Climate emotions: a new article and a new podcast!

 A very big news day for me: 1) my article about Taxonomy of Climate Emotions was published and 2) a new Climate Emotions podcast was launched by Dr. Thomas Doherty and me (http://climatechangeandhappiness.com). Please give them a try and share the word if you find them useful!

In the article, (1) I provide a large taxonomy of various emotions and feelings which can be connected with the climate crisis, and (2) I discuss these emotions in the light of interdisciplinary research. Two tables are offered which include references to research. The effort is quite ambitious and it is clear that more research is needed, but hopefully this article helps both emotion work in practice and future research. For a quick look, please see this table of various climate emotions.

The title of the podcast is provocatively “Climate Change and Happiness”. We know that for numerous people, a logical title would be “CC and misery”. We wish to be sensitive to justice issues and we do discuss lots of dark emotions. But we also wish to explore the possibilities of “living a good life” amidst the growing climate chaos. What is the role of joy and happiness, amidst the many good reasons for sadness and anger?

Dr. Thomas Doherty (http://selfsustain.com/) is one of the pioneers in eco-psychology and a wide-ranging researcher and therapist. We’ve had most interesting discussions over the last years. In the podcast, we also invite guests such as Prof. Susan Clayton, Prof. Jade Sasser and many others. Ms. Isabel Coppola, a young scholar of eco-anxiety, works as an intern for the podcast and provides transcripts of the episodes.

I hope that these resources will find their place; the early audiences have been very interested. Please let us know your thoughts and feelings via the podcast website or the Academia.edu discussion site for the article!

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Spectrum Line of Ecological Emotions

This activity helps people to share their emotions and thoughts about the ecological crisis. If wanted, you can focus explicitly on climate change. Length : minimum 60 minutes, preferably 90-105 minutes. It is important to move towards empowerment near the end, and to provide enough time for this. Number of people who can attend : preferably around 20. For experienced facilitators, it is possible to include a quite large number of people. Requirements for the facilitator : Please do not lead this activity if you have not done inner work about ecological emotions yourself. You also should have at least basic experience of facilitating group work. If you are not very experienced, it is wise to guide this with a colleague. However, you do not need to be a professional therapist to facilitate this activity. Further ideas and tips More information and tips about facilitating this kind of work can be found at: - Carbon Conversations Facilitator’s Guide, Rosemary Rand
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Mind map of ecological emotions

In brief The exercise enables people to create a mind map of their own ecological emotions (or emotions related to broader sustainability issues). A brief list of emotion words is used in support of the activity. Topics Very often we have used this exercise with a focus on climate change emotions (in brief: climate emotions). However, the mind map tool can be used with many framings. It can be drawn in relation to a specific issue of concern, such as a wildfire or flood that is causing distress. Naturally it can also be used for non-ecological issues, such as emotions about a pandemic. To whom? The major group that we have used this with is educators, but the exercise can be used with people of different age and profession. With the educators, the aim is to increase their emotional skills and also to enable the possibility that they would offer this exercise to their students. As with all emotional exercises, it is important for the educator to try this exercise first o
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Climate Emotions playlist

  Music is one of the most important means for encountering climate emotions for myself, together with spending time outdoors, socializing with others, and doing embodied practices.   This playlist is an emotional journey. The atmospheres (a suitable word for the the topic, huh?) are more important than the lyrics, but some tracks have also been selected because of their lyrics. The playlist does follow roughly a process of crisis. There are fluctuations of sorrow and anger, but also of hope and beauty – as in our lives amidst the ecological crisis.   I would recommend listening to the playlist first without reading my comments about the songs, but many methods are suitable here.   1. Moby: Why does my heart feel so bad (reprise version) Reprise: the heart feels so bad again. The playlist starts with the situation where many people have found themselves in: asking why does it feel so bad. Especially when I started my work around eco-anxiety in the early 2010s, people h
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