Early Childhood Eco-Anxieties Regarding Environmental Problems

Eco-anxiety is the sense of loss that an individual feels in the face of environmental problems, which includes emotions such as sadness, anger, and distress. This study aims to identify early childhood children's eco-anxieties related to the problems of drought, forest fires, and endangered species. The study was conducted with 55 children in the 4-8 age group attending a public school. Since the study aims to identify children's eco-anxieties as they are, the study was designed as a qualitative case study. The data were obtained through a structured interview form and analyzed through content analysis. According to the study results, 96% of children have eco anxieties about drought, forest fires, and endangered species. Adverse changes in the environment, losses in the child's life, loss of life, loss of food, human indifference, and economic anxiety were identified as the root causes of children's eco-anxiety. Considering the data, the eco-anxiety experienced by children should be considered in public studies to be prepared and carried out on environmental problems, information to be shared in the media, and environmental education activities at schools, and actions should be designed to solve environmental problems.