Coping for climate resilience

In the cross-sectional study, climate resilience is defined as being active regarding climate change, at the same time as mental well-being is preserved. In the sample of 603 adolescents, three subgroups were identified; the climate–resilient (active and not impaired), the climate-vulnerable (active but slightly impaired), and the climate-disengaged (neither active nor impaired). Rather remarkably, almost three quarters of the sample belonged to the latter. The study then investigated whether different climate emotions are important for which subgroup the adolescents belonged to. Additionally, the roles of empathy, emotion-focused coping, and nature connectedness as resilience factors were studied, on their own and when people feel strong climate emotions.

Both the climate resilient and the climate vulnerable group experienced strong climate sadness, anxiety, and anger, but low indifference regarding climate change. Compared to the climate vulnerable group, the climate resilient group experienced more empathic concern and a lower degree of climate anxiety, indicating that empathic concern may function as a resilience factor. The disengaged group felt less climate anxiety and climate sadness and was also less inclined to feel connected to nature compared to the climate-resilient group. Nature connectedness, that is one’s subjective sense of belongingness to nature, seemed to act as a vulnerability factor rather than buffer from potential adverse effects of climate emotions: When people felt strong unpleasant climate emotions and also to strengthen adverse effects of difficult climate emotions, rather than buffering from them. Nature connectedness was hence a vulnerability factor, while empathic concern contributed to resilience.

In conclusion, although causality cannot be established, fostering empathy might strengthen resilience around the climate change issue, and contribute to engagement while maintaining mental health. This can be seen as an indication about how to support youth in the ongoing climate crisis.

Read more and find the article via the following link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-026-04275-5?utm_source=researchgate.net&utm_medium=article

Wullenkord, M., Rikner Martinsson, A., & Ojala, M. (2026). Coping for Climate Resilience: Climate Emotions, Empathy, and Nature Connectedness Predict Patterns of Pro-Environmental Behavior and Impairment in Adolescents. Climatic Change, 179, 180. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-026-04275-5