When Verena Brunschweiger married her husband at the age of 30, she vowed to never have a child because of the impact it would have on the environment."More people, more waste, less resources…that’s it. This is plain logic," she told Prime Time.
"We have one crisis after the next – pandemics, wars, et cetera. This is not a nice world anymore. I'd always say I pity those kids who are born now because I don't want to live what they have to live through," Ms Brunschweiger said.Does her pledge not to have children help her deal with her worries about the future of the planet?
It is having such an adverse effect on some people’s mental health, that climate anxiety, or eco-anxiety, is now a global concern.Professional bodies are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of the climate crisis on people's mental health. "It's not just the straight-forward anxiety. It's also that sense that things are getting worse and we're not taking action. So, the anxiety gets compounded, made worse," she said.
Prime Time spoke to students at University College Dublin about climate anxiety and many of their views echoed the results of the study. They argue government inaction on climate change discriminates against young people and is damaging their mental health. When he was back home in Slovakia last year there was a severe drought and the water supply to his father's house was"completely dry".
The national survey, which has been funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, found that flooding was the most frequently experienced severe weather event. According to the Irish Charity Retail Impact Report, 2022, last year 7.3 million garments were sold in 400 of Ireland’s charity shops bringing in €43 million in revenue.