As France exits 10 days of extreme temperatures, Hélène Jalin, a clinical psychologist specializing in eco-anxiety and a researcher at the Université de Nantes, analyzes the impact of heat waves in triggering or reactivating anxiety related to global warming and biodiversity loss.

Yes, very clearly. Surveys conducted in England showed a significant increase in internet searches related to ecology and climate during the 2022 heat waves, connected to anxiety about some parts of the country reaching 40°C for the first time. Among my patients, I regularly see people slip into eco-anxiety during periods of intense heat. They experience what English speakers call the "Oh my god point" − that moment when the emotional weight of the crisis's severity and scale becomes clear.

Heat waves can act as a sudden trigger for eco-anxiety because there is no escaping the heat: It affects our bodies, our homes − even our sleep. It makes the consequences of climate change visible, and sometimes physically unbearable.

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