Facing Climate Anxiety: Practical Tools for Hope with Dr. Susie Burke

This is a surprisingly uplifting conversation about climate change—yes, really. I spoke with psychologist Dr Susie Burke on managing climate distress (anger, sadness, anxiety) while staying hopeful, because unchecked, these feelings often lead to apathy just when we need action most.

After recent events, this episode feels especially timely. With years of experience in climate psychology, Dr. Susie offers practical insights for managing eco-anxiety and other intense emotions, reminding us that positive change is happening elsewhere and within our reach. This episode is a breath of fresh air for anyone overwhelmed by constant climate news.

Find us online:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatswhaticallgreen/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/now-that-s-what-i-call-podcasts
‍
Follow me on social media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briannemwest/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@briannemwest
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannemwest/

‍Wanna know more about Incrediballs?
‍‍www.incrediballs.com‍
‍https://www.instagram.com/incrediballsdrinks/
‍‍https://www.tiktok.com/@incrediballsdrinks

Transcript

Brianne: Kia ora kaitiaki and welcome to Now That's What I Call Green. I'm your host, Brianne West—an environmentalist and entrepreneur trying to get you as excited about our planet as I am. I'm all about taking a scientific approach to making the world a better place, without the judgment, and making it fun. And of course, we’ll be chatting about some of the most amazing creatures we share our planet with.

If you’re looking to navigate everything green—or not so green—you’ve come to the right place. Kia ora, and welcome back. Now, I’ve pushed this interview forward. We were going to launch 2025 with this episode, but I wanted to bring it forward because of everything happening right now.

This episode is with Dr. Susie Burke, and she’s talking about how we can remain positive and hopeful despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary in many respects, right? There’s so much happening around the world, a lot of negativity, and of course, with the election last week, I thought it was timely because I see so many people who are genuinely devastated—and understandably so. But I choose to believe that there is still positivity.

I get asked all the time how I remain positive, especially knowing as much as I do. And I probably know a bit more about climate science than the average person because I spend a lot of time researching it so I can tell you about it. And yes, it’s pretty grim. But I am still hopeful.

I guess there are a few reasons why. First, we know we can solve these problems because we already have all the solutions. Most of them are financially viable. Renewable energy, for example, is already cheaper, easier, and better than coal. It makes no financial sense to mine oil and gas in many respects rather than just putting up renewables. At this point, the pro-mining crew are basically just doing it out of spite—and spite only goes so far. These people are led by money, and the fact that renewables are cheaper means there is market pressure for change.

Second, way more people are working on this problem than you can possibly imagine. Dr. Susie calls this the perception gap, and she’ll go into it more, so I won’t now, but this interview made me feel a lot better. You are not alone in caring about what we are doing to people and the planet. So many people do, and so many are working on it—more than you think.

And finally, I’ve never once believed that the solutions we need will come from governments. We do need legislation and regulations, but governments are just so slow. They keep proving their apathy. I understand that governing is complicated, with lobbyists and competing interests, much of it driven by greed. But they don’t move fast enough.

This is why I keep saying that the only thing that will really move the needle is changing business. And the way to change business is through consumer demand—consumers demanding better from brands. We have so much more power than we realize. If we use it, I believe we can change the world faster than we think.

I know a lot of people are anxious, and anxiety tends to lead to apathy, which is unhelpful. Let’s not become apathetic. There is still hope. There is still so much opportunity to make change, to prevent further climate damage, and to protect the people who will be most marginalized under this crisis—people of color, immigrants, women.

Anyway, enjoy this interview. It genuinely cheered me up. I get how you’re feeling—it’s totally valid—but don’t let it turn into doomscrolling, because there is absolutely still hope.

Interview with Dr. Susie Burke

Brianne: I’m very excited to have Dr. Susie Burke with me today. Dr. Burke is a psychologist who has made it her mission to help people understand and handle the mental load of climate change. Her background includes working in disaster response and environmental issues, giving her a firsthand look at how the climate crisis impacts mental health.

From developing strategies to cope with climate anxiety and eco-grief to helping people build resilience, she’s a leading voice in this space. I’m so excited and really appreciate her being here. So, welcome.

Dr. Susie Burke: Thank you very much. It’s a pleasure to be here.

Brianne: First question—possibly the worst question—tell me about you. How did you get to where you are, and what do you spend your days doing?

Dr. Susie Burke: Okay, thank you. Well, I’m a psychologist, and I work in Central Victoria. For about 17 years, I worked at the Australian Psychological Society, focusing on climate change and disasters. When people would ask, “Why is a psychologist working on climate change?” I’d say, well, for three reasons.

One, climate change is caused by human behavior, and as experts in human behavior, we have a role to play. Two, climate change impacts people’s psychological health and well-being, so that’s also within our scope. And three, the solutions to climate change all require changes in human behavior—at the individual, community, and international levels.

So, it seems fairly obvious why psychologists should be working on this issue. While at the APS, I helped develop resources on topics like the mental health impacts of climate change, coping with eco-anxiety, and overcoming psychological barriers to taking climate action.

More recently, I’ve been working with developmental psychologists, researching the psychological effects of climate change on children, young people, and adults. We’ve been looking at both the coping mechanisms and the impacts.

Brianne: Is this a growing field, or is it still in its infancy?

Dr. Susie Burke: I think it’s growing. When I started working in this space, I was surprised to find myself cited quite a lot because there weren’t many psychologists studying this. But now, it feels like everyone is talking about it.

As awareness of climate change increases, so does concern. And naturally, with concern comes anxiety. The problem itself is escalating, so of course, levels of distress are rising, too.

Brianne: What does climate anxiety actually look like? For people who don’t feel it—(and I’m very jealous of those people)—what are the symptoms?

Dr. Susie Burke: There are lots of terms for this—climate anxiety, eco-anxiety, climate distress. Some prefer “climate emotions,” which is a broad term that includes anxiety, grief, guilt, anger, helplessness, and hopelessness.

A major 2021 study reviewed 1,500 papers on eco-anxiety to define it. They found that it involves a broad range of negative emotions (worry, grief, guilt, anger) and negative physical symptoms (panic attacks, nausea, feeling frozen or paralyzed).

But it’s important to understand that anxiety, in this context, is not necessarily bad. Anxiety is a future-oriented response to a perceived threat. It’s a motivator—it can drive action. So, feeling anxious about climate change is completely rational. The key is to make sure it doesn’t become debilitating.

Brianne: That’s a much bigger umbrella than I expected. Calling it “eco-anxiety” doesn’t really capture the fact that sometimes it’s just sad or enraging. I like “climate distress.”

Dr. Susie Burke: Yes, climate distress is a good term. And it’s widespread. Studies show that around 75–85% of people experience moderate to high levels of concern about climate change. That number jumps even higher among those directly impacted by disasters.

Women tend to report higher levels of climate distress than men. Young people, especially teenage girls, report the highest levels. Scientists, activists, and people who work in the environmental space also experience more distress—because the more you know, the harder it is to ignore.

Brianne: That’s a much bigger umbrella than I expected. Calling it “eco-anxiety” doesn’t really capture the fact that sometimes it’s just sad or enraging. I like “climate distress.”

Dr. Susie Burke: Yes, climate distress is a good term. And it’s widespread. Studies show that around 75–85% of people experience moderate to high levels of concern about climate change. That number jumps even higher among those directly impacted by disasters.

Women tend to report higher levels of climate distress than men. Young people, especially teenage girls, report the highest levels. Scientists, activists, and people who work in the environmental space also experience more distress—because the more you know, the harder it is to ignore.

Brianne: That makes sense. But if the majority of people care about climate change, why isn’t there more action? Is it because people think they’re alone in caring?

Dr. Susie Burke: Exactly. This is what we call the perception gap. People significantly underestimate how many others are also deeply concerned about climate change.

A major 2024 study surveyed 59,000 people across 63 countries. It found that 86% of respondents believed climate change was human-caused and a major threat. But when asked how many other people they thought shared this belief, the estimates were far lower.

This misperception is a huge issue. If people think they’re alone in their concerns, they’re less likely to bring up climate change in conversations, less likely to push for policy change, and less likely to take action. And if politicians suffer from the same perception gap—assuming the public doesn’t care—they’re less likely to introduce strong climate policies.

Brianne: That’s so interesting. And not at all surprising. When you said that 75–85% of people care, I immediately thought, But is that just people saying “yeah, I care” in a vague way? But you’re talking about people who have serious concern.

Dr. Susie Burke: Exactly. And because people underestimate how much others care, they often stay silent. That’s why it’s so important to talk about climate change openly—just bringing it up in conversation helps close that perception gap.

Brianne: That actually ties into something I wanted to ask. I do a lot of public speaking, and I definitely tone down how strongly I feel about climate change because I assume most people in the room aren’t as worried as I am. So, if we all feel like that, no wonder it doesn’t get talked about enough.

Dr. Susie Burke: Absolutely. And there’s a great example of someone tackling this head-on—George Marshall, a UK climate activist. He used to do things like chaining himself to coal trucks, but now his activism is different: he challenges himself to talk about climate change every single day with someone new.

Even if he’s giving a talk to 15,000 people, that still only counts as one conversation in his daily challenge. His goal is to break what he calls the “conspiracy of silence” around climate change.

Brianne: That’s brilliant. So, what can people do to cope with climate distress?

Dr. Susie Burke: There are three main coping strategies we encourage:

1. Emotion-focused coping – managing your emotions. This includes things like breathing exercises, talking with a friend, exercising, or just doing something that makes you feel good.
2. Problem-focused coping – taking action. Doing something tangible to reduce the problem itself, like joining a campaign, advocating for policy changes, or working on local sustainability projects.
3. Meaning-focused coping – reframing how you think about the problem. This could mean reminding yourself of the millions of people working on solutions or focusing on progress rather than just the challenges.

Brianne: That last one is interesting. So, it's not just about what is happening but how we think about it?

Dr. Susie Burke: Exactly. One thing that helps is looking at big-picture data. Hannah Ritchie, a climate writer, argues that we—this generation—might actually be the first humans in history to achieve a truly sustainable world.

For most of history, either people lived sustainably but with terrible quality of life (high child mortality, no healthcare, extreme poverty), or we had technological progress but at massive environmental costs. We’ve never had both sustainability and well-being at the same time.

Brianne: That is a wild way to look at it. I’ve never thought about it like that before.

Dr. Susie Burke: It’s exciting, right? If we get this right, we could be the first generation to create a truly sustainable future.

Brianne: Okay, that actually gives me some hope. But I do have to ask—do you feel hopeful? Because you work with climate scientists, and I know they’re not always the most optimistic bunch.

Dr. Susie Burke: It depends on the day! Some days I think, Oh my god, we are completely f**ed.* But then I remember all the brilliant people working on solutions, and I feel better.

I also believe in human cooperation. I spent years working in conflict resolution, and I know that humans are capable of solving complex problems together. We just need to teach more people how to collaborate effectively.

Brianne: That makes total sense. Now, I know climate distress is particularly tough for young people. How do you talk to kids about this without terrifying them?

Dr. Susie Burke: The key is to be honest but also show them solutions. Research shows that young people feel most hopeless when they think adults aren’t doing anything about climate change.

So, the most important thing is for kids to see adults taking action. That could mean joining local environmental projects, advocating for policies, or just making sustainable choices in daily life.

Brianne: That makes total sense. So, kids need to see that we care, not just hear us talk about it.

Dr. Susie Burke: Exactly. And we also need to teach them to find the helpers. In disaster recovery work, we always tell people to look for the heroes—because they are out there.

Brianne: That’s such great advice. I also wanted to ask—how much is social media contributing to climate distress?

Dr. Susie Burke: It’s a huge factor. Social media—and mainstream media, too—tend to focus on negativity because that’s what drives engagement.

The loudest voices on social media are often the extreme ones, whether it’s climate deniers or doomsday pessimists. That warps our perception of reality. We see so many climate deniers online, but the truth is, they’re a tiny minority.

Brianne: That’s so true. It feels like climate denial is everywhere, but statistically, it’s not.

Dr. Susie Burke: Exactly. Social media gives an outsized platform to the most extreme views. It’s another reason why breaking that “conspiracy of silence” is so important.

Brianne: Okay, last question for you. If you were Supreme Global Overlord and could do one thing to make the world a better place, what would it be?

Dr. Susie Burke: I’d teach everyone interest-based conflict resolution.

Brianne: Oh, that’s a new one! What does that mean?

Dr. Susie Burke: It’s a way of resolving conflicts by understanding people’s underlying needs, wants, fears, and concerns—not just their surface-level positions.

For example, if one person wants to go to Hawaii for vacation and their partner wants to stay home, their positions seem completely opposed. But if they dig deeper, they might realize they both want relaxation, adventure, and quality time together. Once they understand that, they can brainstorm creative solutions that meet both their needs.

If we applied that kind of thinking to global issues, I think we’d be in a much better place.

Brianne: That is so interesting. And it makes sense—at the end of the day, most of us want the same things: a safe, healthy world.

Dr. Susie Burke: Exactly. We just have to figure out how to get there together.

Brianne: Thank you so much for this conversation. I feel way more optimistic than I did at the start!

Dr. Susie Burke: You’re very welcome!