Climate Anxiety and the Shock Doctrine: How Power Exploits Our Fear

Climate Anxiety and the Crisis Playbook: How We Fight Back Against Climate Policy Rollbacks 
 
In recent months, we've been witnessing a troubling surge in attempts to reverse climate protections, weaken environmental oversight, and further empower fossil fuel interests; all under the banner of “recovery,” “efficiency,” or “freedom.” Though the names and faces behind these efforts are familiar, this is about more than one person or one government. 

This is a pattern emerging in many countries around the world.  

Alongside the alarming trend of climate policy rollbacks, there’s a parallel surge in climate anxiety, especially among younger generations. According to recent research, 45% of 16- to 25-year-olds report experiencing climate anxiety, and nearly half of Americans (47%) believe there’s nothing individuals can do to make a difference. The American Psychological Association defines this rising emotional toll as “a chronic fear of environmental doom.” As climate impacts become more immediate and visible, through fires, floods, and other extreme weather events, the psychological effects ripple outward. In schools, for example, teachers are increasingly finding themselves in the role of informal therapists, supporting students who are not only learning about climate change but living through its consequences.

Anxiety is not irrational - a healthy dose of it is what has kept humans alive through millennia. It’s a key part of our survival strategy. But for some, climate anxiety has reached debilitating levels. Meanwhile, corporations are using it to cleverly shift the cost and blame of their actions on individuals and authoritarian governments are using it as a backdrop to further the interests of their BFFs, the “Fossil Fuelists.” People start believing that individual actions will not make a difference against a flood of executive orders and stop trying.  

Canadian author and activist Naomi Klein warned us about this in her books. Let’s take a look.  

Crisis as Cover: The Shock Doctrine in Action 

In her 2007 book The Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klein outlines a tactic used by powerful interests to push through unpopular policies during times of upheaval: war, natural disaster, economic collapse, or political transition. When people are too disoriented or frightened to resist, radical deregulation, privatisation, and exploitation are passed off as “recovery” or “emergency measures.” 

The current moment is textbook Shock Doctrine, crises are being used as cover for corporate gain. From efforts to dismantle the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s authority, to renewed pushes for fossil fuel expansion, to attacks on climate science and activists, the playbook is clear: use the crisis to serve corporations, not communities.  

In fact. the “shock” enabling today’s climate policy rollbacks isn’t one isolated disaster, it’s a convergence of compounding crises: economic instability, pandemic repercussions, political polarisation, and the global rise of hardline ideologies. Together, they are creating the perfect storm of disorientation and distrust, that powerful interests are seizing to push through sweeping changes which benefit the few while threatening the planet. 

Rising inflation, energy insecurity, housing precarity, and wage stagnation have heightened public anxiety and financial strain. In response, climate protections are being framed as impractical or “nice to have” ideals that must be sacrificed for the sake of economic recovery or energy independence. 

Post-Pandemic Exhaustion and Loss of Institutional Trust 

The pandemic has left lasting marks, not just on healthcare systems, but in public trust. That vacuum is being filled with narratives promising bold, top-down “efficiency.” Across some countries, we’ve seen a wave of speed fire decrees and executive orders, fast-tracking decisions on everything from environmental deregulation to the reorganisation of public departments, often in the name of productivity or innovation.  

Climate action is also increasingly cast as a battleground in a broader culture war. Environmentalism is derided as “elitist” or “radical,” while fossil fuel expansion is positioned as patriotic, practical, or “for the people.” These narratives sow division and distract from the structural causes of the crisis, namely the extractive industries and financial systems driving ecological collapse. 

The Rise of Scapegoating and the Far-Right Playbook 

In many places, the vacuum of instability is also being filled by hardline rhetoric that blames economic hardship on marginalised communities, immigrants, minorities, or foreign governments. This deceitful redirection of public anger is an age-old tactic, one that fosters division and erodes the solidarity needed to push for systemic change. While presented as “common-sense populism,” this masks deeper efforts to roll back rights, protections, and collective gains. The goal isn’t recovery, but further consolidation of power. What’s presented as pragmatism or patriotism often serves only to protect short-term profit at long-term planetary cost. 

This isn’t just happening in one country. It echoes across democracies where climate action is portrayed as “radical” or “anti-growth,” while extractive industries are rebranded as saviours. 

What Comes Next: No Is Not Enough 
Klein’s follow-up book, No Is Not Enough, urges us to do more than just resist. “Saying no” to rollbacks, corruption, and fossil fuel profiteering is essential. But we also need to articulate a bold, compelling YES and share that vision with others. 

YES, to a just transition. 
YES, to a liveable planet. 
YES to banking systems and public institutions that align with climate and human dignity — not short-term profit. 

As Klein puts it, the way to defeat a shock doctrine is with a people’s recovery - one grounded in justice, care, and democracy. 

And we must add that although many of those who feel overwhelmed feel like they are the minority, a recent report has found that 80 to 89% of people are aware and concerned about the state of the climate and want their governments to take stronger climate action, but mistakenly assume their peers do not.  

What We Can Do: Big and Small Steps That Matter 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or outraged, first note that you’re not alone and climate anxiety is valid. 

In fact, 45% of 16–25-year-olds report experiencing climate anxiety. The American Psychological Association now defines eco-anxiety as “a chronic fear of environmental doom.” When nearly half of Americans believe there's nothing we can do as individuals, the need to transform both perception and power becomes urgent. 

The next step is to embrace hope and focus on what you can control. Shift from doomscrolling to doing. Choose one or two causes and actions that align with your values, whether that’s cutting meat, switching banks, or attending a local event and maybe even running for leadership roles. Later in this article, we list a series of systemic and individual actions that you can choose from.  

Another crucial step is to seek out your community for connection and celebrate progress. Isolation feeds anxiety. Community soothes it. Join local climate groups, talk with friends, or engage in online networks doing the work. Action feels lighter when shared. 

Not everything is getting worse. Celebrate climate wins. Hope is a renewable resource. 

Here are meaningful ways, at both individual and systemic levels, to push back against climate regression and to build something better. 

Systemic Change (Giant Organised Steps) 

Individual & Community Action (Smaller YET Powerful Steps) 

Refuse to Be Shocked into Silence 
Yes, the rollback of environmental protections is real. Yes, corporate interests and authoritarian governments are seizing this moment. And yes — it may feel overwhelming for all those who care. 

But the shock doctrine only works when people are too stunned to resist. We can’t afford that luxury. 

Let this moment strengthen your clarity and resolve. Say no, clearly, loudly, often. But also say yes to the future we deserve clean, just, and built by the many, not captured by the few. 

Let’s make sure this crisis isn’t their opportunity. Let’s make it ours. 

Final Note: Why Banking Matters More Than Ever 

One of the most under-discussed drivers of the climate crisis is the financial system. Fossil fuel companies rely on loans and investments from the world’s biggest banks to stay alive. Without these flows of money, many extractive projects would not be financially viable. 

That’s where Bank.Green’s mission comes in. We work to shift the power of banking toward climate justice by empowering everyday people to see where their money sleeps at night, and what it funds while they’re not looking. 

Making the Invisible Visible 
You may not realise it, but your savings could be propping up pipelines, offshore drilling, or coal plants on this and the other side of the world. Bank.Green helps people uncover the truth about their banks’ dirty investments, and offers clear, credible alternatives that put people and planet first. 

From Individual to Collective Power 
Changing banks on an individual level may seem small, but it's a powerful systemic move. Banks are key players in the fossil fuel economy and when enough customers (individuals and businesses) demand fossil-free finance, it sends a signal louder than protests in front of bank headquarters. They can ignore your chants maybe, but they cannot ignore their balance sheets. 

Through our resources, tools, and campaigns, Bank.Green connects individuals to a growing global movement that’s saying: We will not bankroll climate destruction.