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'How are we going to live?': Canadian wildfires are causing eco-grief and anxiety. Here's how to cope
This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified medical professional before engaging in any physical activity, or making any changes to your diet, medication or lifestyle.
Wildfire season is here — and more than 200 active fires are currently burning across Canada. More than 20,000 residents have been evacuated from their homes across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and other parts of the country, and numerous air quality warnings have been issued in both Canada and the U.S.
For some, it feels like history repeating itself. Earlier this year, 30 people died and thousands were displaced as wildfires burned across Los Angeles County. In the summer of 2024, thousands of Canadians were forced to evacuate their homes due to fires in British Columbia and Alberta. In Jasper, Alta., a popular tourist destination, more than a third of the town's buildings were destroyed, and damages came in at more than $800 million.
This article was originally published in July 2024.
In the summer of 2021, the village of Lytton, B.C., was reduced to ash. Four years later, only a handful of businesses have been rebuilt, and many former residents are still displaced.
Amid wildfires, extreme weather and climate change, some Canadians are feeling uncertain about the future of the environment. Annie Malik, a 33-year-old resident of London, Ont., said she often feels anxious or overwhelmed by the environmental state of the planet: Heatwaves in Pakistan (where she's from) and record-breaking temperatures in the summer, coupled with mild winters in Canada and air pollution from wildfires.
'What is going to happen to the world? If the planet is uninhabitable, how are we going to live?' Malik told Yahoo Canada in summer 2024.
'There's no way I can go back during the summers because I can't handle the heat. ... People are dying every day in the summer,' Malik noted, adding that she worries for her family.
Malik's sentiments are echoed by many Canadians who are feeling eco-anxious, or emotional from the effects of climate change, especially since 2023's record-breaking wildfire season. According to a 2023 survey by Unite For Change, 75 per cent of Canadians are experiencing anxiety about climate change and its impacts.
If the planet is uninhabitable, how are we going to live?Annie Malik
In 2024,Yahoo Canada spoke to Canadians about their eco-anxiety, as well as a mental health expert on how to cope.
Climate anxiety, ecological grief and solastalgia are all similar terms to describe the emotional distress caused by environmental changes. The American Psychological Association defines it as 'a chronic fear of environmental doom' and recognizes it as a legitimate increasing mental health concern.
Cree Lambeck, clinical director at Cherry Tree Counselling, offers eco-counselling services and said some clients can present both physical and mental health symptoms from ecological issues. For example, someone might struggle with asthma and breathing issues from air pollution. 'Other times a person can feel stress or really powerless around climate change,' said Lambeck.
According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, symptoms of eco-anxiety can include:
Feelings of depression, anxiety or panic
Grief and sadness over the loss of natural environments
Existential dread
Guilt related to your carbon footprint
Anger or frustration toward government officials
Obsessive thoughts about the climate
Heather Mak is a 42 year old from Toronto who said she's felt eco-anxious for well over a decade, which 'can feel overwhelming.'
Mak transitioned out of a marketing career into the sustainability field, hoping she could take control of some of her anxieties. She's currently in corporate sustainability, working with large businesses on environmental and social issues, and she runs a nonprofit called Diversity in Sustainability.
'How I try to deal with it is by taking action,' she said. 'But then again, when you start working in this field, it's almost like you can never sleep, because the scope of the issue just keeps getting bigger.'
How I try to deal with it is by taking Mak
Last year, Mak heard about the Climate Psychology Alliance and started seeing a climate-aware psychologist to help her process some of her feelings from eco-anxiety, as well as burnout from her work.
As recommended by her psychologist, Mak tries to immerse herself in nature as much as possible to keep herself grounded. 'There's also groups called climate cafes,' Mak said. 'I think just chatting with others who are going through the same thing really helps.'
Other times, Mak will channel her energy into writing letters to elected officials.
At Cherry Tree Counselling, Lambeck offers clients 'walk and talk ecotherapy.' The sessions can be in-person or over the phone and both the therapist and client will chat outdoors.
Lambeck said many people access eco-counselling services, from adolescents to seniors. 'People can experience [climate anxiety] throughout their lifespan and it can present in different ways — like with parenting,' Lambeck said. Some research has found that young adults are even hesitant to have kids due to climate change. 'There's a lot of existential worry associated with global crises.'
It's important to take breaks and set those boundaries and practice self-care and find social support in those Lambeck, clinical director at Cherry Tree Counselling
Considering environmental issues can impact many prongs in someone's life, like family planning or lifestyle choices, Lambeck said she tries to offer clients practical tools and concrete strategies that might help tackle some of the turmoil. For instance, she might help target some ways a person can reduce their carbon footprint, identify some of their core values or try to find opportunities or sustainable initiatives the person might be able to participate in.
'For some people, this can help provide a sense of empowerment or control if they're feeling helpless. Engaging in meaning-focused coping and finding purpose,' Lambeck said.
Another strategy is to focus on boundary setting or limit the exposure of distressing news. 'What is the balance between staying informed or excess consumption?' Lambeck said. Images of burning forests, oil spills and floods are plentiful and distressing and can exacerbate our eco-anxiety. 'So it's important to take breaks and set those boundaries and practice self-care and find social support in those times.'
