In this interview Clare Rowe appeared on Sharri – Sky News Australia to discuss the IPA’s research into Climate anxiety in children.
All media appearances posted onto the IPA website are directly related to the promotion and dissemination of IPA research.
Below is a transcript of the interview.
Danica De Giorgio:
Welcome back to the latest in climate zealotry and insanity now. There’s some more climate fear mongering out and about this week. An article claims that climate anxiety is leading some young adults to opt out of having kids. The WEF says, “While the term climate anxiety might sound clinical, it doesn’t. Experts assure it’s not a mental illness, but rather a natural response to the global threat of climate change.” Seriously, don’t have kids if this is what you believe because the kids are going to grow up brainwashed and absolutely petrified at everything. Psychologist and adjunct fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs Clare Rowe joins me now. Clare, I mean, seriously, is this actually a thing, climate anxiety?
Clare Row:
Yeah, it is Danica. Look, as a psychologist, particularly seeing young people in my clinic, this isn’t just a passing thing. It’s absolutely a real, growing mental health phenomenon and it is rapidly becoming I think one of the biggest hidden pressures on our children. But I think part of the problem is the way that we’re responding to this fear. I mean, it’s all wrong and instead of applying the best known treatments for anxiety, things like teaching young people to challenge their thoughts and self-regulate and get some perspective, we’re actually leaning into it and applauding them and patting them on the back.
And I think that around classrooms and certainly popular culture, we’re validating their worst fears and immersing children in these kind of worst case scenarios. So I absolutely see children in my clinic who don’t think that they’re going to live to adulthood and the young adults now that are saying they’re not going to have children, I mean, these are the ones that have come through our education system and have been fed this stuff since they were five years old.
So if they really think that the world is doomed, why would you have kids? And so my latest research through the IPA is showing that, yeah, this is not just a passing phase. It does start with our education system, but I also think it starts with also mental health professionals, my fellow psychologists, calling this out in how we’re responding to young people that are so anxious about this.
Danica De Giorgio:
Well, I agree. Don’t have children. If your biggest concern is climate anxiety, not being responsible for a human, for another life, don’t have kids. The world will be better off. Seriously. Now look, young people are sending life insurers broke as claims for being unable to return to the workforce skyrocket due to stress, burnout, and bullying in the workplace. Co-chair of the Council of Australian Life Insurers Kent Gryphon said he was especially concerned about the rise in young people making claims for mental health reasons. Clare, what is going on with young people today?
Clare Row:
Yeah. This is unbelievable when I saw this. Almost half of insurance payouts for complete incapacitation of ever working in the future are now due to mental health and it’s not the elderly, it’s people in their 30s and 40s, like their prime of their life, their working age, and making permanent disability claims at an exponential rate. And I don’t say this lightly. I’m a psychologist. I know the realities of mental illness, but what we’re seeing is a system that is, I think, completely out of touch with clinical reality because of course the treatment for moderate to severe depression and anxiety is not a lump sum payout. It’s not permanent retirement.
There are treatments for these things and they involve reintegration back into our community and work and these things are very treatable. And so this is not about denying, I think, legitimate mental illness, but it is recognising that the system now is going to collapse. We’ve seen this with the NDIS, which is in imminent stage of collapsing. And so to will insurance companies if they’re going to pay out on things for a lifelong disability that are treatable conditions. And so we need to be very careful because I think the mental health narrative in this country is very high on empathy, but very low on science.
Danica De Giorgio:
Yeah. And I mean, is this going the way of the NDIS now where you’re stressed out in the workplace, you’ve got a bit on your plate, suddenly you’ve got to make a claim. When you start opening this door, it doesn’t end. It’s unreal. Clare Rowe, thank you very much for joining me on the show this evening. Really appreciate it.
This transcript of Clare Rowe speaking on Sharri – Sky News Australia from 16 July 2025 has been edited for clarity.
