Climate anxiety does not need a diagnosis of a mental health disorder

Abstract

<p>In a recent Correspondence in <i>The Lancet Planetary Health</i>, Sampaio and Sequeria¹ state that "climate anxiety is not yet considered a mental health disorder" and might be a risk factor for mental disorders, which is something that we contest. The authors further claim that "climate anxiety occurs mainly in lower-income countries located in areas that are more directly affected by climate change",¹ which we regard as doubly incorrect: first, there are no substantial differences in climate anxiety between countries with different average incomes,² and second, it is misleading to aver that lower income countries are more directly affected by climate change. Rather, the issue is one of impact visibility and adaptation capacity.</p>