Pune-based couple Riddhi and Rakesh (names changed on request) have decided not to have children, not because of time or money constraints, but because they are worried about an uncertain world threatened by heatwaves, droughts, floods and acute water shortage among other disasters. "I think children will not have access to even the basics in the next 30 to 40 years, which will not be fair on them," says Riddhi, who works with an IT company.
What Riddhi and Rakesh, among an increasing tribe of couples opting out of childbirth over environmental concerns, are going through can be interpreted as climate anxiety or eco-anxiety. The American Psychological Association (APA) defines climate anxiety as "a chronic fear of environmental doom". It is a relatively new term in psychological studies which has become popular in many parts of the world, especially in the western countries affected by climate change.
India's Anxiety Storm
According to a research report Global Warming's Four Indias from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and polling agency CVoter International, which was released in May, 82% of Indians are either "alarmed" or "concerned" about global warming. The research team from the Yale Program and CVoter surveyed 4,619 Indians above the age of 18 for a nationally representative study between October 21, 2021, and January 9, 2022. The study considered the public perceptions of regional weather patterns and climate awareness, beliefs, policy support and behaviour as well as vulnerability to extreme weather occurrences.
The study segregated the Indian audience into four distinct sets on the basis of their reaction to global warming: the alarmed, the concerned, the cautious and the disengaged. A majority of the respondents (54%) are alarmed and are aware of the actual threat and reality of global warming.
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