Climate optimism

Gen Z is taking climate change in stride, doing their part to combat it and reducing anxiety about it simultaneously. According to a 2021 survey by Wunderman Thompson Data for the Regeneration Rising report by Wunderman Thompson Intelligence, 66% of respondents express anxiety about how climate change will affect them personally, rising to 72% of generation Z.

To combat that feeling of helplessness, gen Z is espousing conscious positivity and taking local action. According to separate data collected by Wunderman Thompson Data for Wunderman Thompson Intelligence: 85% of those surveyed were prepared to rethink the way they live and spend to tackle climate change, and 70% were prepared to make dramatic changes to their lifestyle if it will help tackle climate change.

In a series by the Guardian, several gen Zers were highlighted for their eco-work and positive attitudes towards making small steps to improve their communities.

One recent college graduate and TED Talk alum is about to launch the first sustainable retail marketplace. 23-year-old environmentalist Zahra Biabani started In the Loop as part of her mission to make sustainable and ethical brands accessible to her generation. Her platform will offer clothing rentals, discounts for one-time rentals, even reusable bags, all operated from her parent’s garage in Houston, Texas. Biabani told the Guardian that “climate optimism is just a framework for unlocking the full potentiality of climate solutions that we desperately need.” Thomas Lawrence, another 23-year-old, founded Good People Inc: another sustainable marketplace, this time to compete with Amazon.