How worried do you feel about climate change? The impact of this crisis doesn’t only threaten our physical health: our minds are suffering too.

Indeed, feelings of concern, anger and even grief about the state of our planet are having such an adverse effect on some people’s mental health that climate anxiety, or “eco” anxiety, is now a global concern.

It's well-known that more and more young people are concerned about the environment – and that is something we should all welcome. But sometimes, the way that we teach young people about the crises facing our planet can lead to feelings of distress and powerlessness.

I’m heartened to work with so many inspirational individuals and groups who are demanding that we do just that – act, and swiftly, to change things.

I hosted an event last week in the Senedd in Cardiff Bay with young people from Wildlife Trusts Wales, these youth ambassadors, including many from Gwent Wildlife Trust are campaigning for Wales to be pesticide free.

This week I have put forward proposals to improve the curriculum so that pupils are empowered to understand the severity of the ecological emergency but coupling that with support and information about work that’s already underway to help challenge that situation. We have to focus on the good as well as the bad, or else a sense of hopelessness will overwhelm us.

Another source of anxiety to many in my region is for those people who live near disused tips, and other industrial sites.

Earlier this month the Welsh Government published the updated number 2,566 disused coal tips across Wales and the locations of all 350 tips with the potential to impact public safety.

This is a sensitive issue, particularly, if people find out for the first time that they live near or that they operate a business in the shadow of a coal tip.

Coal tips, of course, are a legacy of our nation’s industrial history—which predates the Senedd. The UK government must bear some of these costs.

With the likelihood that the costs will increase with the impact of climate change, and the potential to further destabilise these tips, it’s clear that this far more that a safety issue: it is a matter of historical, social and climate justice.