floods and extreme heat can make the threat visible in everyday life, she says.

“It’s not just on social media. It’s everywhere they go,” explains Caroline.

Is climate change anxiety a mental illness?

No. Climate anxiety is not, in itself, typically viewed as a mental health condition.⁶ Some experts describe it as a reasonable response to a genuine threat.¹ In some cases, that concern can prompt people to pay attention, prepare and act.¹

“Anxiety about severe weather and climate-related risks is generally considered a rational and understandable response to a real threat,” says Fiona. “Concern can help people pay attention to risks and take protective action.”

It becomes more concerning, she says, when distress sticks around or interferes with sleep, concentration, relationships, school, work or everyday life.

The Orygen and Mission Australia research found that young people with high climate concern but little disruption to daily life generally reported better wellbeing than those whose functioning or sense of safety was affected.³

Can taking action help ease climate anxiety in young people?

Constructive coping strategies, including taking practical action, may help some young people focus on what they can influence.⁷ Fiona says it won't remove the risk or “fix” every anxious feeling, but it can build connection, purpose and a greater sense of control.

"When a young person expresses anxiety about climate change, our instinct as adults is to reassure them or minimise the threat. But those feelings don’t need to be switched off. They can actually be the starting point for something constructive,” Fiona says.

“Our research suggests that anxiety itself is not necessarily the problem. What seems important is how young people cope with that anxiety.”

Action won’t look the same for everyone. Caroline says that it might mean joining a local group, helping with community recovery, finding people who share your concerns, or preparing for local risks. Australia’s volunteer firefighters are one example of people turning concern into practical service.

“Being prepared, reassuring ourselves that ‘we’ve got this’, knowing there are people who support us, knowing what to do and knowing how to help others, these things are actually protective factors,” Caroline says.

How can I feel more prepared for severe weather?

Feeling prepared for extreme weather events may help young people experiencing climate anxiety, says Fiona. This readiness might include:

1. Understand the risks that apply to you

Severe weather can develop quickly.⁸ Find out whether your home, workplace, school or regular travel routes could be affected by bushfire, flood, cyclone, storm or extreme heat. Start with your state or territory emergency service and local council. The you.prepared hub also brings together expert advice and practical guides.

2. Know where warnings will come from

Bookmark the Bureau of Meteorology and your state or territory’s official emergency warning service. Knowing where to find reliable updates can help you stay informed and calm when severe weather threatens. During an emergency, those warnings are more useful than scrolling through confronting footage or unverified posts.⁹

3. Make a plan for the life you actually live

Having an emergency plan can help you make informed decisions during a severe weather event and may also support the recovery process afterwards.¹⁰ Talk through where you would go, how you’d get there and what you’d do if the phone network or power went down. Don’t forget to factor in pets, medication, mobility or disability needs.

If a young person divides their time between two parents’ homes, a good idea might be to make a separate emergency plan for each. And if you live with housemates, you could work out who’ll do what.¹¹

4. Gather essentials over time

Using an emergency kit checklist rather than trying to work it all out yourself at the last minute, may help ease worries. A good idea might be to check what you already have and then add extra items over time whenever you go shopping.¹²

“Preparedness can help because anxiety is often heightened by uncertainty and lack of control,” says Fiona. “Having a plan, understanding warnings and knowing what actions to take can increase a sense of efficacy and agency.”

How can parents and carers help?

A good place to start is by listening, without dismissing the concern¹ or rushing in with solutions.

Caroline recommends “deep listening”: staying with the young person’s feelings and listening without judgement before offering solutions. From there, Fiona suggests sharing accurate, age-appropriate information and discussing practical things they can control.

“Open conversations that balance concern with hope, preparedness and problem-solving are generally more helpful than either dismissing fears or focusing exclusively on worst-case scenarios,” Caroline adds.

Orygen’s free Climate Emotions in the Classroom guide was designed for educators but may also help adults understand and respond to climate-related distress in their children.¹³

When should I get help for severe weather anxiety?

It’s a good idea to seek extra support for you or your child when worry is ongoing, hard to manage, or starts disrupting normal life. Experts recommend looking out for the following symptoms:¹⁴

Changes in sleep and appetite
Feeling hopeless or overwhelmed
Constant feelings that you’re not doing enough
Withdrawing from others
Avoiding school or work.¹⁴

Caroline says that mental health difficulties are rarely caused by one issue alone, so it’s a good idea to avoid assuming every change is “just climate anxiety”. Check in with a GP or mental health professional if you’re worried.

“Don’t wait until things are not working,” she says.

Young Australians aged 15-25 can also sign up directly for MOST, a free national digital mental health service offering professional support, peer support and therapeutic tools. Young people aged 12-14 can access it with parent or carer consent and a referral.¹⁵

If you or someone you know needs support now:

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 or kidshelpline.com.au for free, confidential support for young people aged 5-25
Lifeline: 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au for 24/7 crisis support
13YARN: 13 92 76 or 13yarn.org.au for 24/7, culturally safe crisis support from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander crisis supporter
If life is in danger, call Triple Zero (000).