The first thing that comes to many people’s minds when hearing the words ‘Generation Z’ is social media, and with good reason. We have never known a life without it, and unlike previous generations, we have spent our formative years scrolling through endless streams of news, opinion and global crises, carrying an unlimited amount of information about the world’s problems in our pockets. All of us are aware of the consequences of the cheap dopamine rush given by doomscrolling, such as higher rates of mental health issues, brain fog and lack of productivity – the list is endless. But what often goes forgotten is fear.
Among the problems addressed by content creators online, the climate crisis is one of the most persistent and inescapable on many platforms. It is everywhere, and as a result it is reshaping our behaviour, morals and priorities for the future. While many issues portrayed by the media such as war and poverty affect specific countries or communities, climate change is a ticking time bomb threatening the future of the entire planet. It is now one of the defining issues Generation Z feel they must tackle, and as a result it is shaping not only how we view the environment but also how we are planning our future.
Social media
Social media has transformed the way environmental issues are communicated. Although books, documentaries and newspaper articles have long highlighted climate change, platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and X present it in a much more immediate way. Rather than simply reading about environmental destruction, we watch forests burn, glaciers melt and communities suffer through floods and droughts as they are happening. These images are devastating, which heightens the concern which already existed prior to the involvement of social media.
Generation Z is often described as the most environmentally conscious generation to date, and our determination to reverse the damage done is evident”
The internet provides an endless stream of information about the environment, much of which focuses on humanity’s destruction of it. Headlines warn us that time is running out, while opinion pieces and social media videos debate whether irreversible damage has already been done. A study held by Academia Forum in 2025 collected data from 900 third-level students in Canada and states that “65% of students reported being either very concerned or extremely concerned for the future. Only 3% of respondents said they were not concerned at all.” Psychologists increasingly refer to this worry as climate anxiety or eco-anxiety, which is persistent feelings of helplessness and distress surrounding environmental change.
Environmental anxiety among Gen Z has undoubtedly had positive effects despite the fear that young people experience. Generation Z is often described as the most environmentally conscious generation to date, and our determination to reverse the damage done is evident. Consumer habits have seen a huge shift as people continue their attempts to protect the environment. Second-hand shopping, thrifting and reducing fast fashion have become hugely popular among young people. Choosing sustainable alternatives where possible is a positive cultural shift, particularly in an age where overconsumption has become the norm.
Activism
Along with this, many young people have turned to environmental activism to demand stronger action from governments and corporations through protesting, creating petitions and furthermore making the climate crisis an issue unavoidable for them to address. Research shows that 40% of young adults under thirty-five are participating in environmental and climate campaigns.
For many members of Generation Z, climate change is no longer simply an environmental issue and has become a part of our moral compass to make decisions. Recently popular is environmental antinatalism. According to TCD Prof. Cathriona Russell, environmental anti-natalist groups hold the belief that “bringing people into existence is bad for the planet and see a need to discontinue human ‘procreation’. They assume that the world needs fewer people (or none), and that there is a self-evident, strong and inevitable correlation between the total number of people in the world and environmentally damaging consumption.”
Pope Leo recently called for a different perspective on starting a family by saying ‘marriage is also a vocation. Don’t be afraid of marriage nor of starting a family’”
According to BBC, “birth rates in the UK have been falling steadily since 2010. There were 585,000 live births in 2025, a fall of 10,000 on the year before and the lowest overall figure since 1977. The estimated number of children born per woman fell to just under 1.4 for England and Wales in 2025, down from 1.9 in 2010.” Rising housing costs, financial insecurity, career uncertainty and the cost of raising a family all play significant roles. Climate change is certainly not the only factor, however, it has undeniably become a factor considered by young people. Online discussions questioning whether it is ethical to bring children into a warming world have become increasingly common. Anti-natalist communities argue that choosing not to have children is a morally responsible response to environmental decline, while many others admit that they fear the future their children may inherit.
Consequences
One of the biggest consequences of climate anxiety is not just changing our environmental behaviour but changing how young people are imagining the future as a whole, which is clear through new emerging family values. However, during a prayer vigil in Spain, Pope Leo recently called for a different perspective on starting a family by saying “marriage is also a vocation. Don’t be afraid of marriage nor of starting a family” and called it an antidote to individualism and loneliness.
The media has a habit of amplifying fear through what it presents, however there is no benefit in allowing awareness to become hopelessness. Generation Z has inherited unprecedented environmental challenges, and our concerns are justified. The state of the environment is an issue, and care from individuals, businesses and governments are necessary to make improvements. However, if our constant exposure to environmental catastrophe convinces us that the future is already lost, then climate anxiety has taken something vital from us. Social media has succeeded in making Generation Z more environmentally aware than any generation before us. The challenge now is ensuring that awareness inspires responsibility rather than despair. Caring for the earth should encourage us to create a better future, not persuade us that there is no future left to build.