Dictionary.com’s Word of the Day: Ecoanxiety

It is with a mixture of amusement and apprehension that I present this, from Dictionary.com.

ecoanxiety noun [ek-oh-ang-zahy-i-tee, ee-koh‐ ] anxiety caused by a dread of environmental perils, especially climate change, and a feeling of helplessness over the potential consequences for those living now and even more so for those of later generations: Reports from last week’s global summit have only worsened his ecoanxiety, which has already taken a toll on his physical and mental well-being.

I would submit that there are both healthy and unhealthy levels of “ecoanxiety.” Those with no concern for the future vis-a-vis the environment are pigs, and those immobilized in terror are, at best, neurotic.