Making sense of eco-anxiety

Felicity Landon hears about seafarers’ real concerns about environmental issues

First-hand experience of extreme weather, huge waves and pollution at sea; worries about families at risk from natural disasters back home; and an overload of information via social media – no wonder young seafarers are in the grip of increasing eco-anxiety.

Seafarers have always been in the frontline when it comes to severe weather, towering waves and turbulent seas. And it could be argued that technology ranging from improved hull dynamics to weather routing systems means they are better equipped than ever to deal with the challenges. So what’s changed? Eco-anxiety is on the rise among younger seafarers as crew become increasingly exposed to the realities of climate change, marine services platform COLUMBIA blue (CB) warned recently.

UNICEF stats show that 60% of young people overall feel very or extremely worried about environmental issues. For many crew members, this manifests as eco-anxiety, according to CB, and in multinational teams where individuals come from regions heavily affected by climate change, the emotional pressures can be even more pronounced.

CB believes eco-anxiety can apply to all ages, but the younger generation are likely more focused on it because they are so connected, Norman Schmiedl, CB CEO, told The Sea. News of any natural disaster travels instantly thanks to Instagram, Snapchat and through other social media channels. “For younger seafarers, who are more exposed to social media, there is more anxiety.”

Twenty or 30 years ago the climate change story was that “we knew it was coming, but it wasn’t an immediate risk”, he said. Today’s children and young people have learned about the issues at school and/or are far more tuned in. Studies have shown that older seafarers are concerned about climate change too, he added – “but there is a difference between concern and anxiety”.

“The other point is that for a seafarer today, a lot of things have changed in the way they work – there are a lot of safety measures and procedures, everything is addressed and you are in a pretty safe working environment on the ship, with sophisticated navigation systems and optimised controls to enable the ship to take preventive measures, but when you look at the environment outside that you are engaged in, there is not much happening except a few old regulations like MARPOL. It’s something which you see but you feel you can’t do something about. That is why eco-anxiety is growing among younger seafarers.”

Equally, seafarers (depending on location) can witness trash belts in the ocean, receding ice, and a fall in bird and fish populations.

Pros and cons
Improved communications have been both positive and negative. “Communication is a good thing, but it brings more information, which brings more concerns and maybe anxiety too, if you can’t do anything. There is clear evidence that younger seafarers have more anxiety because of a wider exposure to and wider awareness of what’s happening in the world because of social media and their experience on board.”

Working with Mental Health Support Solutions (MHSS), CB has implemented dedicated mental health counselling across its fleets to help seafarers manage eco-anxiety and other wellbeing challenges.

Charles Watkins, founder and director of clinical operations at MHSS, said: “Naturally as we see more news coverage of catastrophes and see a rise in species that are becoming extinct or dying, and as we see more natural disasters and catastrophes that strike close to home, eco-anxiety is a growing concern. Seafarers are from around the world and some may be more affected than others.

“It also ties into a natural anxiety – self-preservation, the future and worries about the next generation – especially [for] young seafarers who have children, and are asking themselves: in what world will my children grow up? We see more and more concerns but also we see more initiatives that are trying to tackle this. That’s always a sign that things are getting worse.”

Eco-anxiety is often mixed with grief for the loss of ecosystem species, woods, places that people know or used to know or changing landscapes, he said. “And of course, it’s paired with moral distress: Am I doing enough? Can I do something to stop this? And that is where collective can be very strong.”

This brings us to what actions companies and employers could or should take to help with eco-anxiety. Companies can start initiatives that consider what can be done as a community to change certain trends, said Watkins. “It has to be honest and authentic. It has to feel natural and realistic to the person and to the crew. First of all, it is important to validate that this is a serious and real concern, it is not delusional at all, it is real and we see the scientific evidence, we see a shift happening. And we want to overcome this feeling of helplessness. We can shift the balance by doing something meaningful, to lessen anxiety and create that powerful emotion.”

Projects for improvement
Examples of eco-projects involving crew/employees include reducing waste or demonstrating better fuel efficiency; ensuring vegetarian/pescatarian/vegan options are available on the menu; or raising funds for environmental causes.

If there is an actual situation or catastrophe in a seafarer’s country, and perhaps an immediate threat to their family, providing communication is the best thing employers can do, he said. Seafarers want to know that their family and friends are safe – if they are, then the seafarer can feel less anxious, doesn’t have to worry, and is in a very different mental state.

Stella Kiss, MHSS head of clinical operations, said: “We all know how terrible it is to doomscroll and catastrophise – the issue in these kind of situations is the lack of control that people are experiencing when they are on the vessel alone and hear about the problems from their family – for example, a catastrophe in the Philippines and seafarers on the vessel are hearing about it, knowing their villages could be experiencing this. Doomscrolling might make you feel that you are gaining control because there is so much information and you try to get more and more knowledge.”

Away from such a direct threat, it’s important to normalise the concerns and reassure seafarers it’s a very real, normal thing to worry about environmental issues, Watkins added. Interventions can include connection to other people on board, group interventions, information and psychoeducational talks.

Lloyd’s Register Foundation’s latest World Risk Poll Focus On report, Risk perceptions and experiences of ocean workers, concluded that ocean workers are among one of the most vulnerable demographics in the face of climate change, with 80% of them saying they are worried about being seriously harmed by severe weather. In parallel, the poll asked participants if they saw climate as a serious threat to the people of their home country in the next 20 years. Among ocean workers, there was a dramatic difference according to age. In the 15 to 34-year-old bracket, 58.7% said yes; in the 35+ bracket, the proportion was 27.1%. “Even with margins of error, there is a huge difference between younger and older generations,” said Olivia Swift, head of maritime systems at LR Foundation. “It is understandably more prevalent among younger people.”

There is no shortage of YouTube videos showing container vessels lurching through huge waves, she pointed out. But do companies have conversations with their employees or researchers across the wider seafarer labour force about real experiences? “How often, if at all, have those extreme waves been experienced [by individual seafarers]? We need to make sure we have the best possible information about risk and how it’s changing and share that with our seafarers. And the first priority is making sure there are channels to ask and listen to their experiences and concerns.”

She noted that a typical seafarer from the Philippines isn’t only facing storms and large waves at sea but also has concerns about handling new fuels as shipping decarbonises, while also worrying about family back home. “With any family stress, there’s very rarely anything practical we can do about the family member’s problems, but there is huge power in connectivity – what matters is just being able to talk about it.”

There is research ongoing: for example, Lloyd’s Register Foundation is funding research in Korea into hull performance in extreme waves. “So it is not as if these questions aren’t being asked and design being considered, etc. But that takes time. Meanwhile if there is practical training that can be carried out, then of course this should be provided.”

Focus on information
Eco-anxiety is a logical response to a real situation, Swift emphasised. “We also know that humans cope better with anxiety when they feel they can do something about it.”

Employers should, therefore, make sure their seafarers feel safe at work, focusing on information, training, policies and communication channels; and they should also consider the anxieties at home, she said. “I feel quite strongly that you need to be connected and that if a seafarer has terrible news from home, employers who are able to should get them home if that’s what is needed.”

Some employers and charities do particularly well in disaster and extreme situations, putting funds together to help and support families, she added.

A contributing factor to eco-anxiety would be where a seafarer feels unable to talk about their concerns because others around them don’t care, said CB’s Norman Schmiedl. “You feel isolated and you need to talk to someone.”

A seafarer may be on a ship with better navigation systems, a good education and fantastic support from the shoreside – but insurance statistics show increasing weather-related damages, and more ships on the water means more ships potentially running into trouble with bad weather, he added.

Companies must ‘do the right thing’ – but what? Seafarers would benefit from good communication of genuine sustainability measures that are not just paper exercises, along with genuine support and effective responses, said Schmiedl. In the situation of a disaster at home, agreements in place should entitle seafarers to leave at the next possible port; companies can provide support by reaching out to check that families are safe. “Uncertainty can cause more anxiety than anything else,” he said.

Nothing can change the nature of the job, of course, and companies would do well to focus on the realities from the start. “We focus on this in training centres – you have to be aware as a seafarer that if you take that job, it comes with some benefits and certain disadvantages,” he said. “It’s good to be prepared.”

In conclusion, Watkins noted: “Eco-anxiety certainly worsens if you try to silence it or if it’s individualised or it’s framed as weakness. That’s something that individuals and companies and crew can really pay attention to and make sure that they do not try to go in that direction and try to be more accepting of it – being proactive and normalising it and giving people the chance to be heard and developing things together. We have found that the best types of interventions are the ones that the seafarers come up with themselves because they know what helps them best. Seafarers are a lot more creative than people think, and they are the experts.”

While eco-anxiety is gaining more visibility, often a seafarer might not label their concerns as eco-anxiety, said Kiss. “They may feel that they are just on edge and mentally drained and might not know that these things have a huge impact on their mental health. Seafarers already carry so much when it comes to our global trade – we really shouldn’t leave them alone with these additional worries.”