This archive report was first published on 16 November 2019.
Climate change can feel overwhelming, leading to feelings of despair and hopelessness. However, as Lou Leonard, a founder of One Earth Sangha, a Buddhist group focused on the crisis, points out, individual choices, such as how we consume and transport ourselves, can make a difference. By living as if climate change is real and taking action, we can signal to others that change is possible and help shift cultural norms.
Leonard emphasizes the importance of breaking cognitive dissonance to be more real about the crisis. Making seemingly inconvenient changes now can prepare us for what might come.
According to Zhiwa Woodbury, an eco-psychologist, we are collectively experiencing climate trauma, both as perpetrators and victims. Altering habits, such as how we eat, can make people feel more empowered and less overwhelmed, shifting our relationship with the natural world. Woodbury notes that the belief that natural resources exist for our exploitation is a major contributor to the crisis.
Embracing pain and processing emotions is crucial in breaking free from climate despair. Woodbury suggests that what despair is telling us is that we haven't processed our emotions. In a workshop, facilitator Jess Serrante shared a powerful insight: 'Our pain for what is happening is the other side of the coin of our love for the world.'
Several psychologists agree that feeling depressed about the crisis is a sane and healthy response. However, as a culture, we often pathologize depression as a personal failing. By acknowledging and working through our emotions, we can alchemize pain into something bigger and reconnect with our deepest selves.
