Americans are grappling with climate change anxiety as worries grow about global warming. Thomas Doherty, the author of "Surviving Climate Anxiety," joins CBS News with more.

A significant portion of adults express concern about global warming, with over 63% of U.S. adults reporting worry according to a Yale Program on Climate Change Communications study. As extreme weather events become more frequent, experts warn that these environmental changes can also affect mental health, leading to what is known as climate anxiety.

Dr. Thomas Doherty, a climate psychologist and author, explains that climate anxiety is a normal and healthy response to environmental threats. He recommends validating these feelings, recognizing their importance, and using them to guide positive action. Coping strategies include acknowledging the anxiety, connecting with personal values, and finding ways to act constructively in response to climate concerns.

How to manage climate change anxiety

Now, despite President Trump calling climate change the greatest con job ever at the U.N. General Assembly this week, more than 63% of U.S. adults are worried about global warming. This is according to a study from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communications. And as extreme weather becomes more common, some experts are warning it may impact your mental health as well. Dr. Thomas Doherty is a climate psychologist with a doctorate in psychology, and he's also the author of the book Surviving Climate Anxiety. As you see, he joins us here in studio to talk about this. Thomas, good morning and welcome. How can our viewers know if they're suffering from climate anxiety, and it's not just general anxiety, which people tend to have these days? That's a great question. I think when we start talking about climate anxiety, we need to step back and think about emotional intelligence and our empowerment, because we have a number of feelings that we can have about nature and the natural world and other species. Joy, curiosity, responsibility. But when we feel troubled by things that you're reporting on, disasters, wildfires, building hurricanes and things like that, that naturally will prompt feelings of stress and anxiety. So anxiety is a normal feeling of concern and a threat. And with environmental anxiety, it's either about our own personal safety, about people that we care about, or people that are maybe in harm's way, or other species or the natural world. And that anxiety can manifest itself in the real world because it impacts how people make choices and decisions. Exactly. How so? Well, when we talk about climate anxiety, imagine a spectrum from our inner feelings about the world, which are quite normal, and anxiety is a healthy feeling. It helps us to look at threats. And it extends really out to how we as a society, as a group of people, think about issues like climate change and how it's responsible to run our society. And then there's a middle portion in there of people that are highly sensitive to their personal anxiety, and also people that are highly sensitive to the state of the world. And so we start with eco-anxiety being a normal and healthy response. And like all feelings, we want to express it and take action. Anxiety is just simply a signal to check out a threat. I like that you're first saying it's normal to feel anxious, okay? This is a normal human response to what you're seeing. But how can people better cope with that anxiety? We often think of that when we're sharing pretty serious headlines about what's happening in the world. People need to know, but people also need to get about their day. So how can they cope with that sense of anxiety? I could ask you that question because you have to report on all these challenging things. But my- I would say a lot of running. Yes, exercise, being fit. I have a saying, validate, elevate, create. That's one of my catchphrases when I'm talking to people. So first is, many people haven't had their concerns validated, taken seriously. Obviously, a lot of these issues are polarized and politicized, so it isn't safe necessarily to share your anxiety. So it needs to be validated that it's normal and healthy. And then elevate it. Let's make this the most important thing to talk about for a second. Your connection with nature, your environmental identity, because we hurt where we care, as we say in therapy. So if I have a concern, it's because I have a value of something under threat. And my coping is going to be honoring that value and harnessing the power of that value to direct my actions. Well, I think it's such an important topic people should look into and understand it's normal. And I encourage folks to read your book and look up your work as well. It's really important. Dr. Thomas Zoldy, thanks for being here today. Thank you very much. Great to have you. It's great to meet you.

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