The Front Page podcast: The rise of eco-anxiety as the battle for our planet heats up

Protesters in Auckland's CBD during a march for climate change action. Photo / Peter Meecham

Each week The Front Page takes you behind the scenes of the biggest story from the New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB. Today it's the rising fear we're not doing enough to save our planet. Hosted by Frances Cook.

Audio from this video podcast is available on podcast apps one week after its release on Herald Premium. You can subscribe to this podcast on all the main apps, including Apple podcasts here, iHeartRadio here, Spotify here, and Google podcasts here.

Eco-anxiety is on the rise, with a growing sense that we're not doing enough to look after our environment and fight the looming threat of climate change.

People are dealing with it in different ways.

Some are swearing off having children, convinced we won't do enough in time to save the planet.

They don't want their children to face the reality of what we're leaving behind.

Others are taking part in direct political pressure, like school strikes for climate.

But as movements like the school strikes become larger and more mainstream, the question is when it will be enough to push politicians to act.

For the latest Front Page podcast I talked to Herald reporter Michael Neilson and science reporter Jamie Morton.

We discussed whether the tide of public opinion is turning, and what options are open to people who want to see change.

For the interview, watch the podcast video.

If you have questions about Herald investigations, or want to stay up to date on social media, you can find host Frances Cook on

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