As school students become some of the most vocal supporters of climate change action, experts have voiced concern about the effects of the fight on their mental health.
Child and educational psychologist Andrew Greenfield told SBS News on Wednesday "eco-anxiety" may become a growing problem among young Australians.
Thousands of school students and protesters gather in Sydney's Domain on Friday. Source: Getty
"It's an anxiety specifically related to the climate change debate," Mr Greenfield said.
While he strongly commended young people for making their voices heard, he said parents, teachers and children themselves need to be more aware of mental health impacts.
"[Climate change] is a real issue, whether we like it or not ... [But] we have to be a little bit more careful in terms of catastrophising all of this," he said.
Andrew Greenfield says there are mental health concerns around the climate change debate. Source: SBS News
He said fears around projected impacts of climate change can lead to a "learned helplessness" or an attitude of "what's the point if it's all so dire".
"And that's not going to solve any problems," he said.
"It's important to talk about it … But we've got to make sure it does not affect our mental health [as] it can lead to anxiety and depression."
He said conversations could focus more on what each individual can do help curb the effects of climate change.
"We can all do our little bit," he said.
Greta Thunberg addresses world leaders at the UN. Source: Getty
"Start the conversations, get kids to talk about it, draw pictures about it, research it in any way that they want and even get them to teach others and inform others as well - that's fantastic, that's what it's about.
"But [it's not about] trying to change somebody else's opinion because everybody's got their own opinion ... Kids need to respect the opinions of others even if they disagree."
He also said it was understandable that young people were heeding the call of 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
"People are paying attention to her because she's someone who seems real, she's not a scientist who's behind the scenes ... [Greta] is someone that people can relate to" he said.
"She is someone who is standing up and showing that one person can actually make a difference."
Ms Thunberg's school strikes in her native Sweden last year inspired masses of students around the world to take similar action.
Last Friday, hundreds of thousands of Australian students downed books and took to the streets and call for greater action on climate change.
It comes as expert projects around climate change are becoming increasingly dire.
A UN report released this week found climate change is accelerating, with carbon dioxide levels increasing, sea levels rising and ice sheets melting faster than ever.
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