Youth Activists Experience a Mental Toll From the Climate Crisis
Having spent a decade in the youth climate movement, author Tori Tsui wants to bring attention to the stress and anxiety that the work can cause.
Tori Tsui
Photographer: Misan Harriman“I think so many of us have had to forfeit our youth because we feel an obligation to do this. A lot of us have missed out on things that others have had because we've made this choice — or have we made this choice? Because many people don't think it's a choice, especially with the gravity of the situation.” The mental health impacts of the climate crisis and the toll on young activists keeps Tori Tsui up at night. Her first book, It’s Not Just You , came out in July. — As told to Olivia Rudgard
I think it's pretty safe to say that the climate crisis does keep me up at night. Not just in its manifestation, but also how we are dealing with it or not dealing with it. I think we should be quite specific here: how world leaders and governments and corporations aren't dealing with it. We take the weight of the world on our shoulders and we feel partly responsible. I've definitely been in a situation before where I've been like, ‘Am I not doing enough? Am I not being disruptive enough? How can I use my power and my privilege to really challenge the government?’