As a result of the ongoing climate crisis, feelings of environmental anxiety have become prevalent impairments to the mental health of affected populations. In addition to the material effects of climate change are the psychological effects it poses, which “can be related to the loss of physical environment, anticipated future losses and the disruptions to environmental knowledge systems” (Ágoston et al 2). In this paper, we wish to examine, based on Québec’s administrative regions, the presence of eco-anxiety among youth (ages 16-30) who identify as English-speaking (ESY) in Québec.

We answer this question through qualitative, primary source commentary by surveying 1 to 2 ESY from each of the province’s 17 administrative regions. Participants will be self-selected on a first-come, first-served basis, based on those who reply to Y4Y’s digital outreach. They will be further subdivided by urban/rural residence, age, and whether they are students, employed or unemployed.

To account for a common vocabulary, the survey provides a definition of eco-anxiety; participants are then asked whether they suffer from it, which category this unease falls under (eco-guilt, eco-anxiety, eco-grief), and which coping mechanisms they employ (taking actions/planning, confrontation, positive reappraisal, optimism, withdrawal/acceptance, problem avoidance/denial/wishful thinking, and social support) (Ágoston). The emerging portrait will present a rudimentary socio-demographic account of ESYs’ varied forms of eco-anxieties, if any, per region. 

The insights gained from surveyed youth seeks to provide perspective on the mental health impacts of climate change on Québec’s ESY, addressing a representational gap in the literature on environmental anxiety in our province. More specifically, results will reveal the varying degrees of environmental anxiety felt throughout the province of Québec, as each region is differently affected by climate change. 

If the presence of eco-anxiety is uncovered through examination of survey feedback, our paper will conclude with recommendations for the provincial government to raise awareness on the phenomenon, especially within the more climate-sensitive regions. In doing so, we hope to start a conversation around policymaking at the intersection of mental health and climate change. We will then seek a larger sample size in order to strengthen these preliminary findings in the hopes of creating a more detailed account of eco-anxiety within Québec’s young ESY.

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