Existential Phenomenological Analysis of Climate Change in Uttarakhand

Existential Phenomenological Analysis of Climate Change in Uttarakhand | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Existential Phenomenological Analysis of Climate Change in Uttarakhand Abhinav Atri, Supriya Srivastava This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7490007/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Aim This study examines the lived experience of climate change–induced existential dread among residents of Uttarakhand, a region characterized by rapid ecological degradation and a profound spiritual connection to the natural environment. Method Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten long-term residents. The focus was on their emotional and existential responses to visible environmental change. Results Four interconnected themes emerged: (1) collapse of meaning systems; (2) intergenerational fear and futility; (3) emotional numbness and disengagement; and (4) loss of control and fragmented agency. Participants described a profound psychological disorientation, where ecological loss translated into existential rupture. Conclusion The findings highlight that climate change is experienced not only as environmental disruption but as a collapse in meaning, belonging, and selfhood. Implications are discussed for public policy, mental health support, and culturally rooted adaptation strategies. The study advocates for the recognition of eco-emotions as central to climate resilience, particularly in culturally sacred geographies such as Uttarakhand. Climate change Existential dread Uttarakhand Spiritual Environment Mental health 1. Introduction Initially considered as an abstract issue concept, climate change (CC) has become an imminent danger and a common experience for most of the population, presenting risks to ecosystems and human health. The rapid rise in global temperatures is one of the most pervasive and pressing global issues, with empirical data confirming that its impact on public health is inextricably linked with social and economic inequalities, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups. These risks, along with those related to living conditions and security, can lead to a range of complex emotional reactions, such as feelings of loss, helplessness, fear, and concern, collectively known as eco-emotions (Brosch, 2021 a; Pihkala, 2022a ). Researchers like Pihkala ( 2022a ) have identified and categorized various eco-emotions, noting that factors such as gender, age, culture, and socioeconomic status influence their manifestation across populations (Pearson et al., 2017 ; Eom et al., 2018 ; du Bray et al., 2019 a; Clayton, 2020 ; Middleton et al., 2020 ; Stone et al., 2022 ). The American Psychological Association further clarifies that eco-emotions are not a separate category but are closely related to a person's mental health and well-being (Clayton et al., 2017). Beyond these general emotional responses, climate change also exerts profound psychological impacts when viewed through an existential psychology lens. Recent studies show that as a result of climate change, the psychological frameworks that enable people to make sense of life, identity, and continuity are starting to disintegrate along with the ecological systems on which they rely. This fear is heightened by frequent natural disasters, which expose people to the potential for irreparable harm to the planet and the extinction of both non-human and human life. According to Guthrie ( 2022 ) and Rehling ( 2021 ), the breakdown of meaning-making systems like religion, nature, community, and intergenerational continuity that once provided coherence to human experience is what is causing this emotional state. For Passmore et al. ( 2022 ), it is a series of basic existential fears, including those related to isolation, freedom, death, and the loss of a solid identity. These issues are not purely philosophical; they manifest in everyday life as emotional numbness, paralysis, and disconnection. This lived experience often reflects existential dread, an intense emotional state marked by anxiety, hopelessness, and fear surrounding questions of life’s meaning, mortality, and purpose. In the context of climate change, this dread becomes particularly salient as individuals confront not just environmental loss but a collapse of their existential grounding. Existential dread, a powerful and often little-studied existential emotion, emerges from this deeper encounter with meaninglessness, mortality, and the loss of existential security, distinguishing it from more specific fears or situational anxieties (Passmore et al., 2022 ; Rehling, 2022 ). It represents a disturbance of one's fundamental sense of direction, belonging, and purpose in the world, extending beyond a mere response to environmental degradation. As the ecological systems people rely on collapse, the psychological frameworks that enable them to make sense of life, identity, and continuity begin to disintegrate. This fear is heightened by the climate crisis's potential for irreparable harm and the extinction of both non-human and human life. Guthrie ( 2022 ) and Rehling ( 2021 ) attribute this emotional state to the breakdown of meaning-making systems like religion, nature, community, and intergenerational continuity that once provided coherence to human experience. Existential dread encompasses basic existential fears related to isolation, freedom, death, and the loss of a solid identity, which manifest in everyday life as emotional numbness, paralysis, and disconnection (Passmore et al., 2022 ). In vulnerable regions like Uttarakhand, where nature and spirituality shape local identity and daily life, the collapse of natural systems is experienced both materially and at a deeper existential level, making these feelings of dread especially strong. In addition to local socioeconomic vulnerabilities and artificial cultural repositioning, the region directly experiences the severe effects of climate change, such as melting glaciers, altered rainfall patterns, and frequent disasters. For people in Uttarakhand, rivers, mountains, and forests are not just resources but sacred spaces central to rituals, community identity, and shared memories across generations. But, residents now face the breakdown of their environment and their existential foundations as a result of the destruction or alteration of these sacred geographies caused by glacial melt, infrastructure expansion, and uncontrolled tourism. A more profound breakdown of morality, ancestry, and spiritual continuity is indicated by the extinction of these natural elements, where a general sense of confusion and meaninglessness is fueled by this disruption, much like how identity, belonging, and stability are undermined by climate change (Rehling, 2022 ). People are forced to confront the possibility of their own mortality and the extinction of their villages and homes as a result of the realization of the threat that climate change poses to human existence (Passmore et al., 2022 ; Rehling, 2022 ; Guthrie, 2022 a). A sense of belonging to the natural world is further undermined by biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, which exacerbates feelings of disconnection and alienation (Passmore et al., 2022 ; Rehling, 2021 ). In this regard, Uttarakhand is portrayed as a place of existential upheaval, where the climate crisis challenges not only physical survival but also the fundamentals of leading a purposeful, morally upright life. This may indicate that in ecologically and spiritually sensitive regions like Uttarakhand, existential dread is a primary, rather than secondary, eco-emotional response to climate change. Our attempt at associating existential emotions such as existential dread with climate change focuses on the profound encounter with meaninglessness, mortality, and the loss of existential grounding rather than fear or anxiety, which are frequently connected to particular threats or future uncertainties. It is a disturbance of one's basic sense of direction, belonging, and purpose in the world, in addition to being a response to environmental degradation (Passmore et al., 2022 ; Rehling, 2022 ). For people of Uttarakhand, the state's rivers, mountains, and forests are not only natural resources but also sacred locations that are important to religious ceremonies, community identity, and generational memory. As glacial melt, infrastructure expansion, and uncontrolled tourism alter or destroy these sacred geographies, locals must deal with the breakdown of both their immediate environment and their existential foundations. The loss of rivers, forests, and glaciers represents more than just environmental degradation; it also represents the disintegration of morality, ancestry, and spiritual continuity. Thus, existential dread is a key lens through which to examine the psychological impacts of climate change, especially in areas where faith, place, and identity are intertwined. This disruption contributes to a general feeling of confusion and meaninglessness, much like how climate change is undermining the foundations of identity, belonging, and stability (Rehling, 2022 ). The recognition that climate change poses a threat to human existence has given rise to a number of existential issues, including those concerning identity, meaning, death, freedom, and isolation (Passmore et al., 2022 ; Rehling, 2022 ). These worries are a result of the realization that climate change poses a threat to the basic foundations of human existence, forcing individuals to confront the possibility of their own demise as well as the extinction of their species (Guthrie, 2022 ; Rehling, 2022 ). Thus, an appropriate lens for understanding the psychological impact of climate change is the existential one. When individuals grapple with losing a secure and affluent world, issues like identity, meaning, and freedom become central to the experience of eco-anxiety (Passmore et al., 2022 ; Rehling, 2022 ). A feeling of belonging to nature is eroded by the destruction of biodiversity and the degradation of natural ecosystems, which enhance feelings of disconnection and alienation (Passmore et al., 2022 ; Rehling, 2021 ). Here, Uttarakhand is an area of existential dislocation as well as an ecological crisis. In this case, the climate crisis threatens not just physical existence but the very bases of living a meaningful, morally sound life. As a result, in ecologically and spiritually conscious areas such as Uttarakhand, existential fear becomes a primary eco-emotional reaction to climate change and not a secondary one. Addressing existential fear as an eco-emotion requires a multidimensional understanding of how existential apprehensions intersect with ecological loss and climate change. Rationale This qualitative study attempts to explore how people in Uttarakhand experience existential dread in response to climate change. The study uses Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to collect "first-person reports" of emotional disorientation, loss of meaning, and psychological disengagement (Smith et al., 2009 ). This paper focuses on lived experiences to better understand eco-emotions in ecologically and culturally vulnerable contexts, showing how climate change impacts people's and communities' existential foundations in addition to the environment. The study's focus on Uttarakhand underscores the necessity of culturally-grounded psychological research in climate change, as environmental degradation threatens more than economic survival; it destabilizes cultural practices, social cohesion, and local meaning systems. A universal or purely Western model of climate psychology risks missing these dimensions. By grounding the analysis in local cultural and ecological contexts, this study captures the unique ways in which climate change erodes community agency and fosters collective hopelessness. METHODOLOGY Objectives The present study had the following objectives: To investigate whether existential dread is experienced as an eco-emotion among residents of Uttarakhand in the context of climate change. To assess whether repeated exposure to climate-related disasters and socio-environmental change causes existential concerns among residents of Uttarakhand. To identify the psychological consequences of diminished agency and fractured community systems, with attention to collective well-being and mental health outcomes. To document community narratives that reveal how people make sense of climate change, its impacts on their lives, and their capacity (or inability) to act. Research Questions The present study attempted to answer the following questions How do residents of Uttarakhand experience existential dread as an emotional response to climate change? In what ways does repeated exposure to climate-related disasters and socio-environmental changes intensify existential concerns and shape everyday life? What psychological impacts emerge from diminished agency and fractured community systems, and how do these affect collective well-being? How do residents narrate their experiences of living with climate change, including their perceptions of control, coping strategies, and sense of future possibilities? Method Since the study’s focus is on understanding how people make sense of their lived experiences of climate change in a culturally and ecologically vulnerable context, we followed the procedures of IPA as explicated in Smith et al. ( 2009 ). IPA is designed to explore participants’ subjective meaning-making processes in depth, rather than simply describing events (Smith et al., 2009 ). This makes it especially suitable for uncovering subtle emotional states like existential dread, helplessness, and fractured agency, which are best accessed through personal narratives. Unlike Grounded Theory, which aims to build a formal theory, the aim of this study is not to produce a generalizable model but to provide rich, idiographic insight into individual and community experiences. Similarly, while Thematic Analysis can identify broad patterns across data, IPA allows for a more nuanced, interpretative engagement with each participant’s account before moving to shared themes. This idiographic commitment is crucial when working with a small, purposive sample from Uttarakhand, where local cultural, spiritual, and ecological ties shape psychological responses in context-specific ways. Considering the sample size, Smith, Flowers, and Larkin ( 2009 ) emphasize that there is no fixed “right” number, but that small, homogeneous samples best support in-depth interpretative work and within-sample comparison (often 3–10+, depending on study aims and resources) Our research contained 12 participants as after case 10, no new existential themes emerged; cases 11–12 confirmed saturation within the existential dimension. Therefore, we purposefully recruited 12 participants to balance IPA’s idiographic depth with sufficient cases to examine convergence and divergence within a relatively homogeneous group (adult Uttarakhand residents meeting our age/residency criteria). Small-scale samples are explicitly recommended because they permit detailed, line-by-line reading and analytic grounding in participants’ words (Smith, 2015 ), and are widely justified in the methods literature as enabling richer idiographic analysis than larger qualitative samples (Vasileiou et al., 2018 ). Participants The participants were twelve adults residing in different districts of Uttarakhand. All participants were educated, working professionals with long-term lived experience in the region. They were selected through purposive sampling based on their exposure to environmental change and their ability to articulate personal and community-level reflections. Each participant provided informed consent and participated in a semi-structured interview that explored their emotional and existential responses to climate change. Pseudonyms were used to ensure confidentiality. Table 1 Details of participants Serial No. Name (pseudo) Age Gender 1 Amit 36 Male 2 Ravi 41 Male 3 Sandeep 44 Male 4 Akhil 32 Male 5 Sumit 34 Male 6 Mayur 37 Male 7 Shuddha 43 Female 8 Smita 39 Female 9 Sarita 43 Female 10 Gaurav 32 Male 11 Rekha 33 Female 12 Ram Singh 48 Male Procedure Purposive criterion sampling was used to select participants based on age and permanent residency in Uttarakhand, following ethical approval obtained by the first author. The goal and nature of the study were explained to each participant when they were contacted individually by the first author, who also took informed consent before starting the interview. In-person semi-structured interviews were held at participant-selected, private, and comfortable locations by the first author. Depending on the participant's preference, the 45–60-minute interviews were conducted in a combination of Hindi and English. Permission was obtained to record all interviews on audio, which were then transcribed verbatim by the first author. To ensure reliability, the transcription was done by the second author as well; both transcripts were then reviewed by senior academics. The interview guide focused on personal experiences of climate change, emotional reactions, views on environmental degradation, and contemplations on meaning, the future, and community. Data Analysis Establishing rigour Information collected through the active engagement between the interviewer (first author) and interviewee generated a rich set of data, thereby helping to understand the complexities of the impact of climate change on the participants. Following transcription, themes related to eco-emotions and existential dread were identified (by both authors) by applying Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to the data. Epistemological orientation We worked within a critical realist phenomenological epistemology (Finlay, 2021), assuming that participants’ lived experiences of existential dread are real, yet always mediated by our interpretative horizons. Themes are therefore co-constructions rather than discoveries. Reflexivity Both authors are Hindi and English-speaking, first division academics who have spent formative years in North India. The authors share a cultural repertoire that views Uttarakhand as “Devbhoomi” (the land of the gods). To bracket these pre-understandings, we kept reflexive memos after each interview and held monthly debriefs, where we explicitly questioned how our spiritual–ecological assumptions colored our coding decisions. Translation transparency Interviews alternated between Hindi and English. Hindi segments were transcribed verbatim, then translated by the first author and back-translated by an independent bilingual psychologist; discrepancies were resolved before coding. All participant quotations presented here are our idiomatic renderings, retaining Hindi emotional nuance where relevant (e.g., “man khali ho gaya” rendered as “I felt hollowed-out”). Inter-rater procedures. The two authors independently coded all transcripts by creating a shared, iteratively refined codebook using NVIVO. After a pilot on two transcripts to calibrate code definitions and decision rules, both authors double-coded an initial tranche of transcripts. They met to reconcile differences through discussion, updating the codebook, and maintaining an audit trail (including memos). The remaining transcripts were coded independently with periodic spot checks and reconciliation meetings. Theme development was then reviewed jointly; disagreements were resolved by negotiated consensus. This approach prioritizes transparency and interpretative rigor consistent with IPA, where emphasis is placed on reflexive consensus rather than mechanical reliability coefficients. According to Smith et al. ( 2009 ), this is typical of IPA and indicates that the process of making the analysis explicit changes and advances it. Although both authors worked closely on the article, the first author took the lead. The version presented here, which we believe best reflects the participants' lived experiences of climate change, was the result of several drafts. Table 2 shows the process of data analysis through different stages. Stages Process 1. Initial coding Generate descriptive codes from line-by-line readings (both coders independently). 2. Code Clustering Codes were grouped into conceptually related clusters through iterative comparison. 3. Sub-theme Development Codes were abstracted into higher-order categories capturing shared meaning. 4. Thematic Refinement Sub-themes were reviewed, merged, or separated during reconciliation meetings. 5. Final Theme Consolidation Cross-case analysis, ensuring idiographic depth and cross-participant convergence. Results Participants ' emotional reactions to climate change were the main focus of the data analysis, which was conducted using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Existential dread, a diffuse, affective state characterized by confusion, powerlessness, and a sense of meaninglessness in the face of ecological change, emerged as the primary eco-emotion in all the interviews. There were four main themes found: Themes Sub-themes 1. Collapse of Meaning Systems Commercialization of Nature, Disconnection from Nature as Sacred , 2. Intergenerational Fear and Futility Fear for future generations, Futility of individual action 3. Disconnection and Emotional Numbness Helplessness, Migration and Loss of Place-Based Identity, Disengagement 4. Loss of Control and Fragmented Agency Powerlessness, Cynicism Toward Institutional Responses, Machine Dependence and Loss of Self-Reliance, Psychological Impact of Global Crises 1. Collapse of Meaning Systems The interviews revealed a profound sense of loss tied to the erosion of moral, cultural, and spiritual frameworks that once anchored life in Uttarakhand. Participants repeatedly described how traditional systems, rooted in ecological respect, communal responsibility, and spiritual devotion, have been replaced by commercial, performance-oriented, and profit-driven practices. For many, this shift represents not just social or cultural change but a deeper existential rupture, where the values that once gave coherence to life are no longer intact. In the presence of ecological collapse, Frankl’s ( 1963 ) concept of the existential vacuum also becomes relevant, as participants articulate a void where legacy and purpose have dissolved into resignation. 1.1 Commercialization of the Sacred Almost every participant we spoke with during the interviews conveyed their sorrow and annoyance at the loss of the moral, cultural, and spiritual principles they once lived by, which has left them feeling incredibly lost. Many, including our participant Amit, speak of how “ Earlier , our Uttarakhand was once known as Devbhoomi (land of gods), but now it has become a hotel bhoomi (land of hotels),” reflecting the commercialization of sacred spaces and the replacement of devotion with tourism. Amit’s case signals a profound sense of cultural dislocation in a pithy phrase. Seeing his homeland, once an extension of spiritual and cultural identity, transformed into a commercialized space evokes a deep sense of place-identity loss. “People just want to turn everything into a money-generating source, even here in the mountains, they are building hotels and restaurants everywhere… They don’t understand that our mountains are sensitive; it is no longer the Devbhoomi we knew.” (Amit) “Even the temples are surrounded by shops selling plastic toys, fast food, and chips… the feeling of sacredness is gone. Our temples are more of a picnic place now, instead of a place where we once found spiritual energy and peace.” (Amit) The transformation from Devbhoomi to hotel bhoomi is not simply a change in land use; it’s a shift in meaning, where sacredness has been supplanted by commodification. Within environmental psychology, place identity refers to the incorporation of place into the self-concept; when that place loses its symbolic significance, individuals experience profound disorientation and belonging loss (Scannell & Gifford, 2010 ). In Uttarakhand, where rivers, forests, and mountains are deeply tied to cultural identity and spiritual meaning, their degradation threatens not only the environment but also the very sense of self and rootedness of the people who call it home. Market-driven institutions have replaced the recollections of their younger years, when they lived in a traditional system like the gurukul, which was formerly essential to moral education and communal justice, and where learning was based on dharma and community service. Almost all the spiritually important sites, places with natural beauty, and waterfalls are now being used for construction, leading another participant, Sarita, to state that Now, even spirituality has become a business; people come from all places and treat our temples as some sort of picnic spot to play in and to click pictures. They treat our rituals as something casual and made-up. Sharing the same concerns, Shuddha mentioned that “Earlier people came here to meditate and connect… now it’s rafting, resorts, and noise.” (Shuddha) What was once holy is now packaged for travellers. The moral and spiritual continuity that formerly provided life coherence and meaning has been severed, and for older generations, this breakdown signifies not just change but collapse. “Tourists litter and pollute our homes, mountains, and rivers… they don’t understand the sanctity of this place. They just want to have fun, flaunt on social media, and ruin our forests with their garbage.” (Sarita) These concerns, mentioned by Sarita and Shuddha, are not just a signal towards the collapse of meaning systems, but also show a feeling of anger and blame. Through all our interviews and talks with residents, we were convinced that this commercialization, increase of tourism, excessive construction of roads, and hotels was not just destroying the sacredness of their homeland, but was also making them hateful towards tourists. For many, the moral decline feels even more unsettling. They remembered stories from the 2013 floods, people stealing from the dead, as one of our participants, Rekha, signs that We’re not even afraid of God anymore; we just want to earn as much money as we can, and it does not matter how we do that. A recurrent feeling was that customs that were formerly grounded on ecological respect have become meaningless tokens. According to Sarita, kids increasingly participate in environmental poster-making contests, but "They don't understand the meaning behind them, they know it, and even the teachers know it that all of this is just a compulsory activity they have to do as a part of their school." Such conversations make us believe that performative knowledge has replaced embodied knowledge. The revered connection to nature, including forests, rivers, and mountains, can no longer guide daily actions and is just a moral teaching that never reaches its performative stage. One of our older participants, Ram Singh, recalled how We used to see trees and rivers as sacred, but now that connection is gone. Now we see a vast area filled with trees, and we just want to cut it all down and make homes, roads, hotels, and everything else that can give us money. Even the residents know that all of their resources, sacred rivers, forests, and mountains are being converted into revenue-generating sources. From experiencing a deep, sacred connection with such places, people now treat them as material resources. This disconnection is not just nostalgic; it represents a broader breakdown of systems that once structured moral life. For the older generation, especially, these changes don’t just feel like progress; they feel like loss. A loss of meaning, of values, of the spiritual thread that once held life together. 1.2 Disconnection from Nature as Sacred Beyond the visible environmental degradation, participants highlighted a quieter but deeper collapse, one that affects the spiritual, cultural, and ethical foundations. Looking at this through an existential lens, when people cannot envisage leaving a liveable, morally coherent world to their children, generativity is thwarted (Erikson, 1950/1982), producing alienation and despair rather than care and stewardship. “Earlier, every festival had some connection with the rivers and forests; people worshiped trees and rivers. They took care of nature and were happy to serve their gods through worshiping rivers and mountains… now people just take selfies.” (Gaurav) Discussing the loss of spirituality and rituals, participants questioned whether development that destroys entire mountains can still be called progress. During our interview, Gaurav raised the issue of unethical construction practices, asking bluntly, Is it worth clearing forest cover and destroying our values for a road? The current race towards growth and economic profit has destroyed an ancient belief that life, nature, and human actions are part of a moral and sacred order. Discussing the spiritual way of life, Gaurav shared that earlier spirituality was lived, not performed. “Before, touching the river was like touching the feet of a deity… now people throw all types of garbage in it, they wash their bikes in it, and every day they pollute it in the name of rituals.” (Gaurav) People believed that nature was not separate from their faith; the rivers were treated as mothers and not just water bodies. As Amit, our participant, explained that the mountains of Uttarakhand are deities, Spirituality teaches respect for nature. If we consider trees and mountains sacred, we will protect them. But now, they’re being destroyed, even those who practice some rituals are ignorant, he further expressed how We have started polluting the Ganga in the name of offering. Capturing the painful irony of spiritual rituals contributing to environmental harm. This tension between what has been taught in traditions and what happens now leaves a gap. These reflections reveal a weakening of nature-connectedness, a psychological construct referring to the extent to which individuals include nature as part of their identity (Mayer & Frantz, 2004; Tam, 2013 ). “People have stopped seeing the forest as sacred… it’s only wood to be cut now.”(Mayur) This generational gap can weaken intergenerational ecological identity transmission, a mechanism essential for sustaining conservation values over time (Chawla, 2007 ). Without sacred obligation, deeds seem detached, and the world seems more difficult to understand. The moral compass no longer points in the right direction. For most, this religious breakdown signifies not only cultural transformation; it creates a chilling form of fear, because when the spiritual infrastructures are torn down, so is the meaning that previously enabled individuals to survive anguish, discover meaning, and feel anchored to the world. 2. Intergenerational Fear and Futility One of the overriding themes throughout the stories was a deep anxiety and concern for the next generation. This condition aligns with Yalom’s ( 1980 ) existential “givens”, particularly heightened mortality awareness (fear for future survival), diminished agency (powerlessness to alter the trajectory), isolation (rupture between generations), and meaninglessness (loss of continuity between past ecological harmony and an uncertain future). The understanding that climate change has created irreparable harm has already been initiated among the participants. Across interviews, participants voiced a deep and persistent anxiety about the fate of future generations in the face of climate change. “What breaks my heart as a mother is the fact that our children will breathe more dust than air, and that we cannot do anything about it.” (Sarita) This sadness is not abstract; it is grounded in the lived experience of environmental decline, resource scarcity, and the perception that irreversible damage has already been set in motion. For many, the concern extends beyond environmental degradation to the collapse of intergenerational knowledge, values, and resilience. This theme captures how worries about legacy, continuity, and future security merge with a sense of helplessness, anger, and blame. 2.1 Fear for Future Generations “In every household you see, you can find that young people no longer follow the old customs related to planting trees during festivals. They just want to get ready, dress up, click photos, and eat. They don’t know their gods, how to worship them.” (Mayur) There is evidence of generational disconnection, where younger members no longer comprehend the symbolic significance of ecological rituals. For older participants, this loss was not merely about tradition, but about the rupture of a moral and cultural thread that carried ecological wisdom forward. Many voiced a deep worry that without these practices, future generations would lack both the knowledge and the values necessary to live in harmony with nature. This fear for children and grandchildren’s futures intensified their sense of security, as the erosion of traditions was seen as a warning sign of cultural collapse and environmental decline yet to come. Participants’ pervasive anxieties about future generations reflect a deeper psychological phenomenon: the thwarting of generativity, as described by Erikson (1950/1982). When individuals feel unable to pass on a stable, meaningful world, they experience alienation rather than stewardship (Erikson, 1982 ). Discussing the extreme weather conditions and the heat rise, Ravi, one of the participants, mentioned, "If we are facing such dramatic changes today, just think about what future generations will have to bear." This is not only a concern for today but also for the generations yet to come, as Sandeep, another participant, succinctly puts it, "This is not just about us today . This is concerning the future. Is this the type of world where we want our children to grow?" The anxiety about the future and the world we bequeath to our children speaks to what theorists like Rollo May would call existential anxiety, a fundamental anxiety arising from the awareness of our freedom, responsibility, and the ultimate finitude of our existence (May, 1958 ). Sandeep’s reflections highlight a crucial aspect of this anxiety: the intergenerational burden of responsibility. In our interviews, we frequently discussed the significance of water and how the rapid decline in clean water availability has driven its cost up. “The coming generation will not even know what clean rivers look like.” (Rekha) Previously, individuals residing in mountainous areas, such as Uttarakhand, had a sense of security regarding access to clean water; however, due to the high rate of development and rising tourism, this is no longer the case. One of our participants, Shuddha, who is also a school teacher, told us that educating youth on how important water is crucial. In our interview, she explained, "I tell my children, if this keeps on going on, we may not have water anymore in the future." From an existential psychology perspective, the loss of a fundamental resource like clean water represents a profound disruption to the very fabric of human existence. When people like Rekha voice their concerns, they are confronting one of Irvin Yalom's four "givens of existence": the search for meaning in a seemingly indifferent world. The potential disappearance of clean rivers isn't just a loss of a natural resource; it's a loss of a shared heritage and a symbol of life itself, threatening the very meaning and purpose that humans derive from their connection to the natural world (Yalom, 1980 ). For example, Akhil’s statement, “The glaciers are melting so fast… I fear my grandchildren will never see them.” , Akhil's fear directly engages with Irvin Yalom's givens of existence, particularly the concepts of freedom and meaninglessness. The rapid melting of glaciers symbolizes a loss of control, a profound limitation on humanity's freedom to shape its future. This imagined future absence threatens the very fabric of his sense of purpose. If the world is on an irreversible path of degradation, what meaning can his actions, or the actions of his generation, truly hold? This question about the value and impact of one's life in the face of inevitable, large-scale destruction is a core component of existential dread. When participants like Shuddha ask, “What will we leave for the next generation? Only heat and pollution,” It reveals a deep-seated intergenerational anxiety. This is not a personal fear for her safety but a profound concern for the well-being and survival of those who will come after her. It is an empathetic fear rooted in the understanding that her generation's actions (or inactions) have created a legacy of environmental degradation. This fear is a form of anticipatory grief, i.e., emotional distress in anticipation of an unavoidable future loss (Cunsolo et al., 2020 ). Mourning a future she has not yet seen but believes is inevitable, she is not just worried about her children and grandchildren, but about all future generations, who she feels will inherit a diminished world. Shuddha's question, "What will we leave...?", is an existential one. It confronts the core human need for meaning and purpose. From an existential perspective, one way we find meaning is by contributing to something larger than ourselves, by leaving a positive legacy. Sudha's statement suggests that this fundamental purpose is being undermined. The "heat and pollution" she speaks of represent a meaningless, destructive legacy, which threatens to invalidate the lives and efforts of her generation. This fear also reflects a transgenerational environmental responsibility dynamic, where individuals measure current moral worth by their perceived ability to safeguard the environment for future kin (Markowitz & Shariff, 2012). They are expressing both existential concern and an intergenerational ethical stance. In environmental psychology, such future-oriented moral framing has been shown to intensify both emotional engagement and psychological strain (Ojala, 2012 ). 2.2 Futility of Individual Action These worries around natural resources are now accompanied by a growing sense of hopelessness at the individual or even community level. Mayur, one of our participants, questions, "What can we do? Even if we try, nothing changes. The damage is too big." His question reveals a deep-seated belief that the scale of environmental degradation has surpassed the capacity for individual or even collective community-level interventions to make a meaningful difference. This sense of helplessness deepens when they realise that the youth don't even have an interest in preserving their sense of spiritual beliefs, let alone nature. Sandeep, who, despite living in a rural area, observed about youth, "They don't know their village gods or where water comes from—they don't care." This observation highlights a perceived erosion of the very foundations of community and identity. From an existential perspective, meaning is often derived from a sense of belonging, a connection to one's past, and an understanding of one's place within a larger cosmic or natural order (Yalom, 1980 ). When this connection is severed, particularly among the younger generation, it creates an existential vacuum (Frankl, 1946). For Sandeep, the village gods and the source of water are not just physical or spiritual entities; they are symbols of a shared history, a collective identity, and a profound relationship with the land. The youth's perceived apathy signals a breakdown of this intergenerational transmission of meaning, leaving older generations feeling isolated and their legacy devalued. This perspective was shared by nearly all participants, and it makes sense given that this collective sense of doom is not an abstract idea; it is rooted in everyday experience and a real breakdown in the continuity of knowledge, values, and resilience between generations. Further, during the discussion about this fear for the future generations, we caught a glimpse of an admonition and a kind of despair from our participants, when Ram Singh exclaimed that "If we don't act now, then in the future, this Earth is going to have so many dangers." His words are a clear warning to the present generation that their inaction will have catastrophic consequences. This is a call to moral responsibility, urging a collective response before it's too late. The statement is not just a prediction; it's a desperate plea for agency, a belief that the future is not yet sealed and can be changed through conscious effort. However, this admonition is tinged with despair shown by Smita. “Even if we plant a hundred trees, someone will cut them down tomorrow.” (Smita) This sense of futility is a direct gateway to existential despair. The core of this despair lies in the perceived lack of meaning in one's actions. If planting trees, an act meant to be a legacy, is met with immediate destruction, then the purpose behind the action is obliterated. Her despair is rooted in the fear that her contributions to the world are not only insignificant but are actively being negated, leaving her with a sense of utter helplessness in the face of a destructive reality. It's a deep-seated dread that the world is a place where hope is constantly thwarted, making it difficult to find a reason to continue fighting. Furthermore, it is evident that even the use of "we" suggests collective responsibility on the one hand, but also conveys a lingering disbelief on the other hand when it fills space with questions around whether or not they will exhibit a willingness to take action. This "disbelief" can turn more intense as people also realize the increasing gap of disinterest between generations, and in effect, older generations have memories of a time where humans and nature co-existed in harmony, whilst younger generations are left in a separate cognitive space of relative ignorance and detachment. When asked how relevant youth action was, Ram Singh shared, "We can encourage our kids... these issues will also impact us too. Disaster will come, just like it is affecting other countries now." This chronic fear of the future, and acknowledgment of shared perdition, is more than mere environmental concern- it engenders a more profound existential fear about their legacy, continuity, and disintegration of future security. Extending as more than just a fear, Sandeep showed feelings of blame and anger towards the youth when he said, Today’s education... is confined to closed classrooms and the internet. We only teach from books... without real engagement. Our children don’t know what it is like to play outside, to spend their day surrounded by nature. They think it is useless and also too tiring. Following this interview, we found blame and anger as common feelings in the older generations. Another participant, Ravi, believed that “ Many don’t care. They think, 'Whatever happens, it will happen to everyone.” His statement highlights a widespread sense of fatalism, a belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable. This mindset acts as a powerful psychological buffer against the anxiety and helplessness associated with environmental crises. By believing that the future is already decided, that "whatever happens, it will happen", individuals can absolve themselves of personal responsibility and the emotional burden of trying to change an unchangeable future. This is a form of avoidance, a way to escape the overwhelming weight of existential dread by surrendering to it. While Ravi’s sentiment represents a resigned apathy, Ram Singh’s is an active, albeit despairing, critique of how the current predicament came to be. Expressing a kind of intergenerational dispute where the older generation feels as if the youth is to be blamed for their current condition, and talking about the increasing number of hotels and tourism, Ram Singh believes that “We have completely ruined the climate... our pure minds were trained from childhood to think about business.” This isn't just about environmental degradation; it's about the corruption of values. The phrase "pure minds" suggests a lost innocence, a time when personal and communal values were perhaps more aligned with nature. The subsequent training to "think about business" is presented as the very act that corrupted this purity, prioritizing profit and development over the well-being of the planet. This frames the current environmental crisis not as an accident or a random disaster, but as the direct, intended outcome of a flawed system of beliefs. This insight adds a new dimension to existential dread. It moves beyond the simple fear of loss and into the realm of moral injury. Ram Singh is not just worried about the future; he is grappling with a profound sense of responsibility and guilt. He and his generation feel complicit in the destruction. This sense of complicity is a form of existential isolation, as it separates them from the "purity" of the past and the hopes of the future. The dread here is not just about the dangers to come, but about the painful realization that the disaster was self-inflicted, a result of a conscious, or perhaps unconsciously accepted, betrayal of their core values. 3. Disconnection and Emotional Numbness One of the most fascinating discoveries from the interviews was not only the knowledge of climate change, but the lack of emotional connection this climate crisis has led to. There was a persistent disparity that was present between knowledge and action. “Everyone somewhere knows that this is wrong for the environment or the climate, but they do not stop doing certain things.” (Amit) This persistent disparity between knowledge and action is not merely a matter of laziness or apathy; it's a profound psychological defense mechanism. On an individual level, the overwhelming scale of the climate crisis can trigger existential dread, as we have discussed. In response, the psyche can create a buffer of emotional numbness to protect itself. This emotional numbness culminates in a condition of helplessness or eco-paralysis, a situation in which citizens become helpless and believe that any effort to bounce back from this environmental devastation is futile. This sentiment is rooted in the concept of learned helplessness (Seligman, 1975 ), where a person gives up trying to change their circumstances after experiencing repeated failures or perceiving their efforts as pointless. The emotional disconnection, once a shield against anxiety, becomes a cage, trapping individuals in a cycle of inaction. The emotional numbness, in essence, severs the link between our knowledge of the crisis and our capacity to respond to it. This dynamic not only explains individual inaction but also contributes to a collective state of apathy, where the crisis is intellectually acknowledged but emotionally and behaviorally ignored. 3.1 Helplessness Citizens are no longer convinced that they can act or that their actions will be consequential. This form of helplessness is a direct offshoot of the futility of individual action and the emotional numbness we have previously discussed. This was amplified in statements such as one given by Gaurav, “ Even if I change my lifestyle, what difference does it make? What will one person’s effort do?” Gaurav's words are a clear manifestation of learned helplessness (Seligman, 1975 ), a psychological state where an individual gives up on trying to change their situation after experiencing repeated failures or believing their efforts are inconsequential. This attitude of hopelessness inhibits agency, affirming that no reaction is enough. It is an intrinsic existential disaffection: individuals are not apathetic because they don't care, but because they feel their caring won't make a difference. This numbness is not passive—it is defensive, protecting people from the emotional burden of having to face a disintegrating world. This sense of helplessness expressed by participants like Gaurav is compounded by a deeper feeling of spiritual and emotional loss. This is powerfully articulated by Amit: We have completely ruined the climate. Spirituality has been lost. And as I said yesterday, we have completely destroyed our emotions. The connection we once had with nature—we no longer have it. Amit connects the physical destruction of the climate directly to the loss of spirituality and the destruction of emotions. This is a form of moral helplessness, a belief that humanity has lost its ethical and emotional compass, making it incapable of addressing the crisis. This perspective goes beyond the practical challenges of changing behavior and points to a deeper, almost existential despair about human nature itself. The "connection we once had with nature" is described as not just a physical relationship but an emotional and spiritual one. The loss of this connection makes the environmental crisis feel not only insurmountable but also morally justified in a tragic, karmic sense. While previous participants voiced their despair, Sumit’s views shift the focus to a societal-level critique, highlighting the pervasive moral hypocrisy that surrounds the climate crisis. “ Many people talk about protecting nature, but they don’t practice what they preach. They just like to say such things to show that they have a morally higher ground." This observation captures a painful psychological dynamic: the gap between professed values and actual behavior. It reveals a futility of action that is not only personal but societal. The "talking about protecting nature" becomes a performative act, a way for individuals and communities to acknowledge the problem without having to engage with its difficult and anxiety-inducing realities. This verbal commitment serves as a substitute for genuine action, creating a collective form of cognitive dissonance reduction. By simply talking about the right thing to do, people can feel as though they are contributing, thereby alleviating the psychological discomfort of knowing they are contributing to the very problem they claim to care about. This behavior is a direct symptom of the emotional numbness we've previously identified. The disconnect between a person's words and actions is possible because their intellectual knowledge of the crisis is not matched by an emotional connection to it. As discussed with Amit's statement, the psyche's defense mechanism of psychic numbing allows for this disparity. The crisis remains an abstract concept, an intellectual problem to be debated or discussed, rather than an immediate, felt reality that demands behavioral change. The hypocrisy is a direct outcome of this emotional distance, as it allows individuals to maintain a sense of moral rectitude without the overwhelming burden of genuine engagement and the difficult actions it would require. 3.2 Migration and Loss of Place-Based Identity To escape the consequences of climate change, people have begun migrating to the plains. Ram Singh told us, Villages across Uttarakhand have become empty. Entire blocks have been abandoned. In many places, entire blocks have been abandoned. Especially if you travel towards Pauri and the upper regions, you will find numerous villages almost completely deserted. This forced migration is more than just a logistical shift; it represents a profound psychological disruption. For the people of Uttarakhand, their identity is deeply tied to their land, their mountains, and their community. This is a form of place - based identity, where one's sense of self is intrinsically linked to their physical environment. The abandonment of villages signifies not only the loss of homes but the erosion of this fundamental identity. It severs social bonds, spiritual connections to the land, and ancestral ties, leading to a sense of profound grief and disorientation. This experience aligns with the concept of solastalgia, a term coined by Glenn Albrecht to describe the distress caused by environmental change to one's home and sense of place (Albrecht et al., 2007 ). It is a form of homesickness felt while still at home, as the very essence of that home has changed beyond recognition. “Now, the hill people are no longer living in the hills. The hill dwellers are nowhere to be found in the mountains anymore.” (Sarita) This migration is just another version of climate denial; people are not just leaving the land they claimed as theirs, but also the emotional and cultural relationships they held with one another and the land. The emotional effects of leaving have complicated aspects; abandoned people feel lost or left by their peers. Moving on, those who leave get further and further away from their land–denying their sense of identity. This weakening of place-based identity leads to a greater sense of disenfranchisement and helplessness. This emotional withdrawal leads to some kind of resigned fatalism in that the injury is understood as too big, too systemic, too permanent to be able to be turned back. During the interview, a number of participants spoke not with urgency, but with resignation. Sarita was convinced about this when she said, "All the things you're looking at in Uttarakhand - they are not going to exist here anymore." This is a form of speech that is beyond worry and moving to a quiet acceptance of loss. This fatalism is not based on a denial of climate change, but rather on the inevitability of it. When people realize that their actions don't matter, and that the great forces that cause harm in this world are just too powerful to stand up to, there ends up being only the muted, enduring belief that collapse is somehow possible, and indeed inevitable. This sort of thinking drains motivation, and ecological concern becomes something to mourn rather than address. 3.3 Disengagement The climate crisis is no longer seen as a problem to be solved by individuals, but as an enormous, complex puzzle with no clear answer. “Common people, whether in Uttarakhand, Delhi, or elsewhere, know that the crisis is real. Everyone knows that they never used ACs as much as they are using it now, there was never this much garbage near our homes either. Everyone is affected, but no one knows the solution” (Rekha) This lack of a perceived solution, especially one that can be enacted on a personal level, directly fuels disengagement. When a problem is seen as too big and too complex for any single person or group to solve, people may simply stop trying to engage with it. This creates a state of overwhelm, where the sheer scale and intractability of the crisis lead to a form of mental paralysis. The knowledge of the problem exists, but without a clear path forward, it becomes a source of anxiety rather than a call to action. What emerges from this is a deeper form of existential disengagement. In this form of existential disengagement, participants described people who emotionally and psychologically withdraw from the world around them, which compromises their ability to engage in environmental behaviours and actions. Even when environmental discussions are mentioned, they may not stir emotional responses. Sumit was well aware of the helplessness they felt; he shared, If you talk to your neighbours about what is going on, you feel that people feel helpless. They let whatever is happening, they let it happen. They’re convinced that nothing they can do is enough to save their homeland. There is helplessness and apathy. When degradation is visible, people no longer display shock. Disengagement does not indicate indifference; it is a psychological adaptation to exist in a world where everything is perceived to be unfixable. Individuals do not disengage because of indifference; they disengage because perpetual engagement means that they must continually deal with grief, helplessness, and loss. For this reason, existential disengagement is a coping mechanism to merely emotionally survive in a world that no longer responds to hope or effort. However, in the process, it also silences resistance and undermines collective responsibility, making emotional numbing both a symptom and a barrier to a climate crisis response. Yet, we found that selective concern was a harsh yet honest look at this climate crisis: “People only care as long as something directly affects them. For example, they won’t throw garbage in front of their own house, but they don’t hesitate to dump it in public spaces.” (Smita) The disengagement isn't about a total lack of concern, but rather a focus on what's immediately visible and personally inconvenient. This behavior is a form of moral licensing, where individuals feel justified in their negative actions in one area because they have been "good" in another. They may take pride in their clean home and neighborhood while ignoring the broader consequences of their actions on public spaces. This is a direct manifestation of the emotional numbing and disconnection we have discussed; the environmental crisis is not felt as a personal problem unless it lands on one's doorstep. 4. Loss of Control and Fragmented Agency Across interviews, participants described a loss of control in the face of environmental decline. While they demonstrated clear awareness of the ongoing crises, there was a shared perception that individual or even collective efforts were insufficient to counter the scale of the problem. This loss of control was tied to multiple dimensions—structural barriers, ineffective governance, social indifference, overreliance on technology, and the psychological toll of living in a state of ongoing crisis. 4.1 Powerlessness A predominant theme across the interviews was a sense of powerlessness about the ongoing environmental collapse. Participants described a sense that they know what is happening, but feel powerless to effect any real change. This sense of powerlessness extends to both the personal and shared dimensions of lived experience and broken systems of governance, as well as the indifference and complacency of society. Rekha summed it up well when she said, "We can think about these things, we can even talk about it all day, and still there will be no good coming out of it. I know people who sit all evening and just talk about their problems with pollution, heat, tourism, and climate change, but never have I seen any change to counter them. Like I said, we can talk about it, but we don't have the power to change them." When retrieving and invoking the power of collective agency is successful, it prefigures both helplessness as well as the collapse of belief in systems, self-efficacy, and the obligation to care for each other. This is then followed by emotional withdrawal, symbolic action, and relying on systems that no longer hold space for human or ecological flourishing. Citizens often testified to an increasing sense of awareness that the issues they are confronted with, pollution, environmental degradation, and social indifference, are pushed by forces much larger than themselves. This sense of helplessness was not articulated as a lack of knowledge, but as a discerning acknowledgment that personal engagement does not equate to structural change. As Shuddha, who also works as a teacher in one of the schools in Rishikesh, puts it bluntly, Even as educators, we can think about these issues, but we don’t have the power to change them. Shuddha’s account maps onto a classic agency gap: high awareness but low perceived capacity to effect change. Psychologically, this reads as diminished perceived behavioral control and self-/collective efficacy, both of which predict lower engagement (Ajzen, 2002 ; Jugert et al., 2016 ; Thaker et al., 2016 ). When threats feel systemic and remote from individual levers, worry can slide into learned helplessness, which suppresses pro-environmental action despite concern (Landry et al., 2018 ). From an existential angle, chronic eco-threat erodes meaning and agency, fostering paralysis unless emotions are transformed through meaning-focused coping and efficacious, shared pathways for action (Ojala, 2012 ; Pihkala, 2020 ; Kurth & Pihkala, 2022 ). In Uttarakhand, where repeated disasters and rapid development sharpen feelings of insignificance, such agency loss is unsurprising; post-2013 flood studies show substantial psychological strain, a context that can entrench avoidance unless collective efficacy is rebuilt (Sharma et al., 2015 ; Channaveerachari et al., 2015 ). Many participants identified the point that even such concerned people are declining in numbers, which supports the perception that attempts are both ineffective and isolated. Gaurav speaks about this when he said, I feel that humanity is gradually deteriorating; humans are ruining their own homes and calling it development. A small percentage of people still care, but their numbers are shrinking. Gaurav’s remark captures a collapsing moral horizon: concern persists, but its social base is eroding, which makes action feel isolated and futile. Psychologically, when caring becomes numerically marginal, it undermines descriptive social norms and corrodes collective efficacy, so even motivated individuals lose reinforcement for sustained action (Kinzig et al., 2013 ; Helferich, 2023 ). From an existential perspective, the perception that “humanity is deteriorating” speaks to ontological insecurity: care feels futile when the shared world that gives values force and meaning appears to be dissolving, which can amplify despair and withdrawal rather than spur collective responses (Pihkala, 2020 ). In Uttarakhand, this dynamic is intensified by repeated environmental shocks and visible development pressures: post-disaster research documents how these conditions deepen psychological strain and can fragment community trust, conditions that make concern harder to sustain and scale into collective action (Channaveerachari et al., 2015 ; Aneelraj et al., 2016). This perception of dwindling moral communities is a source of emotional exhaustion as well as disengagement. The inevitability of deteriorating circumstances was also assumed, as seen in the resigned forecast by Gaurav: "Pollution is an issue for the entire earth, yet we are not doing anything to even reduce its pace. Everyone knows this, even you can agree on this, that pollution will only increase." Such declarations reveal not only pessimism but a psychological acquiescence to the scope of the crisis, where no pragmatically feasible path of resistance, change, or hope appears possible. In our interviews, this sense of inevitability coalesced with a perception that local institutions and governance are outpaced by tourism growth and poor waste management, so individual concern increasingly lacks structural support and visible reinforcement (Mahapatra et al., 2011 ; Rawat, 2024 ). These feelings serve to reinforce the affective gravity of existential fear through demonstrating how agency is not merely diminished but experienced as pointless in the face of overwhelming structural, political, and cultural momentum. when caring is numerically marginal and institutions fail to regulate common goods, descriptive norms shift and collective efficacy erodes, leaving concerned individuals isolated and morally exhausted (Doherty & Webler, 2016 ). Existentially, this produces a double erosion: the shared world that validated values and purpose gives way to meaninglessness, while habituation to degradation normalizes decline and dampens protest. In Uttarakhand, these dynamics are visible; research and government assessments link unplanned tourist influxes to river and landscape pollution and declining cleanliness in resort towns—creating a feedback loop where environmental decline reinforces the very disengagement that permits further degradation (Mahapatra et al., 2011 ; Rawat, 2024 ; Times of India reporting on Swachh Survekshan 2024 ). 4.2 Cynicism Toward Institutional Responses Cynicism toward institutional responses emerged strongly as participants described governments, local authorities, and tourist businesses as either complicit in environmental harm or impotent to stop it, producing a pervasive distrust that sapped motivation for collective action. “Government officials make policies while sitting in air-conditioned offices,” (Ram Singh) Institutional cynicism undermines trust and erodes perceived collective efficacy—people stop expecting meaningful change from public actors and withdraw their engagement, which research links to lower civic participation and increased fatalism (van Prooijen, 2022 ; Davidson, 2024 ). Pointing to the disconnection between those in power and those experiencing environmental change, Amit shared with us that “ People who govern, those who make policies, they visit local places and plant one or two trees just to pose for pictures. They plant one tree, and ten people touch it for each picture. This feels like a joke.” Furthermore, even publicized environmental efforts were viewed as hollow. While Rekha noted, “ If you analyze the current education system, particularly the concept of seminars and workshops, it is nothing more than a way to spend money. To put it plainly, it is a wasteful expenditure.” These comments reflect a view of whatever action being prescribed as insufficient, inconsistent, or inauthentic, reinforcing a further faithlessness of possibility. Several participants reflected on the slow, steady nature of ecological decline, coupled with action that is either delayed or merely symbolic. As Ravi remembered, When I grew up, the area I lived in had 100 bighas of orchards…but now with all the population growth, all of it, it is gone. From an existential perspective, when institutions fail to protect the shared world, the loss is ontological: the social structures that once conveyed meaning, responsibility, and hope crumble, leaving individuals stranded in a landscape of purposelessness and resignation (Pihkala, 2020 ; Kurth & Pihkala, 2022 ). In Uttarakhand, this distrust is grounded in lived experience—recurrent disasters, visible waste and tourist-driven degradation, and slow policy responses make institutional promises feel hollow and reinforce the belief that “pollution will only increase” (Channaveerachari et al., 2015 ; Pandey et al., 2022 ; Rawat, 2024 ). The result is a self-reinforcing loop: institutional failure deepens cynicism, cynicism reduces collective pressure for reform, and the environment declines further. 4.3 Machine Dependence and Loss of Self-Reliance The growing dependence on technology was also cited as a main cause of the erosion of individual and community agency. Amit explained, “For almost everything, we depend on some machine. That machine depends on another machine... This is not self-reliance.” This web of dependence not only indicates outward dependence but is also an icon of inner disempowerment. This growing machine dependence undermines perceived control and everyday agency, shifting people from skilled actors to passive consumers of systems they do not control; this erosion of competence feeds helplessness and exacerbates climate-related anxiety because people feel less able to respond to environmental threats (Toivonen et al., 2022 ; Wamsler, 2022 ). The disappearance of traditional knowledge, skilful hands, and nature-friendly practices estranges people from nature and from a feeling of inner competence, making existential estrangement even more profound. Empirical work on traditional ecological knowledge in the Uttarakhand Himalaya shows how these practices historically supported resilience and meaning-making, and how their loss removes not only adaptive know-how but also embodied ways of belonging that sustain agency in crises (Parween et al., 2022 ; Mohd Salim, 2023 ). Rebuilding agency, therefore, demands restoring local skills and practices alongside infrastructural resilience; otherwise, technological fixes risk producing brittle systems and a population increasingly alienated from both nature and their capacity to respond. Attendees pointed out how contemporary consumerism, underpinned by urgency, convenience, and profitability, has displaced emotion, ethics, and ecological considerations. “Business has taken precedence over emotions. A person’s emotions, which once guided actions, are now gradually fading. This is what happens when instead of spreading our cultural values, we force our children to learn about computers and money.” (Sarita) Sarita’s reflection underscores a widening rift between cultural values rooted in restraint and modern consumerist ideals oriented toward speed and profit. Consumerism encourages immediate gratification and external validation, which erode self-regulation and diminish the ability to prioritize ecological responsibility over convenience (Kasser, 2016 ; Wamsler, 2022 ). When emotions and ethics are displaced by profit logics, individuals experience a hollowing of meaning: decisions once anchored in communal values and intergenerational care are reduced to transactions, leaving people with a sense of cultural loss and alienation (Pihkala, 2020 ; Kurth & Pihkala, 2022 ). This step away from delayed gratification speaks to a more profound erosion of long-term thinking and restraint. Ecological restraint is not lost carelessly; it is normalized. Talking about the actions of youth, Mayur shared how he thinks the current generation acts. He simply puts it, "We’re all equally. involved in this damage. For people of my age and even younger one’s I know, we just want to earn and show off. Even the government supports these ideas. The current thinking has become so self-centred that every young adult has a common idea when it comes to earning money, which is that even at the expense of ruining a national heritage site, I still want it right now." Mayur's confession is not a sign of ignorance but a tightly internalized conviction that personal gratification at the moment outweighs collective loss over time; it points to the normalization of ecological disregard under the sway of short-term gains. This reflects a cultural shift where self-enhancement values overshadow self-transcendent ones, reinforcing materialism and weakening collective responsibility (Kasser, 2016 ; Wamsler, 2022 ). In such a belief, self-destruction becomes part of everyday existence, and the implication, however drastic, is delayed or projected outward. The loss of ecological restraint represents more than moral decline; it is a collapse of temporal depth, where the future ceases to anchor present choices and heritage loses its meaning as a shared inheritance (Kurth & Pihkala, 2022 ). In Uttarakhand, where rivers, forests, and pilgrimage sites are imbued with cultural and spiritual significance, such attitudes mark a rupture between generational identity and the ecological landscapes that once sustained it. This intergenerational erosion—where heritage is devalued in pursuit of immediate consumption—feeds eco-anxiety among those who still recognize the stakes, while entrenching cynicism about the possibility of collective restraint. 4.4 Psychological Impact of Global Crises Global crises—pandemics, economic shocks, and accelerating climate disasters—compound and amplify local environmental distress, producing a cumulative psychological burden that reshapes meaning-making, coping, and hope (O’Donnell et al., 2024 ; Orrù et al., 2024 ). People in Uttarakhand clearly knew that mental health and emotional resilience are directly impacted by the recurrent global environmental crises. Speaking about the same, Gaurav shared with us that: "This climate change causes major landslides and uncertainty amongst us. All of these things, in turn, affect mental health and stability worldwide because this is not just happening here but worldwide." The constant onslaught of horrific news stories about resource conflicts, displacements, and climate disasters is a significant contributor to the overall sense of emotional exhaustion. By increasing the gap between people's expectations for the future and the deteriorated futures they currently envision, such macro-level shocks exacerbate ecological sorrow and anticipatory grief while also intensifying existential anxiety regarding the continuity and meaning of life (Cunsolo et al., 2020 ; Pihkala, 2020 ). This compounding effect can be observed empirically in Uttarakhand, where recurrent disasters (like the 2013 floods) and pandemic-related disruptions have been linked to increased levels of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and long-term psychosocial strain. These conditions combine with place-based losses to undermine collective resilience and agency (Sharma et al., 2015 ; Channaveerachari et al., 2015 ; Verma et al., 2021 ). According to the participants, they felt exhausted and overstimulated, and they were unable to effectively deal with the ongoing crisis. Speaking about the mental health impact this uncertain climate has on people, Akhil told us, “ Yes, I feel it especially during monsoons. Disasters are increasing. Suddenly, we see landslides, bursting incidents, etc. All of this, and the news, it makes me feel anxious, and I find it difficult not to worry about it. And it’s not just me, almost everyone I know in my neighbourhood goes through this.” Akhil's testimony serves as an example of how the psychological toll of frequent disasters can show up as emotional exhaustion, increased vigilance, and ongoing anxiety. His observations of unpredictable monsoons, landslides, and flash floods demonstrate how unmanageable environmental hazards can lead to intrusive worry and hyperarousal, which are characteristics of stress related to trauma (Sharma et al., 2015 ; Channaveerachari et al., 2015 ). Constant media exposure exacerbates this distress by amplifying fear, resulting in a state of "collective anxiety" in which entire neighborhoods, as well as individuals, share a fearful atmosphere (Pihkala, 2020 ; Orrù et al., 2024 ). According to existential theory, this continual overstimulation undermines the sense of security required to establish identity, leaving people dangling in a constant state of danger where neither the present nor the future seem safe (Cunsolo et al., 2020 ). These circumstances serve as an example of how local ecological disruptions, which filter global crises, force people into a transitional psychological space where worry and fatigue become accepted modes of existence. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION Discussion This study significantly adds to the expanding body of research that recognizes climate change as more than just an environmental or physical crisis, but also as a profound psychological and existential phenomenon. Our findings are consistent with the larger body of research on eco-emotions, which holds that climate-linked affects (such as anxiety, grief, anger, and numbness) are best understood as a family of related emotions rather than a single concept, but they all converge on existential dread, a deeper experiential core. By demonstrating how these processes work in concert to undermine both individual efficacy and collective practices, the findings extend psychological accounts of solastalgia and grief by connecting place-based losses, anticipatory grief, institutional cynicism, technological dependence, and consumerist short-termism to a collective contraction of agency and meaning in Uttarakhand (Scannell & Gifford, 2010 ; Cunsolo et al., 2020 ; Pihkala, 2020 ). In existential psychology, existential fear refers to an affective position that occurs when fundamental existential issues, meaning, death, freedom/agency, and isolation are placed in painful awareness (Yalom, 1980 ; Tillich, 1952). Current overviews define them as persistent "ultimate concerns," triggered when people are faced with non-being (death, loss) and disorientation of guiding worldviews (meaning) (Schnipke, 2023; Tillich, 1952/2015 analyses). Projecting our themes along these dimensions underscores the reading that participants are not simply anxious, but existentially menaced in their meaning systems and agency. The detailed, personal histories of Uttarakhand very clearly demonstrate how loss of sites like pristine rivers, sacred forests, and village rituals generates a multi-layered psychological reaction that entwines solastalgia (anguish at experienced environmental change), pre-emptive sadness regarding impending loss, and a fragmentation in place identity that undermines belonging and significance. Place identity binds what people are to the landscapes they occupy, the rivers, groves, and ceremonies that delineate memory, accountability, and mundane proficiency. When such anchors dissolve, individuals face an existential void: a loss of story coherence and sense of direction in which futures previously assumed no longer appear feasible, creating vacuity, lack of direction, and reduced motivation. In Uttarakhand, these processes are intensified by repeated disasters and slow institutional recovery, which empirical studies link to elevated anxiety, depression, and community fragmentation after the 2013 floods—conditions that make meaning-repair and collective action both more urgent and more difficult (Channaveerachari et al., 2015 ; Sharma et al., 2015 ). One of the most shocking findings was the breakdown of meaning systems. Participants described a disintegration of spiritual and moral values that stemmed from their connections to land, rivers, and forests. Place-identity disruption, in which the symbolic meaning of a location changes so drastically that it destabilizes the self-concept and sense of belonging, is reflected in the participants' descriptions of a loss of direction and coherence as development increased and sacred spaces became commodities (Scannell & Gifford, 2010 ; Raymond et al., 2010 ). These anecdotes lend credence to Passmore et al.'s ( 2022 ) discussion of the impacts of climate change as a set of existential issues, including a disturbance of self-awareness, purpose, and belonging, in addition to a fear of ecological collapse. This loss is exacerbated when lived spirituality is replaced by symbolic rituals carried out in degraded environments, turning once-embodied relationships with nature into meaningless gestures. Participants frequently described how the sacred has been commercialized and how moral-spiritual pillars have been undermined (e.g., "Devbhoomi... has become a hotel bhoomi"; "now even spirituality has become a business"). According to existential theory, these stories illustrate the destabilization of worldviews, which is a crucial process through which dread arises (Tillich; Yalom). According to Terror Management Theory (TMT), distress related to mortality also increases when cultural worldviews that offer continuity and meaning are compromised (Pyszczynski et al., 2015). These narratives suggest a decline in nature connectedness, which has been demonstrated to affect psychological health and pro-environmental behavior. Nature connectedness is the degree to which people incorporate nature into their identities (Tam, 2013 ; Restall & Conrad, 2015 ). The loss of spiritual and symbolic attachment is similar to ecological grief and solastalgia, where the loss of significant landscapes causes identity erosion and emotional distress without causing physical displacement (Albrecht et al., 2007 ; Cunsolo & Ellis, 2018). Detachment from once-significant cultural systems is another facet of the psychological burden, in addition to grief over the surroundings. The second major theme, intergenerational fear and futility, emphasizes emotional disorientation brought on by uncertainty about time. Concerns for future generations and the belief that irreparable harm had already been done were common among participants. Phrases like "If we don't act now... this Earth will face many dangers" and concerns that "future generations will have to bear" more harm are signs of increased mortality salience and a perceived break in intergenerational continuity, which are major sources of dread in TMT and eco-emotion work (Pyszczynski et al., 2015; Clayton, 2020 ). In line with existential definitions of dread, these stories transcend situational anxiety to a more general feeling that the future is unlivable or morally illogical. This anxiety towards the future is commensurate with that of Regnoli et al. ( 2024 ), who noted that anxiety regarding the future and intolerance towards uncertainty are drivers of climate distress. In our research, recollections of ecologically healthier pasts in Uttarakhand heighten this uncertainty, leading to an agonizing juxtaposition of pasts and potential futures. This felt discontinuity has an affective consequence that is in line with the results of du Bray et al. ( 2019 ), which revealed that gendered climate change experiences often entail sadness, blame, and grief over personal loss and collective failure. Moreover, respondents expressed a blunting of their emotional lives, which we termed as a defensive withdrawal instead of indifference. Eco-emotions literature explains our results by associating such responses with emotional paralysis and disconnection. This is a protective detachment, a psychological response to the overwhelming scale of ecological unraveling rather than apathy. The present evidence suggests that long-term exposure to loss and helplessness can weaken the ability to feel, contrary to Brosch's (2021) argument that emotions are central to climate perception and engagement. This is the stage of emotional fatigue of eco-anxiety, in Pihkala's (2022b) terms, when disengagement is an emotional coping strategy and engagement is too painful. Seen from the perspective of existential psychology, these patterns resonate with the emotional blueprint of existential fear: it is more than anxiety, but a fundamental disorientation brought about by threats to meaning, loss of future meaning, and decay of emotional accessibility. The participants' stories of helplessness and resignation are consistent with Guthrie's (2022) contention that some people find that the only way to lessen existential distress is to accept the eco-apocalypse. This stance mirrors classic accounts in existential psychology: when core meanings, agency, and continuity feel broken, dread hardens into resignation (Yalom; Tillich). When individuals feel they have no control over worsening environmental conditions, such as recurrent floods, landslides, or crop failures, this sense of powerlessness erodes psychological resilience, creating the perception that survival and stability are no longer possible within their home environment. According to a cognitive-motivational perspective, recurrent uncontrollable losses weaken problem-focused coping, shift locus of control outward, and create learned helplessness (Seligman; Lazarus). Migration thus turns into a coping strategy, with people leaving their home country in an effort to regain their independence and security, rather than necessarily because they want to. Emotional conflict and the psychological need to leave the pointlessness of staying are common characteristics of departure. Helplessness thus changes migration from a choice to a necessity, which has significant effects on one's sense of self, sense of belonging, and general well-being. Under Terror Management Theory (TMT), such repeated environmental threats and reminders of mortality they bring can evoke profound fear. To cope with that fear, people tend to use psychological defenses: disconnection from dying locations, diffusing emotional connections, and disconnecting from local environmental issues. Understanding that remaining is both insecure and pointless, they choose migration—and in so doing, their place attachment disintegrates, removing the affective hook that holds collective action and ecological stewardship together (Priyanka et al., 2022; Leviston et al., 2023 ). As such attachments erode, emotional and civic engagement declines further. Migration does not only take people out of at-risk landscapes—it breaks up the everyday routines and shared stories that maintain environmental stewardship. The outcome is disengagement: not apathy, but a self-protective withdrawal from places and common practices that have come to be a source of danger rather than belonging. Emotionally, this defensive detachment simplifies bereavement, but it also finds itself exacerbating a collective estrangement—there being fewer individuals able or willing to act, which ultimately deteriorates both ecological resilience and existential meaning. As individuals retreat emotionally and physically, the fiction of mutual responsibility that held communities together starts to unravel, paving the way for a further loss of control and dispersed agency. While collective practices and place-based expertise once served to spread responsibility and make action feel achievable, their decline confronts people with problems that seem too vast to be repaired by an individual. This creates an omnipresent powerlessness: not merely momentary doubt, but a long-standing belief that one's decisions make little difference in the face of cascading environmental change. Long-term powerlessness restricts attention, diminishes problem-solving initiative, and sustains avoidant coping (learned helplessness), so even those most concerned have their drive depleting and their ability for long-term action undermined (Ajzen, 2002 ; Landry et al., 2018 ; Pihkala, 2020 ). This is evident in stories of individuals in Uttarakhand who are aware of what needs to be done but are structurally hindered, by size, by infrastructure collapse, and by shock frequency, so agency fragments into scattered, impotent acts instead of collective responses by communities (Sharma et al., 2015 ). Citizens are beginning to lose faith in government agencies and local communities, therefore cynicism has taken over their expectations and they've ceased expecting institutions to come up with solutions. They pull away instead, fueling a state of inaction and hopelessness (van Prooijen, 2022 ; Pandey et al., 2022 ). At the same time, the cultural landscape of villages is changing. Historically, bulls and cows greatly contributed to farming and transportation, which has rapidly diminished due to mechanization that negates the need for animals to pull loads or plough fields. As a result, cattle are becoming abandoned in their homes all across the region, resulting in an increase in stray cows and bulls roaming through towns and villages. This results in another social and ecological problem: abandoned animals that are now homeless (and subject to accidents on the road, crop damage in their search for food) within villages. There is also this new level of psychosocial change. People are now feeling anxious/depressed from job loss, guilt/sadness from the disappearance of cultural practices, and helplessness from seeing once-cared-for animals wandering with no one to care for them. Overall, these activities create a heavy cognitive burden. People experience anxiety from the reality of economic displacement, loss and alienation from their lived culture, and hopelessness from seeing once best friends, cattle, abandoned. The aspects of economic change, cultural loss, and environmental disruption have uneasy effects that create feelings of disembodiment, loss of meaning, and existential anxiety. The results overall suggest the impacts of climate change, development, and mechanization are not only material impacts. They transform psychological costs, identity, and the experience of community life in Uttarakhand. In conclusion, we think that our research demonstrates how Uttarakhand's environmental change results in a closely related series of psychological harms, place-based loss, grief, intergenerational fear and futility, emotional numbness and disengagement, and a fracturing of control and agency. All of these factors, taken together, pose an existential threat to identity, meaning, and community functioning. These processes create cumulative burdens that clinical care alone cannot address through everyday experiences (polluted rivers, eroded rituals, job loss from mechanization), social dynamics (shrinking norms, institutional distrust), and macro shocks (disasters, pandemics). Coordination and multilevel responses are therefore necessary to restore well-being: trauma-informed mental health services, community programs that revitalize place-based skills and rituals, policies that safeguard livelihoods and control tourism, and institutional reforms that restore accountability and trust. Conclusion The present research focused on examining the psychological and existential impacts of climate change in Uttarakhand, specifically in the context of how people experience and narrate ecological disruptions in everyday life. The research uncovers that perceptions of place-based loss, grief, intergenerational fear, emotional numbness, institutional cynicism, and technological reliance converge into a more fundamental state of existential fear. Instead of discrete emotional responses, these responses are a shared psychological state wherein the very pillars of meaning, continuity, and agency are under threat. One of the key contributions of this paper is to position existential fear as a legitimate and culturally meaningful eco-emotion, providing a more holistic way of understanding the experience and feeling of climate change in settings like Uttarakhand. The research has firm practical applications. For Uttarakhand in particular, there is an urgent necessity to incorporate mental health care into climate change adaptation policy, including community counselling, ecological grief circles, and resilience programmes. Local institutions and schools can help by integrating environmental education with culture rituals that engage younger generations with place and meaning. Policy action also needs to tackle structural weaknesses, like uncontrolled tourism, uncontrolled growth, and excessive dependence on machinery by ensuring sustainable livelihood promotion, disaster-resistant infrastructure, and inclusive governance systems for restoring confidence in institutions. In doing so, climate adaptation is not merely a matter of physical survival but of preserving psychological resilience and cultural continuity. However, this study has limitations. The results are context-bound and based on a purposive, qualitative sample, but these limitations are also advantages: the narratives shed light on complex psychological processes that are frequently missed in more general surveys or policy documents. This study highlights that climate change is not just an economic or environmental problem, but also a mental health and existential one by emphasizing lived experience. These findings should be expanded upon in future studies using mixed-method and longitudinal designs, cross-regional comparisons, and assessments of interventions meant to restore place-based identity and agency. These initiatives would provide evidence-based strategies to safeguard communities in Uttarakhand and elsewhere, advancing both theory and practice. Declarations Acknowledgements We are grateful to the twelve participants from Uttarakhand who generously shared their time, memories, and often painful reflections; this study would not have been possible without their openness and trust. We also acknowledge the second author/coder for their close collaboration in the iterative IPA coding process and for the constructive feedback they provided during theme development. We appreciate the ethical review and guidance provided by our institutional ethics committee, as well as the informal advice of colleagues who reviewed earlier drafts and made valuable suggestions. Ethical considerations Ethics Approval: The study was approved by the Departmental Ethics Committee, Department of Applied Psychology, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies (MRIIRS), in accordance with the institutional guidelines and regulations for research involving human participants. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants before data collection, and their anonymity and confidentiality were ensured throughout the study. Consent to participate: All participants provided informed, written consent before participation. They were given a clear explanation of the study’s purpose, procedures, interview topics, and expected duration, and were informed that participation was voluntary. Participants were told they could decline to answer any question and could withdraw at any time without penalty; those who withdrew had the option to have their data removed. Permission was obtained to audio-record interviews; participants were informed that recordings and transcripts would be anonymised, that quotes used in the manuscript would be pseudonymised, and that identifying information would be removed to protect confidentiality. Consent for publication : All authors consent to the publication of this manuscript in its current form. Participants gave explicit consent for anonymised, de-identified quotations from their interviews to be included in publications; any potentially identifying details have been removed or altered to protect confidentiality. No individual participant will be identifiable from the published material. Declaration of conflicting interest: The authors declare no financial or non-financial competing interests that could be perceived to influence the research, analysis, or interpretation presented in this manuscript. Any affiliations or sources of support are disclosed in the funding and acknowledgements sections. Funding : Not applicable Data availability: The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current review is available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Clinical Trial Number: Not applicable Author Contribution 1.Mr. Abhinav Atri, Research Scholar, Psychology Contributions: Conceptualization, Methodology, Data Curation, Writing (Original draft), Visualization Email: [email protected] : 0009-0003-8420-26962.Corresponding author: Dr. Supriya Srivastava, Assistant Professor of PsychologyContributions: Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing (Editing), Supervision, Project administration Email: [email protected] : 0000-0001-7395-8939 References Agyapong, V. I. O., et al. (2022). Cumulative trauma from multiple natural disasters: mental health implications. BMC Psychiatry / related review . Ajzen, I. (2002). Perceived behavioral control and the Theory of Planned Behavior. Ajzen, I. (2002). Perceived behavioral control, self-efficacy, locus of control, and the Theory of Planned Behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology . (Overview via review). Albrecht, G., Sartore, G. M., Connor, L., et al. (2007). 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Psychological insights and structural solutions at the climate–mind intersection. Yalom, I. D. (1980). Existential Psychotherapy . Basic Books. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7490007","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":522778854,"identity":"d4cfb63d-83b0-471d-b905-52e07ca6d2d4","order_by":0,"name":"Abhinav Atri","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA+ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACCR6GAxAWY/ODhAogzczcQJwWHgbGNoMPZ0BaGAlrYYBoYWCQnNkGtg6/Fv7ZvQcPF9QclreXPtxgzDuvNpq/HajlR8U23JbcOZdweMaxw4Y9fIkNj3m3Hc+dcZixgbHnzG3c1tzIMTjMw5bG2MPDCLRl27HcBqAWZsY23FrkwVr+pdmDtEjzzjmWO5+QFgOQFt42m0SQFsmZDTW5GwhpMbxzBqilzya55wwokI8dyN0I1HIQn1/kbvcYf+b5JmHb3sP++EFCTV3uvPOHDz74UYHH+2jgMJg8QLR6IKgjRfEoGAWjYBSMEAAASnpebJDWqdAAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Manavrachna International Institute of Research Studies","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Abhinav","middleName":"","lastName":"Atri","suffix":""},{"id":522778855,"identity":"41c0b453-71a7-4d19-bba2-1c8895da7b54","order_by":1,"name":"Supriya Srivastava","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Manavrachna International Institute of Research Studies","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Supriya","middleName":"","lastName":"Srivastava","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-08-29 15:38:25","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7490007/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7490007/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":92565515,"identity":"d60b5952-2a94-4b98-a2d0-9a3ff4b8d012","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-01 06:17:42","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":82817,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"TITLEandPAPER.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7490007/v1/f37cb4e86294da54262d3a4e.docx"},{"id":92565514,"identity":"1cee766a-319d-4695-a3da-865a6d71e328","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-01 06:17:42","extension":"json","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":4850,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ae4f1141806a4dc295956448e1fbfa56.json","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7490007/v1/fa9f1f067d9b01c54ffb72d4.json"},{"id":92565516,"identity":"2e37c585-7900-4f86-a541-80fbf52b74cc","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-01 06:17:42","extension":"xml","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":194622,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ae4f1141806a4dc295956448e1fbfa561enriched.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7490007/v1/9a9b0e6666e304c409eb3951.xml"},{"id":92565517,"identity":"f380d51d-f058-4f42-9be5-ebb4a68015e4","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-01 06:17:42","extension":"xml","order_by":3,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":188381,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ae4f1141806a4dc295956448e1fbfa561structuring.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7490007/v1/02e45748fdf1d71c4079a024.xml"},{"id":92565518,"identity":"6e0963ab-0d89-4ab9-a228-5fff9dd0552e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-01 06:17:42","extension":"html","order_by":4,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":205777,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"earlyproof.html","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7490007/v1/53994676ca615284125faf52.html"},{"id":98383648,"identity":"96cb075a-9b43-4160-ad85-55c7dd05e156","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-17 08:10:25","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1062224,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7490007/v1/276faf83-93db-4c68-9d59-d32391befecd.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Existential Phenomenological Analysis of Climate Change in Uttarakhand","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eInitially considered as an abstract issue concept, climate change (CC) has become an imminent danger and a common experience for most of the population, presenting risks to ecosystems and human health. The rapid rise in global temperatures is one of the most pervasive and pressing global issues, with empirical data confirming that its impact on public health is inextricably linked with social and economic inequalities, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups. These risks, along with those related to living conditions and security, can lead to a range of complex emotional reactions, such as feelings of loss, helplessness, fear, and concern, collectively known as eco-emotions (Brosch, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003ea; Pihkala, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR52\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022a\u003c/span\u003e). Researchers like Pihkala (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR52\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022a\u003c/span\u003e) have identified and categorized various eco-emotions, noting that factors such as gender, age, culture, and socioeconomic status influence their manifestation across populations (Pearson et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; Eom et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; du Bray et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003ea; Clayton, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Middleton et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Stone et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR72\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). The American Psychological Association further clarifies that eco-emotions are not a separate category but are closely related to a person's mental health and well-being (Clayton et al., 2017).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeyond these general emotional responses, climate change also exerts profound psychological impacts when viewed through an existential psychology lens. Recent studies show that as a result of climate change, the psychological frameworks that enable people to make sense of life, identity, and continuity are starting to disintegrate along with the ecological systems on which they rely. This fear is heightened by frequent natural disasters, which expose people to the potential for irreparable harm to the planet and the extinction of both non-human and human life. According to Guthrie (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e) and Rehling (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e), the breakdown of meaning-making systems like religion, nature, community, and intergenerational continuity that once provided coherence to human experience is what is causing this emotional state. For Passmore et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e), it is a series of basic existential fears, including those related to isolation, freedom, death, and the loss of a solid identity.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese issues are not purely philosophical; they manifest in everyday life as emotional numbness, paralysis, and disconnection. This lived experience often reflects existential dread, an intense emotional state marked by anxiety, hopelessness, and fear surrounding questions of life’s meaning, mortality, and purpose. In the context of climate change, this dread becomes particularly salient as individuals confront not just environmental loss but a collapse of their existential grounding. Existential dread, a powerful and often little-studied existential emotion, emerges from this deeper encounter with meaninglessness, mortality, and the loss of existential security, distinguishing it from more specific fears or situational anxieties (Passmore et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Rehling, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR62\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). It represents a disturbance of one's fundamental sense of direction, belonging, and purpose in the world, extending beyond a mere response to environmental degradation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs the ecological systems people rely on collapse, the psychological frameworks that enable them to make sense of life, identity, and continuity begin to disintegrate. This fear is heightened by the climate crisis's potential for irreparable harm and the extinction of both non-human and human life. Guthrie (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e) and Rehling (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) attribute this emotional state to the breakdown of meaning-making systems like religion, nature, community, and intergenerational continuity that once provided coherence to human experience. Existential dread encompasses basic existential fears related to isolation, freedom, death, and the loss of a solid identity, which manifest in everyday life as emotional numbness, paralysis, and disconnection (Passmore et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn vulnerable regions like Uttarakhand, where nature and spirituality shape local identity and daily life, the collapse of natural systems is experienced both materially and at a deeper existential level, making these feelings of dread especially strong. In addition to local socioeconomic vulnerabilities and artificial cultural repositioning, the region directly experiences the severe effects of climate change, such as melting glaciers, altered rainfall patterns, and frequent disasters. For people in Uttarakhand, rivers, mountains, and forests are not just resources but sacred spaces central to rituals, community identity, and shared memories across generations. But, residents now face the breakdown of their environment and their existential foundations as a result of the destruction or alteration of these sacred geographies caused by glacial melt, infrastructure expansion, and uncontrolled tourism.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA more profound breakdown of morality, ancestry, and spiritual continuity is indicated by the extinction of these natural elements, where a general sense of confusion and meaninglessness is fueled by this disruption, much like how identity, belonging, and stability are undermined by climate change (Rehling, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR62\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). People are forced to confront the possibility of their own mortality and the extinction of their villages and homes as a result of the realization of the threat that climate change poses to human existence (Passmore et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Rehling, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR62\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Guthrie, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003ea). A sense of belonging to the natural world is further undermined by biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, which exacerbates feelings of disconnection and alienation (Passmore et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Rehling, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). In this regard, Uttarakhand is portrayed as a place of existential upheaval, where the climate crisis challenges not only physical survival but also the fundamentals of leading a purposeful, morally upright life. This may indicate that in ecologically and spiritually sensitive regions like Uttarakhand, existential dread is a primary, rather than secondary, eco-emotional response to climate change.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOur attempt at associating existential emotions such as existential dread with climate change focuses on the profound encounter with meaninglessness, mortality, and the loss of existential grounding rather than fear or anxiety, which are frequently connected to particular threats or future uncertainties. It is a disturbance of one's basic sense of direction, belonging, and purpose in the world, in addition to being a response to environmental degradation (Passmore et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Rehling, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR62\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). For people of Uttarakhand, the state's rivers, mountains, and forests are not only natural resources but also sacred locations that are important to religious ceremonies, community identity, and generational memory. As glacial melt, infrastructure expansion, and uncontrolled tourism alter or destroy these sacred geographies, locals must deal with the breakdown of both their immediate environment and their existential foundations.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe loss of rivers, forests, and glaciers represents more than just environmental degradation; it also represents the disintegration of morality, ancestry, and spiritual continuity. Thus, existential dread is a key lens through which to examine the psychological impacts of climate change, especially in areas where faith, place, and identity are intertwined. This disruption contributes to a general feeling of confusion and meaninglessness, much like how climate change is undermining the foundations of identity, belonging, and stability (Rehling, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR62\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). The recognition that climate change poses a threat to human existence has given rise to a number of existential issues, including those concerning identity, meaning, death, freedom, and isolation (Passmore et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Rehling, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR62\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). These worries are a result of the realization that climate change poses a threat to the basic foundations of human existence, forcing individuals to confront the possibility of their own demise as well as the extinction of their species (Guthrie, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Rehling, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR62\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThus, an appropriate lens for understanding the psychological impact of climate change is the existential one. When individuals grapple with losing a secure and affluent world, issues like identity, meaning, and freedom become central to the experience of eco-anxiety (Passmore et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Rehling, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR62\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). A feeling of belonging to nature is eroded by the destruction of biodiversity and the degradation of natural ecosystems, which enhance feelings of disconnection and alienation (Passmore et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Rehling, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Here, Uttarakhand is an area of existential dislocation as well as an ecological crisis. In this case, the climate crisis threatens not just physical existence but the very bases of living a meaningful, morally sound life. As a result, in ecologically and spiritually conscious areas such as Uttarakhand, existential fear becomes a primary eco-emotional reaction to climate change and not a secondary one. Addressing existential fear as an eco-emotion requires a multidimensional understanding of how existential apprehensions intersect with ecological loss and climate change.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRationale\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis qualitative study attempts to explore how people in Uttarakhand experience existential dread in response to climate change. The study uses Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to collect \"first-person reports\" of emotional disorientation, loss of meaning, and psychological disengagement (Smith et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR70\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e). This paper focuses on lived experiences to better understand eco-emotions in ecologically and culturally vulnerable contexts, showing how climate change impacts people's and communities' existential foundations in addition to the environment. The study's focus on Uttarakhand underscores the necessity of culturally-grounded psychological research in climate change, as environmental degradation threatens more than economic survival; it destabilizes cultural practices, social cohesion, and local meaning systems. A universal or purely Western model of climate psychology risks missing these dimensions. By grounding the analysis in local cultural and ecological contexts, this study captures the unique ways in which climate change erodes community agency and fosters collective hopelessness.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"METHODOLOGY","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eObjectives\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe present study had the following objectives:\u003c/p\u003e\u003col\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo investigate whether existential dread is experienced as an eco-emotion among residents of Uttarakhand in the context of climate change.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo assess whether repeated exposure to climate-related disasters and socio-environmental change causes existential concerns among residents of Uttarakhand.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo identify the psychological consequences of diminished agency and fractured community systems, with attention to collective well-being and mental health outcomes.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo document community narratives that reveal how people make sense of climate change, its impacts on their lives, and their capacity (or inability) to act.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eResearch Questions\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe present study attempted to answer the following questions\u003c/p\u003e\u003col\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow do residents of Uttarakhand experience existential dread as an emotional response to climate change?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn what ways does repeated exposure to climate-related disasters and socio-environmental changes intensify existential concerns and shape everyday life?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat psychological impacts emerge from diminished agency and fractured community systems, and how do these affect collective well-being?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow do residents narrate their experiences of living with climate change, including their perceptions of control, coping strategies, and sense of future possibilities?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMethod\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSince the study’s focus is on understanding how people make sense of their lived experiences of climate change in a culturally and ecologically vulnerable context, we followed the procedures of IPA as explicated in Smith et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR70\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e). IPA is designed to explore participants’ subjective meaning-making processes in depth, rather than simply describing events (Smith et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR70\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e). This makes it especially suitable for uncovering subtle emotional states like existential dread, helplessness, and fractured agency, which are best accessed through personal narratives.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnlike Grounded Theory, which aims to build a formal theory, the aim of this study is not to produce a generalizable model but to provide rich, idiographic insight into individual and community experiences. Similarly, while Thematic Analysis can identify broad patterns across data, IPA allows for a more nuanced, interpretative engagement with each participant’s account before moving to shared themes. This idiographic commitment is crucial when working with a small, purposive sample from Uttarakhand, where local cultural, spiritual, and ecological ties shape psychological responses in context-specific ways.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eConsidering the sample size, Smith, Flowers, and Larkin (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR70\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e) emphasize that there is no fixed “right” number, but that small, homogeneous samples best support in-depth interpretative work and within-sample comparison (often 3–10+, depending on study aims and resources) Our research contained 12 participants as after case 10, no new \u003cem\u003eexistential\u003c/em\u003e themes emerged; cases 11–12 confirmed saturation within the existential dimension. Therefore, we purposefully recruited 12 participants to balance IPA’s idiographic depth with sufficient cases to examine convergence and divergence within a relatively homogeneous group (adult Uttarakhand residents meeting our age/residency criteria). Small-scale samples are explicitly recommended because they permit detailed, line-by-line reading and analytic grounding in participants’ words (Smith, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR69\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e), and are widely justified in the methods literature as enabling richer idiographic analysis than larger qualitative samples (Vasileiou et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR80\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eParticipants\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe participants were twelve adults residing in different districts of Uttarakhand. All participants were educated, working professionals with long-term lived experience in the region. They were selected through purposive sampling based on their exposure to environmental change and their ability to articulate personal and community-level reflections. Each participant provided informed consent and participated in a semi-structured interview that explored their emotional and existential responses to climate change. Pseudonyms were used to ensure confidentiality.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDetails of participants\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSerial No.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eName (pseudo)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAge\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmit\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e36\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRavi\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e41\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSandeep\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e44\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAkhil\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e32\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSumit\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMayur\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e37\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eShuddha\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e43\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSmita\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e39\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSarita\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e43\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGaurav\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e32\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRekha\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e33\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRam Singh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e48\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eProcedure\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePurposive criterion sampling was used to select participants based on age and permanent residency in Uttarakhand, following ethical approval obtained by the first author. The goal and nature of the study were explained to each participant when they were contacted individually by the first author, who also took informed consent before starting the interview.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn-person semi-structured interviews were held at participant-selected, private, and comfortable locations by the first author. Depending on the participant's preference, the 45–60-minute interviews were conducted in a combination of Hindi and English. Permission was obtained to record all interviews on audio, which were then transcribed verbatim by the first author. To ensure reliability, the transcription was done by the second author as well; both transcripts were then reviewed by senior academics. The interview guide focused on personal experiences of climate change, emotional reactions, views on environmental degradation, and contemplations on meaning, the future, and community.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eData Analysis\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEstablishing rigour\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInformation collected through the active engagement between the interviewer (first author) and interviewee generated a rich set of data, thereby helping to understand the complexities of the impact of climate change on the participants. Following transcription, themes related to eco-emotions and existential dread were identified (by both authors) by applying Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to the data.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEpistemological orientation\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe worked within a critical realist phenomenological epistemology (Finlay, 2021), assuming that participants’ lived experiences of existential dread are real, yet always mediated by our interpretative horizons. Themes are therefore co-constructions rather than discoveries.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReflexivity\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBoth authors are Hindi and English-speaking, first division academics who have spent formative years in North India. The authors share a cultural repertoire that views Uttarakhand as “Devbhoomi” (the land of the gods). To bracket these pre-understandings, we kept reflexive memos after each interview and held monthly debriefs, where we explicitly questioned how our spiritual–ecological assumptions colored our coding decisions.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTranslation transparency\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInterviews alternated between Hindi and English. Hindi segments were transcribed verbatim, then translated by the first author and back-translated by an independent bilingual psychologist; discrepancies were resolved before coding. All participant quotations presented here are our idiomatic renderings, retaining Hindi emotional nuance where relevant (e.g., \u003cem\u003e“man khali ho gaya”\u003c/em\u003e rendered as “I felt hollowed-out”).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eInter-rater procedures.\u003c/em\u003e The two authors independently coded all transcripts by creating a shared, iteratively refined codebook using NVIVO. After a pilot on two transcripts to calibrate code definitions and decision rules, both authors double-coded an initial tranche of transcripts. They met to reconcile differences through discussion, updating the codebook, and maintaining an audit trail (including memos). The remaining transcripts were coded independently with periodic spot checks and reconciliation meetings. Theme development was then reviewed jointly; disagreements were resolved by negotiated consensus. This approach prioritizes transparency and interpretative rigor consistent with IPA, where emphasis is placed on reflexive consensus rather than mechanical reliability coefficients.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAccording to Smith et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR70\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e), this is typical of IPA and indicates that the process of making the analysis explicit changes and advances it. Although both authors worked closely on the article, the first author took the lead. The version presented here, which we believe best reflects the participants' lived experiences of climate change, was the result of several drafts.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eshows the process of data analysis through different stages.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eStages\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eProcess\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1. Initial coding\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGenerate descriptive codes from line-by-line readings (both coders independently).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2. Code Clustering\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCodes were grouped into conceptually related clusters through iterative comparison.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3. Sub-theme Development\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCodes were abstracted into higher-order categories capturing shared meaning.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4. Thematic Refinement\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSub-themes were reviewed, merged, or separated during reconciliation meetings.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5. Final Theme Consolidation\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCross-case analysis, ensuring idiographic depth and cross-participant convergence.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eParticipants ' emotional reactions to climate change were the main focus of the data analysis, which was conducted using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Existential dread, a diffuse, affective state characterized by confusion, powerlessness, and a sense of meaninglessness in the face of ecological change, emerged as the primary eco-emotion in all the interviews. There were four main themes found:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"No\" id=\"Taba\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"2\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThemes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSub-themes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1. \u003cb\u003eCollapse of Meaning Systems\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCommercialization of Nature, Disconnection from Nature as Sacred\u003c/em\u003e,\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2. \u003cb\u003eIntergenerational Fear and Futility\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFear for future generations, Futility of individual action\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3. \u003cb\u003eDisconnection and Emotional Numbness\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHelplessness, Migration and Loss of Place-Based Identity, Disengagement\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4. \u003cb\u003eLoss of Control and Fragmented Agency\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePowerlessness, Cynicism Toward Institutional Responses, Machine Dependence and Loss of Self-Reliance, Psychological Impact of Global Crises\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e1. Collapse of Meaning Systems\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe interviews revealed a profound sense of loss tied to the erosion of moral, cultural, and spiritual frameworks that once anchored life in Uttarakhand. Participants repeatedly described how traditional systems, rooted in ecological respect, communal responsibility, and spiritual devotion, have been replaced by commercial, performance-oriented, and profit-driven practices. For many, this shift represents not just social or cultural change but a deeper existential rupture, where the values that once gave coherence to life are no longer intact. In the presence of ecological collapse, Frankl\u0026rsquo;s (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1963\u003c/span\u003e) concept of the \u003cem\u003eexistential vacuum\u003c/em\u003e also becomes relevant, as participants articulate a void where legacy and purpose have dissolved into resignation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e1.1 Commercialization of the Sacred\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlmost every participant we spoke with during the interviews conveyed their sorrow and annoyance at the loss of the moral, cultural, and spiritual principles they once lived by, which has left them feeling incredibly lost. Many, including our participant Amit, speak of how \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eEarlier\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eour Uttarakhand was once known as Devbhoomi (land of gods), but now it has become a hotel bhoomi (land of hotels),\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e reflecting the commercialization of sacred spaces and the replacement of devotion with tourism. Amit\u0026rsquo;s case signals a profound sense of cultural dislocation in a pithy phrase. Seeing his homeland, once an extension of spiritual and cultural identity, transformed into a commercialized space evokes a deep sense of place-identity loss.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;People just want to turn everything into a money-generating source, even here in the mountains, they are building hotels and restaurants everywhere\u0026hellip; They don\u0026rsquo;t understand that our mountains are sensitive; it is no longer the Devbhoomi we knew.\u0026rdquo; (Amit)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;Even the temples are surrounded by shops selling plastic toys, fast food, and chips\u0026hellip; the feeling of sacredness is gone. Our temples are more of a picnic place now, instead of a place where we once found spiritual energy and peace.\u0026rdquo; (Amit)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe transformation from \u003cem\u003eDevbhoomi\u003c/em\u003e to \u003cem\u003ehotel bhoomi\u003c/em\u003e is not simply a change in land use; it\u0026rsquo;s a shift in meaning, where sacredness has been supplanted by commodification. Within environmental psychology, place identity refers to the incorporation of place into the self-concept; when that place loses its symbolic significance, individuals experience profound disorientation and belonging loss (Scannell \u0026amp; Gifford, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR64\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). In Uttarakhand, where rivers, forests, and mountains are deeply tied to cultural identity and spiritual meaning, their degradation threatens not only the environment but also the very sense of self and rootedness of the people who call it home.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarket-driven institutions have replaced the recollections of their younger years, when they lived in a traditional system like the gurukul, which was formerly essential to moral education and communal justice, and where learning was based on dharma and community service. Almost all the spiritually important sites, places with natural beauty, and waterfalls are now being used for construction, leading another participant, Sarita, to state that\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow, even spirituality has become a business; people come from all places and treat our temples as some sort of picnic spot to play in and to click pictures. They treat our rituals as something casual and made-up.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSharing the same concerns, Shuddha mentioned that \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;Earlier people came here to meditate and connect\u0026hellip; now it\u0026rsquo;s rafting, resorts, and noise.\u0026rdquo; (Shuddha)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat was once holy is now packaged for travellers. The moral and spiritual continuity that formerly provided life coherence and meaning has been severed, and for older generations, this breakdown signifies not just change but collapse.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;Tourists litter and pollute our homes, mountains, and rivers\u0026hellip; they don\u0026rsquo;t understand the sanctity of this place. They just want to have fun, flaunt on social media, and ruin our forests with their garbage.\u0026rdquo; (Sarita)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese concerns, mentioned by Sarita and Shuddha, are not just a signal towards the collapse of meaning systems, but also show a feeling of anger and blame. Through all our interviews and talks with residents, we were convinced that this commercialization, increase of tourism, excessive construction of roads, and hotels was not just destroying the sacredness of their homeland, but was also making them hateful towards tourists. For many, the moral decline feels even more unsettling. They remembered stories from the 2013 floods, people stealing from the dead, as one of our participants, Rekha, signs that\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re not even afraid of God anymore; we just want to earn as much money as we can, and it does not matter how we do that.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA recurrent feeling was that customs that were formerly grounded on ecological respect have become meaningless tokens. According to Sarita, kids increasingly participate in environmental poster-making contests, but\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"They don't understand the meaning behind them, they know it, and even the teachers know it that all of this is just a compulsory activity they have to do as a part of their school.\"\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSuch conversations make us believe that performative knowledge has replaced embodied knowledge. The revered connection to nature, including forests, rivers, and mountains, can no longer guide daily actions and is just a moral teaching that never reaches its performative stage. One of our older participants, Ram Singh, recalled how\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe used to see trees and rivers as sacred, but now that connection is gone. Now we see a vast area filled with trees, and we just want to cut it all down and make homes, roads, hotels, and everything else that can give us money.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEven the residents know that all of their resources, sacred rivers, forests, and mountains are being converted into revenue-generating sources. From experiencing a deep, sacred connection with such places, people now treat them as material resources. This disconnection is not just nostalgic; it represents a broader breakdown of systems that once structured moral life. For the older generation, especially, these changes don\u0026rsquo;t just feel like progress; they feel like loss. A loss of meaning, of values, of the spiritual thread that once held life together.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e1.2 Disconnection from Nature as Sacred\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeyond the visible environmental degradation, participants highlighted a quieter but deeper collapse, one that affects the spiritual, cultural, and ethical foundations. Looking at this through an existential lens, when people cannot envisage leaving a liveable, morally coherent world to their children, generativity is thwarted (Erikson, 1950/1982), producing alienation and despair rather than care and stewardship.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;Earlier, every festival had some connection with the rivers and forests; people worshiped trees and rivers. They took care of nature and were happy to serve their gods through worshiping rivers and mountains\u0026hellip; now people just take selfies.\u0026rdquo; (Gaurav)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDiscussing the loss of spirituality and rituals, participants questioned whether development that destroys entire mountains can still be called progress. During our interview, Gaurav raised the issue of unethical construction practices, asking bluntly,\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIs it worth clearing forest cover and destroying our values for a road?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe current race towards growth and economic profit has destroyed an ancient belief that life, nature, and human actions are part of a moral and sacred order. Discussing the spiritual way of life, Gaurav shared that earlier spirituality was lived, not performed.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;Before, touching the river was like touching the feet of a deity\u0026hellip; now people throw all types of garbage in it, they wash their bikes in it, and every day they pollute it in the name of rituals.\u0026rdquo; (Gaurav)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePeople believed that nature was not separate from their faith; the rivers were treated as mothers and not just water bodies. As Amit, our participant, explained that the mountains of Uttarakhand are deities,\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSpirituality teaches respect for nature. If we consider trees and mountains sacred, we will protect them.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut now, they\u0026rsquo;re being destroyed, even those who practice some rituals are ignorant, he further expressed how\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe have started polluting the Ganga in the name of offering.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCapturing the painful irony of spiritual rituals contributing to environmental harm. This tension between what has been taught in traditions and what happens now leaves a gap. These reflections reveal a weakening of nature-connectedness, a psychological construct referring to the extent to which individuals include nature as part of their identity (Mayer \u0026amp; Frantz, 2004; Tam, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR74\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;People have stopped seeing the forest as sacred\u0026hellip; it\u0026rsquo;s only wood to be cut now.\u0026rdquo;(Mayur)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis generational gap can weaken intergenerational ecological identity transmission, a mechanism essential for sustaining conservation values over time (Chawla, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWithout sacred obligation, deeds seem detached, and the world seems more difficult to understand. The moral compass no longer points in the right direction. For most, this religious breakdown signifies not only cultural transformation; it creates a chilling form of fear, because when the spiritual infrastructures are torn down, so is the meaning that previously enabled individuals to survive anguish, discover meaning, and feel anchored to the world.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e2. Intergenerational Fear and Futility\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the overriding themes throughout the stories was a deep anxiety and concern for the next generation. This condition aligns with Yalom\u0026rsquo;s (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR85\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1980\u003c/span\u003e) existential \u0026ldquo;givens\u0026rdquo;, particularly heightened mortality awareness (fear for future survival), diminished agency (powerlessness to alter the trajectory), isolation (rupture between generations), and meaninglessness (loss of continuity between past ecological harmony and an uncertain future). The understanding that climate change has created irreparable harm has already been initiated among the participants. Across interviews, participants voiced a deep and persistent anxiety about the fate of future generations in the face of climate change.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;What breaks my heart as a mother is the fact that our children will breathe more dust than air, and that we cannot do anything about it.\u0026rdquo; (Sarita)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis sadness is not abstract; it is grounded in the lived experience of environmental decline, resource scarcity, and the perception that irreversible damage has already been set in motion. For many, the concern extends beyond environmental degradation to the collapse of intergenerational knowledge, values, and resilience. This theme captures how worries about legacy, continuity, and future security merge with a sense of helplessness, anger, and blame.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.1 Fear for Future Generations\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;In every household you see, you can find that young people no longer follow the old customs related to planting trees during festivals. They just want to get ready, dress up, click photos, and eat. They don\u0026rsquo;t know their gods, how to worship them.\u0026rdquo; (Mayur)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere is evidence of generational disconnection, where younger members no longer comprehend the symbolic significance of ecological rituals. For older participants, this loss was not merely about tradition, but about the rupture of a moral and cultural thread that carried ecological wisdom forward. Many voiced a deep worry that without these practices, future generations would lack both the knowledge and the values necessary to live in harmony with nature. This fear for children and grandchildren\u0026rsquo;s futures intensified their sense of security, as the erosion of traditions was seen as a warning sign of cultural collapse and environmental decline yet to come.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eParticipants\u0026rsquo; pervasive anxieties about future generations reflect a deeper psychological phenomenon: the thwarting of generativity, as described by Erikson (1950/1982). When individuals feel unable to pass on a stable, meaningful world, they experience alienation rather than stewardship (Erikson, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1982\u003c/span\u003e). Discussing the extreme weather conditions and the heat rise, Ravi, one of the participants, mentioned,\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"If we are facing such dramatic changes today, just think about what future generations will have to bear.\"\u003c/em\u003e This is not only a concern for today but also for the generations yet to come, as Sandeep, another participant, succinctly puts it,\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"This is not just about us today\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eThis is concerning the future. Is this the type of world where we want our children to grow?\"\u003c/em\u003e The anxiety about the future and the world we bequeath to our children speaks to what theorists like Rollo May would call existential anxiety, a fundamental anxiety arising from the awareness of our freedom, responsibility, and the ultimate finitude of our existence (May, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1958\u003c/span\u003e). Sandeep\u0026rsquo;s reflections highlight a crucial aspect of this anxiety: the intergenerational burden of responsibility.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn our interviews, we frequently discussed the significance of water and how the rapid decline in clean water availability has driven its cost up.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;The coming generation will not even know what clean rivers look like.\u0026rdquo; (Rekha)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePreviously, individuals residing in mountainous areas, such as Uttarakhand, had a sense of security regarding access to clean water; however, due to the high rate of development and rising tourism, this is no longer the case. One of our participants, Shuddha, who is also a school teacher, told us that educating youth on how important water is crucial. In our interview, she explained,\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"I tell my children, if this keeps on going on, we may not have water anymore in the future.\"\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom an existential psychology perspective, the loss of a fundamental resource like clean water represents a profound disruption to the very fabric of human existence. When people like Rekha voice their concerns, they are confronting one of Irvin Yalom's four \"givens of existence\": the search for meaning in a seemingly indifferent world. The potential disappearance of clean rivers isn't just a loss of a natural resource; it's a loss of a shared heritage and a symbol of life itself, threatening the very meaning and purpose that humans derive from their connection to the natural world (Yalom, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR85\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1980\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor example, Akhil\u0026rsquo;s statement,\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;The glaciers are melting so fast\u0026hellip; I fear my grandchildren will never see them.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e, Akhil's fear directly engages with Irvin Yalom's givens of existence, particularly the concepts of freedom and meaninglessness. The rapid melting of glaciers symbolizes a loss of control, a profound limitation on humanity's freedom to shape its future. This imagined future absence threatens the very fabric of his sense of purpose. If the world is on an irreversible path of degradation, what meaning can his actions, or the actions of his generation, truly hold? This question about the value and impact of one's life in the face of inevitable, large-scale destruction is a core component of existential dread.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen participants like Shuddha ask,\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;What will we leave for the next generation? Only heat and pollution,\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e It reveals a deep-seated intergenerational anxiety. This is not a personal fear for her safety but a profound concern for the well-being and survival of those who will come after her. It is an empathetic fear rooted in the understanding that her generation's actions (or inactions) have created a legacy of environmental degradation. This fear is a form of anticipatory grief, i.e., emotional distress in anticipation of an unavoidable future loss (Cunsolo et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Mourning a future she has not yet seen but believes is inevitable, she is not just worried about her children and grandchildren, but about all future generations, who she feels will inherit a diminished world.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShuddha's question, \"What will we leave...?\", is an existential one. It confronts the core human need for meaning and purpose. From an existential perspective, one way we find meaning is by contributing to something larger than ourselves, by leaving a positive legacy. Sudha's statement suggests that this fundamental purpose is being undermined. The \"heat and pollution\" she speaks of represent a meaningless, destructive legacy, which threatens to invalidate the lives and efforts of her generation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis fear also reflects a transgenerational environmental responsibility dynamic, where individuals measure current moral worth by their perceived ability to safeguard the environment for future kin (Markowitz \u0026amp; Shariff, 2012). They are expressing both existential concern and an intergenerational ethical stance. In environmental psychology, such future-oriented moral framing has been shown to intensify both emotional engagement and psychological strain (Ojala, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.2 Futility of Individual Action\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese worries around natural resources are now accompanied by a growing sense of hopelessness at the individual or even community level. Mayur, one of our participants, questions, \u003cem\u003e\"What can we do? Even if we try, nothing changes. The damage is too big.\"\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis question reveals a deep-seated belief that the scale of environmental degradation has surpassed the capacity for individual or even collective community-level interventions to make a meaningful difference.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis sense of helplessness deepens when they realise that the youth don't even have an interest in preserving their sense of spiritual beliefs, let alone nature. Sandeep, who, despite living in a rural area, observed about youth,\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"They don't know their village gods or where water comes from\u0026mdash;they don't care.\"\u003c/em\u003e This observation highlights a perceived erosion of the very foundations of community and identity. From an existential perspective, meaning is often derived from a sense of belonging, a connection to one's past, and an understanding of one's place within a larger cosmic or natural order (Yalom, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR85\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1980\u003c/span\u003e). When this connection is severed, particularly among the younger generation, it creates an existential vacuum (Frankl, 1946). For Sandeep, the village gods and the source of water are not just physical or spiritual entities; they are symbols of a shared history, a collective identity, and a profound relationship with the land. The youth's perceived apathy signals a breakdown of this intergenerational transmission of meaning, leaving older generations feeling isolated and their legacy devalued.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis perspective was shared by nearly all participants, and it makes sense given that this collective sense of doom is not an abstract idea; it is rooted in everyday experience and a real breakdown in the continuity of knowledge, values, and resilience between generations.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFurther, during the discussion about this fear for the future generations, we caught a glimpse of an admonition and a kind of despair from our participants, when Ram Singh exclaimed that\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"If we don't act now, then in the future, this Earth is going to have so many dangers.\"\u003c/em\u003e His words are a clear warning to the present generation that their inaction will have catastrophic consequences. This is a call to moral responsibility, urging a collective response before it's too late. The statement is not just a prediction; it's a desperate plea for agency, a belief that the future is not yet sealed and can be changed through conscious effort.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHowever, this admonition is tinged with despair shown by Smita. \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;Even if we plant a hundred trees, someone will cut them down tomorrow.\u0026rdquo; (Smita)\u003c/em\u003e This sense of futility is a direct gateway to existential despair. The core of this despair lies in the perceived lack of meaning in one's actions. If planting trees, an act meant to be a legacy, is met with immediate destruction, then the purpose behind the action is obliterated. Her despair is rooted in the fear that her contributions to the world are not only insignificant but are actively being negated, leaving her with a sense of utter helplessness in the face of a destructive reality. It's a deep-seated dread that the world is a place where hope is constantly thwarted, making it difficult to find a reason to continue fighting.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFurthermore, it is evident that even the use of \"we\" suggests collective responsibility on the one hand, but also conveys a lingering disbelief on the other hand when it fills space with questions around whether or not they will exhibit a willingness to take action. This \"disbelief\" can turn more intense as people also realize the increasing gap of disinterest between generations, and in effect, older generations have memories of a time where humans and nature co-existed in harmony, whilst younger generations are left in a separate cognitive space of relative ignorance and detachment. When asked how relevant youth action was, Ram Singh shared,\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"We can encourage our kids... these issues will also impact us too. Disaster will come, just like it is affecting other countries now.\"\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis chronic fear of the future, and acknowledgment of shared perdition, is more than mere environmental concern- it engenders a more profound existential fear about their legacy, continuity, and disintegration of future security. Extending as more than just a fear, Sandeep showed feelings of blame and anger towards the youth when he said,\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eToday\u0026rsquo;s education... is confined to closed classrooms and the internet. We only teach from books... without real engagement. Our children don\u0026rsquo;t know what it is like to play outside, to spend their day surrounded by nature. They think it is useless and also too tiring.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFollowing this interview, we found blame and anger as common feelings in the older generations. Another participant, Ravi, believed that\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eMany don\u0026rsquo;t care. They think, 'Whatever happens, it will happen to everyone.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e His statement highlights a widespread sense of fatalism, a belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable. This mindset acts as a powerful psychological buffer against the anxiety and helplessness associated with environmental crises. By believing that the future is already decided, that \"whatever happens, it will happen\", individuals can absolve themselves of personal responsibility and the emotional burden of trying to change an unchangeable future. This is a form of avoidance, a way to escape the overwhelming weight of existential dread by surrendering to it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile Ravi\u0026rsquo;s sentiment represents a resigned apathy, Ram Singh\u0026rsquo;s is an active, albeit despairing, critique of how the current predicament came to be. Expressing a kind of intergenerational dispute where the older generation feels as if the youth is to be blamed for their current condition, and talking about the increasing number of hotels and tourism, Ram Singh believes that\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;We have completely ruined the climate... our pure minds were trained from childhood to think about business.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e This isn't just about environmental degradation; it's about the corruption of values. The phrase \"pure minds\" suggests a lost innocence, a time when personal and communal values were perhaps more aligned with nature. The subsequent training to \"think about business\" is presented as the very act that corrupted this purity, prioritizing profit and development over the well-being of the planet. This frames the current environmental crisis not as an accident or a random disaster, but as the direct, intended outcome of a flawed system of beliefs.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis insight adds a new dimension to existential dread. It moves beyond the simple fear of loss and into the realm of moral injury. Ram Singh is not just worried about the future; he is grappling with a profound sense of responsibility and guilt. He and his generation feel complicit in the destruction. This sense of complicity is a form of existential isolation, as it separates them from the \"purity\" of the past and the hopes of the future. The dread here is not just about the dangers to come, but about the painful realization that the disaster was self-inflicted, a result of a conscious, or perhaps unconsciously accepted, betrayal of their core values.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e3. Disconnection and Emotional Numbness\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the most fascinating discoveries from the interviews was not only the knowledge of climate change, but the lack of emotional connection this climate crisis has led to. There was a persistent disparity that was present between knowledge and action.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;Everyone somewhere knows that this is wrong for the environment or the climate, but they do not stop doing certain things.\u0026rdquo; (Amit)\u003c/em\u003e This persistent disparity between knowledge and action is not merely a matter of laziness or apathy; it's a profound psychological defense mechanism. On an individual level, the overwhelming scale of the climate crisis can trigger existential dread, as we have discussed. In response, the psyche can create a buffer of emotional numbness to protect itself.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis emotional numbness culminates in a condition of helplessness or eco-paralysis, a situation in which citizens become helpless and believe that any effort to bounce back from this environmental devastation is futile. This sentiment is rooted in the concept of learned helplessness (Seligman, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR65\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1975\u003c/span\u003e), where a person gives up trying to change their circumstances after experiencing repeated failures or perceiving their efforts as pointless. The emotional disconnection, once a shield against anxiety, becomes a cage, trapping individuals in a cycle of inaction. The emotional numbness, in essence, severs the link between our knowledge of the crisis and our capacity to respond to it. This dynamic not only explains individual inaction but also contributes to a collective state of apathy, where the crisis is intellectually acknowledged but emotionally and behaviorally ignored.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e3.1 Helplessness\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eCitizens are no longer convinced that they can act or that their actions will be consequential. This form of helplessness is a direct offshoot of the futility of individual action and the emotional numbness we have previously discussed. This was amplified in statements such as one given by Gaurav,\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eEven if I change my lifestyle, what difference does it make? What will one person\u0026rsquo;s effort do?\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e Gaurav's words are a clear manifestation of learned helplessness (Seligman, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR65\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1975\u003c/span\u003e), a psychological state where an individual gives up on trying to change their situation after experiencing repeated failures or believing their efforts are inconsequential.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis attitude of hopelessness inhibits agency, affirming that no reaction is enough. It is an intrinsic existential disaffection: individuals are not apathetic because they don't care, but because they feel their caring won't make a difference. This numbness is not passive\u0026mdash;it is defensive, protecting people from the emotional burden of having to face a disintegrating world. This sense of helplessness expressed by participants like Gaurav is compounded by a deeper feeling of spiritual and emotional loss. This is powerfully articulated by Amit:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe have completely ruined the climate. Spirituality has been lost. And as I said yesterday, we have completely destroyed our emotions. The connection we once had with nature\u0026mdash;we no longer have it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmit connects the physical destruction of the climate directly to the loss of spirituality and the destruction of emotions. This is a form of moral helplessness, a belief that humanity has lost its ethical and emotional compass, making it incapable of addressing the crisis. This perspective goes beyond the practical challenges of changing behavior and points to a deeper, almost existential despair about human nature itself. The \"connection we once had with nature\" is described as not just a physical relationship but an emotional and spiritual one. The loss of this connection makes the environmental crisis feel not only insurmountable but also morally justified in a tragic, karmic sense. While previous participants voiced their despair, Sumit\u0026rsquo;s views shift the focus to a societal-level critique, highlighting the pervasive moral hypocrisy that surrounds the climate crisis. \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eMany people talk about protecting nature, but they don\u0026rsquo;t practice what they preach. They just like to say such things to show that they have a morally higher ground.\"\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis observation captures a painful psychological dynamic: the gap between professed values and actual behavior. It reveals a futility of action that is not only personal but societal. The \"talking about protecting nature\" becomes a performative act, a way for individuals and communities to acknowledge the problem without having to engage with its difficult and anxiety-inducing realities. This verbal commitment serves as a substitute for genuine action, creating a collective form of cognitive dissonance reduction. By simply talking about the right thing to do, people can feel as though they are contributing, thereby alleviating the psychological discomfort of knowing they are contributing to the very problem they claim to care about.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis behavior is a direct symptom of the emotional numbness we've previously identified. The disconnect between a person's words and actions is possible because their intellectual knowledge of the crisis is not matched by an emotional connection to it. As discussed with Amit's statement, the psyche's defense mechanism of psychic numbing allows for this disparity. The crisis remains an abstract concept, an intellectual problem to be debated or discussed, rather than an immediate, felt reality that demands behavioral change. The hypocrisy is a direct outcome of this emotional distance, as it allows individuals to maintain a sense of moral rectitude without the overwhelming burden of genuine engagement and the difficult actions it would require.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e3.2 Migration and Loss of Place-Based Identity\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo escape the consequences of climate change, people have begun migrating to the plains. Ram Singh told us,\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVillages across Uttarakhand have become empty. Entire blocks have been abandoned. In many places, entire blocks have been abandoned. Especially if you travel towards Pauri and the upper regions, you will find numerous villages almost completely deserted.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis forced migration is more than just a logistical shift; it represents a profound psychological disruption. For the people of Uttarakhand, their identity is deeply tied to their land, their mountains, and their community. This is a form of place\u003cb\u003e-\u003c/b\u003ebased identity, where one's sense of self is intrinsically linked to their physical environment. The abandonment of villages signifies not only the loss of homes but the erosion of this fundamental identity. It severs social bonds, spiritual connections to the land, and ancestral ties, leading to a sense of profound grief and disorientation. This experience aligns with the concept of solastalgia, a term coined by Glenn Albrecht to describe the distress caused by environmental change to one's home and sense of place (Albrecht et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e). It is a form of homesickness felt while still at home, as the very essence of that home has changed beyond recognition.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;Now, the hill people are no longer living in the hills. The hill dwellers are nowhere to be found in the mountains anymore.\u0026rdquo; (Sarita)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis migration is just another version of climate denial; people are not just leaving the land they claimed as theirs, but also the emotional and cultural relationships they held with one another and the land. The emotional effects of leaving have complicated aspects; abandoned people feel lost or left by their peers. Moving on, those who leave get further and further away from their land\u0026ndash;denying their sense of identity. This weakening of place-based identity leads to a greater sense of disenfranchisement and helplessness.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis emotional withdrawal leads to some kind of resigned fatalism in that the injury is understood as too big, too systemic, too permanent to be able to be turned back. During the interview, a number of participants spoke not with urgency, but with resignation. Sarita was convinced about this when she said,\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"All the things you're looking at in Uttarakhand - they are not going to exist here anymore.\"\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a form of speech that is beyond worry and moving to a quiet acceptance of loss. This fatalism is not based on a denial of climate change, but rather on the inevitability of it. When people realize that their actions don't matter, and that the great forces that cause harm in this world are just too powerful to stand up to, there ends up being only the muted, enduring belief that collapse is somehow possible, and indeed inevitable. This sort of thinking drains motivation, and ecological concern becomes something to mourn rather than address.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e3.3 Disengagement\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe climate crisis is no longer seen as a problem to be solved by individuals, but as an enormous, complex puzzle with no clear answer.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;Common people, whether in Uttarakhand, Delhi, or elsewhere, know that the crisis is real. Everyone knows that they never used ACs as much as they are using it now, there was never this much garbage near our homes either. Everyone is affected, but no one knows the solution\u0026rdquo; (Rekha)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis lack of a perceived solution, especially one that can be enacted on a personal level, directly fuels disengagement. When a problem is seen as too big and too complex for any single person or group to solve, people may simply stop trying to engage with it. This creates a state of overwhelm, where the sheer scale and intractability of the crisis lead to a form of mental paralysis. The knowledge of the problem exists, but without a clear path forward, it becomes a source of anxiety rather than a call to action.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat emerges from this is a deeper form of existential disengagement. In this form of existential disengagement, participants described people who emotionally and psychologically withdraw from the world around them, which compromises their ability to engage in environmental behaviours and actions. Even when environmental discussions are mentioned, they may not stir emotional responses. Sumit was well aware of the helplessness they felt; he shared,\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIf you talk to your neighbours about what is going on, you feel that people feel helpless. They let whatever is happening, they let it happen. They\u0026rsquo;re convinced that nothing they can do is enough to save their homeland. There is helplessness and apathy.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen degradation is visible, people no longer display shock. Disengagement does not indicate indifference; it is a psychological adaptation to exist in a world where everything is perceived to be unfixable. Individuals do not disengage because of indifference; they disengage because perpetual engagement means that they must continually deal with grief, helplessness, and loss. For this reason, existential disengagement is a coping mechanism to merely emotionally survive in a world that no longer responds to hope or effort. However, in the process, it also silences resistance and undermines collective responsibility, making emotional numbing both a symptom and a barrier to a climate crisis response.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYet, we found that selective concern was a harsh yet honest look at this climate crisis:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;People only care as long as something directly affects them. For example, they won\u0026rsquo;t throw garbage in front of their own house, but they don\u0026rsquo;t hesitate to dump it in public spaces.\u0026rdquo; (Smita)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe disengagement isn't about a total lack of concern, but rather a focus on what's immediately visible and personally inconvenient. This behavior is a form of moral licensing, where individuals feel justified in their negative actions in one area because they have been \"good\" in another. They may take pride in their clean home and neighborhood while ignoring the broader consequences of their actions on public spaces. This is a direct manifestation of the emotional numbing and disconnection we have discussed; the environmental crisis is not felt as a personal problem unless it lands on one's doorstep.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e4. Loss of Control and Fragmented Agency\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcross interviews, participants described a loss of control in the face of environmental decline. While they demonstrated clear awareness of the ongoing crises, there was a shared perception that individual or even collective efforts were insufficient to counter the scale of the problem. This loss of control was tied to multiple dimensions\u0026mdash;structural barriers, ineffective governance, social indifference, overreliance on technology, and the psychological toll of living in a state of ongoing crisis.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.1 Powerlessness\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eA predominant theme across the interviews was a sense of powerlessness about the ongoing environmental collapse. Participants described a sense that they know what is happening, but feel powerless to effect any real change. This sense of powerlessness extends to both the personal and shared dimensions of lived experience and broken systems of governance, as well as the indifference and complacency of society. Rekha summed it up well when she said,\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"We can think about these things, we can even talk about it all day, and still there will be no good coming out of it. I know people who sit all evening and just talk about their problems with pollution, heat, tourism, and climate change, but never have I seen any change to counter them. Like I said, we can talk about it, but we don't have the power to change them.\"\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen retrieving and invoking the power of collective agency is successful, it prefigures both helplessness as well as the collapse of belief in systems, self-efficacy, and the obligation to care for each other. This is then followed by emotional withdrawal, symbolic action, and relying on systems that no longer hold space for human or ecological flourishing.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCitizens often testified to an increasing sense of awareness that the issues they are confronted with, pollution, environmental degradation, and social indifference, are pushed by forces much larger than themselves. This sense of helplessness was not articulated as a lack of knowledge, but as a discerning acknowledgment that personal engagement does not equate to structural change. As Shuddha, who also works as a teacher in one of the schools in Rishikesh, puts it bluntly,\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEven as educators, we can think about these issues, but we don\u0026rsquo;t have the power to change them.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShuddha\u0026rsquo;s account maps onto a classic agency gap: high awareness but low perceived capacity to effect change. Psychologically, this reads as diminished perceived behavioral control and self-/collective efficacy, both of which predict lower engagement (Ajzen, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e; Jugert et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e; Thaker et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR75\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). When threats feel systemic and remote from individual levers, worry can slide into learned helplessness, which suppresses pro-environmental action despite concern (Landry et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). From an existential angle, chronic eco-threat erodes meaning and agency, fostering paralysis unless emotions are transformed through meaning-focused coping and efficacious, shared pathways for action (Ojala, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e; Pihkala, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Kurth \u0026amp; Pihkala, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). In Uttarakhand, where repeated disasters and rapid development sharpen feelings of insignificance, such agency loss is unsurprising; post-2013 flood studies show substantial psychological strain, a context that can entrench avoidance unless collective efficacy is rebuilt (Sharma et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR66\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Channaveerachari et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMany participants identified the point that even such concerned people are declining in numbers, which supports the perception that attempts are both ineffective and isolated. Gaurav speaks about this when he said,\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eI feel that humanity is gradually deteriorating; humans are ruining their own homes and calling it development. A small percentage of people still care, but their numbers are shrinking.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGaurav\u0026rsquo;s remark captures a collapsing moral horizon: concern persists, but its social base is eroding, which makes action feel isolated and futile. Psychologically, when caring becomes numerically marginal, it undermines descriptive social norms and corrodes collective efficacy, so even motivated individuals lose reinforcement for sustained action (Kinzig et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e; Helferich, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). From an existential perspective, the perception that \u0026ldquo;humanity is deteriorating\u0026rdquo; speaks to ontological insecurity: care feels futile when the shared world that gives values force and meaning appears to be dissolving, which can amplify despair and withdrawal rather than spur collective responses (Pihkala, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). In Uttarakhand, this dynamic is intensified by repeated environmental shocks and visible development pressures: post-disaster research documents how these conditions deepen psychological strain and can fragment community trust, conditions that make concern harder to sustain and scale into collective action (Channaveerachari et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Aneelraj et al., 2016).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis perception of dwindling moral communities is a source of emotional exhaustion as well as disengagement. The inevitability of deteriorating circumstances was also assumed, as seen in the resigned forecast by Gaurav:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Pollution is an issue for the entire earth, yet we are not doing anything to even reduce its pace. Everyone knows this, even you can agree on this, that pollution will only increase.\"\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSuch declarations reveal not only pessimism but a psychological acquiescence to the scope of the crisis, where no pragmatically feasible path of resistance, change, or hope appears possible. In our interviews, this sense of inevitability coalesced with a perception that local institutions and governance are outpaced by tourism growth and poor waste management, so individual concern increasingly lacks structural support and visible reinforcement (Mahapatra et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e; Rawat, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). These feelings serve to reinforce the affective gravity of existential fear through demonstrating how agency is not merely diminished but experienced as pointless in the face of overwhelming structural, political, and cultural momentum. when caring is numerically marginal and institutions fail to regulate common goods, descriptive norms shift and collective efficacy erodes, leaving concerned individuals isolated and morally exhausted (Doherty \u0026amp; Webler, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). Existentially, this produces a double erosion: the shared world that validated values and purpose gives way to meaninglessness, while habituation to degradation normalizes decline and dampens protest. In Uttarakhand, these dynamics are visible; research and government assessments link unplanned tourist influxes to river and landscape pollution and declining cleanliness in resort towns\u0026mdash;creating a feedback loop where environmental decline reinforces the very disengagement that permits further degradation (Mahapatra et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e; Rawat, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e; Times of India reporting on Swachh Survekshan \u003cspan citationid=\"CR73\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.2 Cynicism Toward Institutional Responses\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eCynicism toward institutional responses emerged strongly as participants described governments, local authorities, and tourist businesses as either complicit in environmental harm or impotent to stop it, producing a pervasive distrust that sapped motivation for collective action. \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;Government officials make policies while sitting in air-conditioned offices,\u0026rdquo; (Ram Singh)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInstitutional cynicism undermines trust and erodes perceived collective efficacy\u0026mdash;people stop expecting meaningful change from public actors and withdraw their engagement, which research links to lower civic participation and increased fatalism (van Prooijen, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR79\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Davidson, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePointing to the disconnection between those in power and those experiencing environmental change, Amit shared with us that \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003ePeople who govern, those who make policies, they visit local places and plant one or two trees just to pose for pictures. They plant one tree, and ten people touch it for each picture. This feels like a joke.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFurthermore, even publicized environmental efforts were viewed as hollow. While Rekha noted, \u0026ldquo;\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIf you analyze the current education system, particularly the concept of seminars and workshops, it is nothing more than a way to spend money. To put it plainly, it is a wasteful expenditure.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese comments reflect a view of whatever action being prescribed as insufficient, inconsistent, or inauthentic, reinforcing a further faithlessness of possibility. Several participants reflected on the slow, steady nature of ecological decline, coupled with action that is either delayed or merely symbolic. As Ravi remembered,\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen I grew up, the area I lived in had 100 bighas of orchards\u0026hellip;but now with all the population growth, all of it, it is gone.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom an existential perspective, when institutions fail to protect the shared world, the loss is ontological: the social structures that once conveyed meaning, responsibility, and hope crumble, leaving individuals stranded in a landscape of purposelessness and resignation (Pihkala, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Kurth \u0026amp; Pihkala, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). In Uttarakhand, this distrust is grounded in lived experience\u0026mdash;recurrent disasters, visible waste and tourist-driven degradation, and slow policy responses make institutional promises feel hollow and reinforce the belief that \u0026ldquo;pollution will only increase\u0026rdquo; (Channaveerachari et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Pandey et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Rawat, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). The result is a self-reinforcing loop: institutional failure deepens cynicism, cynicism reduces collective pressure for reform, and the environment declines further.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec16\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.3 Machine Dependence and Loss of Self-Reliance\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe growing dependence on technology was also cited as a main cause of the erosion of individual and community agency. Amit explained,\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;For almost everything, we depend on some machine. That machine depends on another machine... This is not self-reliance.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e This web of dependence not only indicates outward dependence but is also an icon of inner disempowerment. This growing machine dependence undermines perceived control and everyday agency, shifting people from skilled actors to passive consumers of systems they do not control; this erosion of competence feeds helplessness and exacerbates climate-related anxiety because people feel less able to respond to environmental threats (Toivonen et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR76\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Wamsler, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR82\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe disappearance of traditional knowledge, skilful hands, and nature-friendly practices estranges people from nature and from a feeling of inner competence, making existential estrangement even more profound. Empirical work on traditional ecological knowledge in the Uttarakhand Himalaya shows how these practices historically supported resilience and meaning-making, and how their loss removes not only adaptive know-how but also embodied ways of belonging that sustain agency in crises (Parween et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Mohd Salim, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Rebuilding agency, therefore, demands restoring local skills and practices alongside infrastructural resilience; otherwise, technological fixes risk producing brittle systems and a population increasingly alienated from both nature and their capacity to respond.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAttendees pointed out how contemporary consumerism, underpinned by urgency, convenience, and profitability, has displaced emotion, ethics, and ecological considerations.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;Business has taken precedence over emotions. A person\u0026rsquo;s emotions, which once guided actions, are now gradually fading. This is what happens when instead of spreading our cultural values, we force our children to learn about computers and money.\u0026rdquo; (Sarita)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSarita\u0026rsquo;s reflection underscores a widening rift between cultural values rooted in restraint and modern consumerist ideals oriented toward speed and profit. Consumerism encourages immediate gratification and external validation, which erode self-regulation and diminish the ability to prioritize ecological responsibility over convenience (Kasser, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e; Wamsler, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR82\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). When emotions and ethics are displaced by profit logics, individuals experience a hollowing of meaning: decisions once anchored in communal values and intergenerational care are reduced to transactions, leaving people with a sense of cultural loss and alienation (Pihkala, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Kurth \u0026amp; Pihkala, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis step away from delayed gratification speaks to a more profound erosion of long-term thinking and restraint. Ecological restraint is not lost carelessly; it is normalized. Talking about the actions of youth, Mayur shared how he thinks the current generation acts. He simply puts it, \u003cem\u003e\"We\u0026rsquo;re all equally. involved in this damage. For people of my age and even younger one\u0026rsquo;s I know, we just want to earn and show off. Even the government supports these ideas. The current thinking has become so self-centred that every young adult has a common idea when it comes to earning money, which is that even at the expense of ruining a national heritage site, I still want it right now.\"\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMayur's confession is not a sign of ignorance but a tightly internalized conviction that personal gratification at the moment outweighs collective loss over time; it points to the normalization of ecological disregard under the sway of short-term gains. This reflects a cultural shift where self-enhancement values overshadow self-transcendent ones, reinforcing materialism and weakening collective responsibility (Kasser, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e; Wamsler, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR82\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn such a belief, self-destruction becomes part of everyday existence, and the implication, however drastic, is delayed or projected outward. The loss of ecological restraint represents more than moral decline; it is a collapse of temporal depth, where the future ceases to anchor present choices and heritage loses its meaning as a shared inheritance (Kurth \u0026amp; Pihkala, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). In Uttarakhand, where rivers, forests, and pilgrimage sites are imbued with cultural and spiritual significance, such attitudes mark a rupture between generational identity and the ecological landscapes that once sustained it. This intergenerational erosion\u0026mdash;where heritage is devalued in pursuit of immediate consumption\u0026mdash;feeds eco-anxiety among those who still recognize the stakes, while entrenching cynicism about the possibility of collective restraint.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.4 Psychological Impact of Global Crises\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eGlobal crises\u0026mdash;pandemics, economic shocks, and accelerating climate disasters\u0026mdash;compound and amplify local environmental distress, producing a cumulative psychological burden that reshapes meaning-making, coping, and hope (O\u0026rsquo;Donnell et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e; Orr\u0026ugrave; et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePeople in Uttarakhand clearly knew that mental health and emotional resilience are directly impacted by the recurrent global environmental crises. Speaking about the same, Gaurav shared with us that: \u003cem\u003e\"This climate change causes major landslides and uncertainty amongst us. All of these things, in turn, affect mental health and stability worldwide because this is not just happening here but worldwide.\"\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe constant onslaught of horrific news stories about resource conflicts, displacements, and climate disasters is a significant contributor to the overall sense of emotional exhaustion. By increasing the gap between people's expectations for the future and the deteriorated futures they currently envision, such macro-level shocks exacerbate ecological sorrow and anticipatory grief while also intensifying existential anxiety regarding the continuity and meaning of life (Cunsolo et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Pihkala, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). This compounding effect can be observed empirically in Uttarakhand, where recurrent disasters (like the 2013 floods) and pandemic-related disruptions have been linked to increased levels of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and long-term psychosocial strain. These conditions combine with place-based losses to undermine collective resilience and agency (Sharma et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR66\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Channaveerachari et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Verma et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR81\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAccording to the participants, they felt exhausted and overstimulated, and they were unable to effectively deal with the ongoing crisis. Speaking about the mental health impact this uncertain climate has on people, Akhil told us, \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eYes, I feel it especially during monsoons. Disasters are increasing. Suddenly, we see landslides, bursting incidents, etc. All of this, and the news, it makes me feel anxious, and I find it difficult not to worry about it. And it\u0026rsquo;s not just me, almost everyone I know in my neighbourhood goes through this.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAkhil's testimony serves as an example of how the psychological toll of frequent disasters can show up as emotional exhaustion, increased vigilance, and ongoing anxiety. His observations of unpredictable monsoons, landslides, and flash floods demonstrate how unmanageable environmental hazards can lead to intrusive worry and hyperarousal, which are characteristics of stress related to trauma (Sharma et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR66\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Channaveerachari et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). Constant media exposure exacerbates this distress by amplifying fear, resulting in a state of \"collective anxiety\" in which entire neighborhoods, as well as individuals, share a fearful atmosphere (Pihkala, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Orr\u0026ugrave; et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAccording to existential theory, this continual overstimulation undermines the sense of security required to establish identity, leaving people dangling in a constant state of danger where neither the present nor the future seem safe (Cunsolo et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). These circumstances serve as an example of how local ecological disruptions, which filter global crises, force people into a transitional psychological space where worry and fatigue become accepted modes of existence.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION","content":"\u003ch2\u003eDiscussion\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis study significantly adds to the expanding body of research that recognizes climate change as more than just an environmental or physical crisis, but also as a profound psychological and existential phenomenon. Our findings are consistent with the larger body of research on eco-emotions, which holds that climate-linked affects (such as anxiety, grief, anger, and numbness) are best understood as a family of related emotions rather than a single concept, but they all converge on existential dread, a deeper experiential core. By demonstrating how these processes work in concert to undermine both individual efficacy and collective practices, the findings extend psychological accounts of solastalgia and grief by connecting place-based losses, anticipatory grief, institutional cynicism, technological dependence, and consumerist short-termism to a collective contraction of agency and meaning in Uttarakhand (Scannell \u0026amp; Gifford, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR64\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e; Cunsolo et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Pihkala, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn existential psychology, existential fear refers to an affective position that occurs when fundamental existential issues, meaning, death, freedom/agency, and isolation are placed in painful awareness (Yalom, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR85\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1980\u003c/span\u003e; Tillich, 1952). Current overviews define them as persistent \"ultimate concerns,\" triggered when people are faced with non-being (death, loss) and disorientation of guiding worldviews (meaning) (Schnipke, 2023; Tillich, 1952/2015 analyses). Projecting our themes along these dimensions underscores the reading that participants are not simply anxious, but existentially menaced in their meaning systems and agency. The detailed, personal histories of Uttarakhand very clearly demonstrate how loss of sites like pristine rivers, sacred forests, and village rituals generates a multi-layered psychological reaction that entwines solastalgia (anguish at experienced environmental change), pre-emptive sadness regarding impending loss, and a fragmentation in place identity that undermines belonging and significance.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlace identity binds what people are to the landscapes they occupy, the rivers, groves, and ceremonies that delineate memory, accountability, and mundane proficiency. When such anchors dissolve, individuals face an existential void: a loss of story coherence and sense of direction in which futures previously assumed no longer appear feasible, creating vacuity, lack of direction, and reduced motivation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Uttarakhand, these processes are intensified by repeated disasters and slow institutional recovery, which empirical studies link to elevated anxiety, depression, and community fragmentation after the 2013 floods\u0026mdash;conditions that make meaning-repair and collective action both more urgent and more difficult (Channaveerachari et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Sharma et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR66\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne of the most shocking findings was the breakdown of meaning systems. Participants described a disintegration of spiritual and moral values that stemmed from their connections to land, rivers, and forests. Place-identity disruption, in which the symbolic meaning of a location changes so drastically that it destabilizes the self-concept and sense of belonging, is reflected in the participants' descriptions of a loss of direction and coherence as development increased and sacred spaces became commodities (Scannell \u0026amp; Gifford, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR64\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e; Raymond et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR58\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). These anecdotes lend credence to Passmore et al.'s (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e) discussion of the impacts of climate change as a set of existential issues, including a disturbance of self-awareness, purpose, and belonging, in addition to a fear of ecological collapse. This loss is exacerbated when lived spirituality is replaced by symbolic rituals carried out in degraded environments, turning once-embodied relationships with nature into meaningless gestures.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eParticipants frequently described how the sacred has been commercialized and how moral-spiritual pillars have been undermined (e.g., \"Devbhoomi... has become a hotel bhoomi\"; \"now even spirituality has become a business\"). According to existential theory, these stories illustrate the destabilization of worldviews, which is a crucial process through which dread arises (Tillich; Yalom). According to Terror Management Theory (TMT), distress related to mortality also increases when cultural worldviews that offer continuity and meaning are compromised (Pyszczynski et al., 2015). These narratives suggest a decline in nature connectedness, which has been demonstrated to affect psychological health and pro-environmental behavior. Nature connectedness is the degree to which people incorporate nature into their identities (Tam, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR74\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e; Restall \u0026amp; Conrad, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR63\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe loss of spiritual and symbolic attachment is similar to ecological grief and solastalgia, where the loss of significant landscapes causes identity erosion and emotional distress without causing physical displacement (Albrecht et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e; Cunsolo \u0026amp; Ellis, 2018). Detachment from once-significant cultural systems is another facet of the psychological burden, in addition to grief over the surroundings.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe second major theme, intergenerational fear and futility, emphasizes emotional disorientation brought on by uncertainty about time. Concerns for future generations and the belief that irreparable harm had already been done were common among participants. Phrases like \"If we don't act now... this Earth will face many dangers\" and concerns that \"future generations will have to bear\" more harm are signs of increased mortality salience and a perceived break in intergenerational continuity, which are major sources of dread in TMT and eco-emotion work (Pyszczynski et al., 2015; Clayton, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). In line with existential definitions of dread, these stories transcend situational anxiety to a more general feeling that the future is unlivable or morally illogical.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis anxiety towards the future is commensurate with that of Regnoli et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR59\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e), who noted that anxiety regarding the future and intolerance towards uncertainty are drivers of climate distress. In our research, recollections of ecologically healthier pasts in Uttarakhand heighten this uncertainty, leading to an agonizing juxtaposition of pasts and potential futures. This felt discontinuity has an affective consequence that is in line with the results of du Bray et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e), which revealed that gendered climate change experiences often entail sadness, blame, and grief over personal loss and collective failure.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMoreover, respondents expressed a blunting of their emotional lives, which we termed as a defensive withdrawal instead of indifference. Eco-emotions literature explains our results by associating such responses with emotional paralysis and disconnection. This is a protective detachment, a psychological response to the overwhelming scale of ecological unraveling rather than apathy. The present evidence suggests that long-term exposure to loss and helplessness can weaken the ability to feel, contrary to Brosch's (2021) argument that emotions are central to climate perception and engagement. This is the stage of emotional fatigue of eco-anxiety, in Pihkala's (2022b) terms, when disengagement is an emotional coping strategy and engagement is too painful. Seen from the perspective of existential psychology, these patterns resonate with the emotional blueprint of existential fear: it is more than anxiety, but a fundamental disorientation brought about by threats to meaning, loss of future meaning, and decay of emotional accessibility.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe participants' stories of helplessness and resignation are consistent with Guthrie's (2022) contention that some people find that the only way to lessen existential distress is to accept the eco-apocalypse. This stance mirrors classic accounts in existential psychology: when core meanings, agency, and continuity feel broken, dread hardens into resignation (Yalom; Tillich). When individuals feel they have no control over worsening environmental conditions, such as recurrent floods, landslides, or crop failures, this sense of powerlessness erodes psychological resilience, creating the perception that survival and stability are no longer possible within their home environment. According to a cognitive-motivational perspective, recurrent uncontrollable losses weaken problem-focused coping, shift locus of control outward, and create learned helplessness (Seligman; Lazarus). Migration thus turns into a coping strategy, with people leaving their home country in an effort to regain their independence and security, rather than necessarily because they want to. Emotional conflict and the psychological need to leave the pointlessness of staying are common characteristics of departure. Helplessness thus changes migration from a choice to a necessity, which has significant effects on one's sense of self, sense of belonging, and general well-being.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnder Terror Management Theory (TMT), such repeated environmental threats and reminders of mortality they bring can evoke profound fear. To cope with that fear, people tend to use psychological defenses: disconnection from dying locations, diffusing emotional connections, and disconnecting from local environmental issues. Understanding that remaining is both insecure and pointless, they choose migration\u0026mdash;and in so doing, their place attachment disintegrates, removing the affective hook that holds collective action and ecological stewardship together (Priyanka et al., 2022; Leviston et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). As such attachments erode, emotional and civic engagement declines further. Migration does not only take people out of at-risk landscapes\u0026mdash;it breaks up the everyday routines and shared stories that maintain environmental stewardship. The outcome is disengagement: not apathy, but a self-protective withdrawal from places and common practices that have come to be a source of danger rather than belonging. Emotionally, this defensive detachment simplifies bereavement, but it also finds itself exacerbating a collective estrangement\u0026mdash;there being fewer individuals able or willing to act, which ultimately deteriorates both ecological resilience and existential meaning.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs individuals retreat emotionally and physically, the fiction of mutual responsibility that held communities together starts to unravel, paving the way for a further loss of control and dispersed agency. While collective practices and place-based expertise once served to spread responsibility and make action feel achievable, their decline confronts people with problems that seem too vast to be repaired by an individual. This creates an omnipresent powerlessness: not merely momentary doubt, but a long-standing belief that one's decisions make little difference in the face of cascading environmental change. Long-term powerlessness restricts attention, diminishes problem-solving initiative, and sustains avoidant coping (learned helplessness), so even those most concerned have their drive depleting and their ability for long-term action undermined (Ajzen, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e; Landry et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Pihkala, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). This is evident in stories of individuals in Uttarakhand who are aware of what needs to be done but are structurally hindered, by size, by infrastructure collapse, and by shock frequency, so agency fragments into scattered, impotent acts instead of collective responses by communities (Sharma et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR66\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). Citizens are beginning to lose faith in government agencies and local communities, therefore cynicism has taken over their expectations and they've ceased expecting institutions to come up with solutions. They pull away instead, fueling a state of inaction and hopelessness (van Prooijen, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR79\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Pandey et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the same time, the cultural landscape of villages is changing. Historically, bulls and cows greatly contributed to farming and transportation, which has rapidly diminished due to mechanization that negates the need for animals to pull loads or plough fields. As a result, cattle are becoming abandoned in their homes all across the region, resulting in an increase in stray cows and bulls roaming through towns and villages. This results in another social and ecological problem: abandoned animals that are now homeless (and subject to accidents on the road, crop damage in their search for food) within villages. There is also this new level of psychosocial change. People are now feeling anxious/depressed from job loss, guilt/sadness from the disappearance of cultural practices, and helplessness from seeing once-cared-for animals wandering with no one to care for them. Overall, these activities create a heavy cognitive burden. People experience anxiety from the reality of economic displacement, loss and alienation from their lived culture, and hopelessness from seeing once best friends, cattle, abandoned. The aspects of economic change, cultural loss, and environmental disruption have uneasy effects that create feelings of disembodiment, loss of meaning, and existential anxiety. The results overall suggest the impacts of climate change, development, and mechanization are not only material impacts. They transform psychological costs, identity, and the experience of community life in Uttarakhand.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn conclusion, we think that our research demonstrates how Uttarakhand's environmental change results in a closely related series of psychological harms, place-based loss, grief, intergenerational fear and futility, emotional numbness and disengagement, and a fracturing of control and agency. All of these factors, taken together, pose an existential threat to identity, meaning, and community functioning. These processes create cumulative burdens that clinical care alone cannot address through everyday experiences (polluted rivers, eroded rituals, job loss from mechanization), social dynamics (shrinking norms, institutional distrust), and macro shocks (disasters, pandemics). Coordination and multilevel responses are therefore necessary to restore well-being: trauma-informed mental health services, community programs that revitalize place-based skills and rituals, policies that safeguard livelihoods and control tourism, and institutional reforms that restore accountability and trust.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe present research focused on examining the psychological and existential impacts of climate change in Uttarakhand, specifically in the context of how people experience and narrate ecological disruptions in everyday life. The research uncovers that perceptions of place-based loss, grief, intergenerational fear, emotional numbness, institutional cynicism, and technological reliance converge into a more fundamental state of existential fear. Instead of discrete emotional responses, these responses are a shared psychological state wherein the very pillars of meaning, continuity, and agency are under threat. One of the key contributions of this paper is to position existential fear as a legitimate and culturally meaningful eco-emotion, providing a more holistic way of understanding the experience and feeling of climate change in settings like Uttarakhand.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe research has firm practical applications. For Uttarakhand in particular, there is an urgent necessity to incorporate mental health care into climate change adaptation policy, including community counselling, ecological grief circles, and resilience programmes. Local institutions and schools can help by integrating environmental education with culture rituals that engage younger generations with place and meaning. Policy action also needs to tackle structural weaknesses, like uncontrolled tourism, uncontrolled growth, and excessive dependence on machinery by ensuring sustainable livelihood promotion, disaster-resistant infrastructure, and inclusive governance systems for restoring confidence in institutions. In doing so, climate adaptation is not merely a matter of physical survival but of preserving psychological resilience and cultural continuity.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHowever, this study has limitations. The results are context-bound and based on a purposive, qualitative sample, but these limitations are also advantages: the narratives shed light on complex psychological processes that are frequently missed in more general surveys or policy documents. This study highlights that climate change is not just an economic or environmental problem, but also a mental health and existential one by emphasizing lived experience. These findings should be expanded upon in future studies using mixed-method and longitudinal designs, cross-regional comparisons, and assessments of interventions meant to restore place-based identity and agency. These initiatives would provide evidence-based strategies to safeguard communities in Uttarakhand and elsewhere, advancing both theory and practice.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe are grateful to the twelve participants from Uttarakhand who generously shared their time, memories, and often painful reflections; this study would not have been possible without their openness and trust. We also acknowledge the second author/coder for their close collaboration in the iterative IPA coding process and for the constructive feedback they provided during theme development. We appreciate the ethical review and guidance provided by our institutional ethics committee, as well as the informal advice of colleagues who reviewed earlier drafts and made valuable suggestions.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEthical considerations\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEthics Approval:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003eThe study was approved by the Departmental Ethics Committee, Department of Applied Psychology, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies (MRIIRS), in accordance with the institutional guidelines and regulations for research involving human participants. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants before data collection, and their anonymity and confidentiality were ensured throughout the study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eConsent to participate:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003eAll participants provided informed, written consent before participation. They were given a clear explanation of the study\u0026rsquo;s purpose, procedures, interview topics, and expected duration, and were informed that participation was voluntary. Participants were told they could decline to answer any question and could withdraw at any time without penalty; those who withdrew had the option to have their data removed. Permission was obtained to audio-record interviews; participants were informed that recordings and transcripts would be anonymised, that quotes used in the manuscript would be pseudonymised, and that identifying information would be removed to protect confidentiality.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eConsent\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003efor publication\u003c/em\u003e: All authors consent to the publication of this manuscript in its current form. Participants gave explicit consent for anonymised, de-identified quotations from their interviews to be included in publications; any potentially identifying details have been removed or altered to protect confidentiality. No individual participant will be identifiable from the published material.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDeclaration\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eof\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003econflicting\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003einterest:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003eThe authors declare no financial or non-financial competing interests that could be perceived to influence the research, analysis, or interpretation presented in this manuscript. Any affiliations or sources of support are disclosed in the funding and acknowledgements sections.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFunding\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eNot applicable\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eData availability:\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eThe datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current review is available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eClinical Trial Number:\u003c/em\u003e Not applicable\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.Mr. Abhinav Atri, Research Scholar, Psychology Contributions: Conceptualization, Methodology, Data Curation, Writing (Original draft), Visualization Email: [email protected]: 0009-0003-8420-26962.Corresponding author: Dr. Supriya Srivastava, Assistant Professor of PsychologyContributions: Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing (Editing), Supervision, Project administration Email: [email protected]: 0000-0001-7395-8939\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAgyapong, V. 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Psychological insights and structural solutions at the climate\u0026ndash;mind intersection.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYalom, I. D. (1980). \u003cem\u003eExistential Psychotherapy\u003c/em\u003e. Basic Books.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Climate change, Existential dread, Uttarakhand, Spiritual, Environment, Mental health","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7490007/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7490007/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eAim\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis study examines the lived experience of climate change\u0026ndash;induced existential dread among residents of Uttarakhand, a region characterized by rapid ecological degradation and a profound spiritual connection to the natural environment.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethod\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eUsing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten long-term residents. The focus was on their emotional and existential responses to visible environmental change.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eFour interconnected themes emerged: (1) collapse of meaning systems; (2) intergenerational fear and futility; (3) emotional numbness and disengagement; and (4) loss of control and fragmented agency. Participants described a profound psychological disorientation, where ecological loss translated into existential rupture.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe findings highlight that climate change is experienced not only as environmental disruption but as a collapse in meaning, belonging, and selfhood. Implications are discussed for public policy, mental health support, and culturally rooted adaptation strategies. The study advocates for the recognition of eco-emotions as central to climate resilience, particularly in culturally sacred geographies such as Uttarakhand.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Existential Phenomenological Analysis of Climate Change in Uttarakhand","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-10-01 06:17:38","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7490007/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"d03801b3-93de-4a92-945f-1ec704d1fbf6","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 1st, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-12-17T08:10:11+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-10-01 06:17:38","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7490007","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7490007","identity":"rs-7490007","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}