Eco-Grief and Eco-Anxiety: What They Are and Why They Matter

As the climate crisis intensifies, it’s not only the sea levels or the seasons that are shifting, something deep inside each of us is shifting too. For some people, that shows up as a heavy, deep sadness; for others, as a restless unease or constant worry of what might happen next. These feelings have names: eco-grief and eco-anxiety. Though naming them doesn’t solve them, it helps us understand what they point to, our profound connection to the Earth.

What Do They Mean?

Eco-grief can be described as the sorrow we feel when we witness loss in the natural world: the dying of coral reefs, the disappearance of forests, the extinction of species, or the vanishing of ways of life once in rhythm with the land. It can feel like grieving someone we love, because in truth we really are grieving beloved nonhuman kin who have shaped our lives, cultures, and spirits.

Eco-anxiety can feel different. It’s the awareness of what’s happening to the planet and the fear of what lies ahead, the dread and the sense of helplessness. Sometimes it can show up as constant worry, and wondering whether we’re using too much plastic or buying too many clothes or eating too much meat and that can become terrifyingly overwhelming and that it can bring exhaustion or paralysis; for others, it fuels this endless questioning of their own choices and what is really going on in the world. 

And here’s the thing: these feelings are not simply “problems” inside us. They are relational, arising from the rupture between ourselves and the Earth, maybe between what still exists and what we fear may be lost if we are still doing the things that we are doing. 

When we grieve or feel anxious about what’s happening, it’s because we are not separate from it, we are living and witnessing it all together.

We feel because we care, because we’re connected and relational. These emotions are signs of empathy and awareness. In many traditions, the Earth is kin, alive, sacred, listening. When we grieve or feel anxious about what’s happening, it’s because we are not separate from it, we are living and witnessing it all together.

How Do These Emotions Shape Us?

Left unspoken, eco-grief and eco-anxiety can harden into despair, numbness, or helplessness. But if we give them space, they can also become sources of strength and deep compassion. Grief can deepen our love for what remains, helping us truly see its value. Anxiety can spark action or invite us to rethink how we live. These feelings guide us to re-think what we think we know and re-imagine our place in the living web.

Holding Space for Eco-Emotions

Talking circles, time in nature, creative expression, or simply naming what hurts can help us carry it together. 

In this time, it is also important to hold space for ourselves and for those who feel the same way, so these emotions can be felt and expressed. Talking circles, time in nature, creative expression, or simply naming what hurts can help us carry it together. 

So, grief, grief helps us remember who we are, and anxiety asks us to act. Together, they are the powerful emotions and in guiding us not just mourning what’s gone, but in shaping what comes next.