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Ecological grief is growing—and our current approach to climate change education isn't keeping pace.

There has been a surge in climate emotion research globally, documenting widespread experiences of fear, grief, anxiety and hopelessness.

New findings suggest the way we approach climate change education may be harming young people rather than helping them to face this grief head-on.

In this article, we share insights from 39 young people about how they experience climate education in a rapidly changing world and how we can change it for the better.

Young people aged 16 to 34

International research has shown that youth want educational spaces that support discussions around the emotional impacts of climate change.

Our research with young people aged 16 to 34 backs this up while also revealing their desire for community-based climate conversations and approaches that focus on how they experience ecological crises.

In 2025, we held seven online discussion groups…