A new study finds nearly a million Canadians suffer climate anxiety severe enough to disrupt sleep, focus, and daily life.
A Growing Mental-Health Concern Across Canada
A new peer-reviewed study published Tuesday in Nature Mental Health estimates that almost one million Canadians experience climate anxiety so severe it interferes with their ability to sleep, concentrate, or function day to day. Researchers say the finding reveals a rising psychological cost of climate change in Canada, from British Columbia to Nunavut.
Research Behind the Alarming Numbers
Led by University of Alberta public-health professor Sherilee Harper, the study surveyed more than 2,400 Canadians aged 13 and older. Using a validated Climate Change Anxiety Scale, participants were asked how strongly they agreed with statements such as “Thinking about climate change makes it difficult for me to sleep.”
While 90 percent of respondents said they were concerned about climate change, and 68 percent reported some level of anxiety, 2.35 percent showed symptoms considered clinically significant—equivalent to roughly 980,000 Canadians. That rate is comparable to the national prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder.
Impacts Felt Coast to Coast
The study found that climate anxiety is not limited to areas directly affected by wildfires, flooding, or extreme heat. Even Canadians who haven’t experienced those events firsthand reported distress. Rates were highest among Indigenous peoples, women, youth, low-income households, and residents of Northern Canada.
In the Northwest Territories, school psychologist Merril Dean has observed this firsthand. After wildfires forced mass evacuations in 2023, she said many children returned home burdened by what she calls an “existential dread”. “Some students ask, ‘What’s the point?’” she said. “They’ve never seen their land this changed.”
Why the Anxiety Runs Deep
Harper says the widespread concern is understandable, given Canada’s accelerating climate impacts—from deadly heat waves and drought to record-breaking wildfire seasons. But when fear begins to disrupt daily functioning, it becomes a mental-health issue.
“What matters now is that there are supports for those people,” Harper said. “We need to recognize this as a public-health challenge, not just an environmental one.”
Finding Ways to Cope
Experts recommend targeted mental-health resources such as therapists trained in eco-anxiety and community-based initiatives like climate cafés, where people can share worries in supportive environments.
Catherine Malboeuf, a psychology professor at Bishop’s University in Quebec, says removing the stigma is key. “The first step is to talk about it openly,” she said. “Acknowledging the fear allows people to manage it more effectively.”
What This Means for Canada
The researchers note that while climate anxiety decreases with age, younger generations—particularly Gen Z and Millennials—report the highest levels of distress. As climate change continues to reshape Canadian landscapes and livelihoods, the mental-health ripple effects are expected to grow.
For Harper and her team, the findings are both a warning and a call to action: addressing climate change means addressing its emotional toll too.
