Exploring the Pulse of Our Planet
Essay 3 – Climate Anxiety and the Collapse of Planetary Patience: Are We Ready for the World We Broke?
By Faraz Parvez
Professor Dr. (Retired) Arshad Afzal
Former Faculty Member, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, KSA
(Pseudonym of Professor Dr. Arshad Afzal)
There was a time when the only “climate” we discussed was the weather. Now, it’s a ticking clock. A trembling Earth. A whisper of catastrophe carried in every gust of wind, every unseasonal rain, every dying coral reef.
In the past, humanity feared floods, famines, fires as acts of God.
Today, we know better. They are acts of us.
And yet, knowing hasn’t brought us peace.
It has brought us something else entirely: climate anxiety—a silent pandemic of dread sweeping across generations.
🌍 When the Planet Groans, the Soul Trembles
This is no longer about glaciers melting in some distant Arctic.
This is about Karachi baking at 50°C.
This is about Delhi choking on its own breath.
This is about your child being born into a century that may not end well.
Young people wake up with fear in their bones—of a future with no seasons, no safety, no normal.
It’s no longer “Will the planet survive?”
The question now is:
Will we remain sane while we watch it unravel?
💡 Anxiety is the Alarm Clock of Conscience
Psychologists now treat eco-anxiety like PTSD.
But what if this panic is not pathology—but prophecy?
A natural reaction from a soul that still remembers Eden—and cannot bear to see it in flames?
Children aren’t just sad about polar bears. They are grieving a future they haven’t lived yet.
“Why should I study when the world is ending?”
“What’s the point of a job when there may be no clean air to breathe?”
“Will I ever raise a child without guilt?”
These are not sci-fi questions. These are real voices.
And we must listen.
🧭 Are We Ready for the World We Broke?
Let’s be brutally honest.
We are not.
Not emotionally.
Not politically.
Not spiritually.
We scroll past climate warnings like spam.
We buy air conditioners to escape the heat—while causing more of it.
We stage conferences about carbon while flying private jets to attend them.
The hypocrisy is not subtle. It is systemic.
But it isn’t just about governments or billionaires.
It is about us.
We eat strawberries in winter flown from halfway across the globe.
We use apps to have one sandwich delivered by a motorcycle that burns fuel for 15 minutes.
We do it because comfort has replaced consciousness.
🛤️ What Then Must We Do?
I write not to shame—but to awaken.
We can still act.
But action must begin from within.
🌱 Teach children to love the Earth—not just study it.
💧 Use less. Waste nothing.
📣 Raise your voice, not your carbon footprint.
🕌 Return to a spiritual ecology—the Quran is rich with verses about nature, balance, and human responsibility.
“Do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption.”
— Surah Al-Baqarah 2:60
This is not environmentalism.
This is faith.
This is Fitrah.
This is returning to the original covenant with nature.
📖 A Personal Note from the Author
As a professor, I have always believed education can shift empires.
As a writer, I believe the right word can start a revolution.
And as a father and believer, I know we owe it to our children to leave behind more than warnings.
Let us live like we are part of the Earth—not its owners.
Let us trade apathy for action.
Let us breathe differently, eat differently, travel differently.
Because if we don’t—our anxiety won’t be a disorder.
It will be prophecy fulfilled.
Coming Up Next:
🌐 Essay 4 – “Digital Empires and the Death of Solitude: Why Silence is Now a Luxury”
By Faraz Parvez
Professor Dr. (Retired) Arshad Afzal
Former Faculty Member, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, KSA
(Pseudonym of Professor Dr. Arshad Afzal)
📚 Read more thought-provoking essays at:
👉 farazparvez1.blogspot.com
