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Subtly but surely there has been a shift in the discourse regarding climate change: the potential for mass extinction has transformedFrom a matter of science fiction to one of distant reality to one that has already been put in motion. Global warming and fossil fuels are already having a profound impact on the Global South. These effects include flooding, wildfires, and pollution that requires a face mask to breathe. Climate change will soon affect the privileged too. It will impact everything from crowding to resource wars to the potential release viruses from melting permafrost like smallpox or bubonic plague. Vox. There is a strong chance that this will be the sixth mass-extinction event, eradicating humanity from a world that isn’t sympathetic to its pleas.
What now?
You can reduce the carbon footprint of your car and eat less meat. You can also write to representatives of government and take part in protests. However, many feel unable to take action, trapped in a phenomenon increasingly recognized as “climate grief,” or the incomprehensible sense of loss felt due to the tragic trajectory of our planet. A New York Times global survey of young people found more than half of respondents between the ages of 16 and 25 felt “sad, anxious, angry, powerless, helpless, and guilty” about climate change and believed that “humanity is doomed” in the future. This grief can worsen mental illnesses such anxiety and depression, causing debilitating symptoms which interfere with function.
We must ensure our mental and physical health if we are to combat climate change. How do we do this when one of the most important skills in therapy is to challenge preconceived notions of imminent doom. The facts support the concern in this instance. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently reported that we must take drastic action to limit climate change to 2° Celsius above preindustrial levels. Daily Campus articleIt is more likely that we will see an increase in temperature of 8.5 degrees Celsius over the next century.
A new branch of therapy focuses on climate grief. It allows one live with the truths of the science without losing the ability to function every day. Although there is not much empirical evidence to support the effectiveness of these treatments, the field is rapidly growing. Climate Psychology Alliance has an online directory that lists therapists who are trained in climate psychology. The Good Grief Network is a support network based upon 12-step addiction programs. Professional certifications in climate psychology have started to appear, according to the New York Times. Some argue that climate changes are too politicized and should not be discussed among therapists. However this argument fails to take into account the immense need of patients for this type support.
It is important that therapy does not teach patients how to ignore their worries, but rather how to live with them. Radical acceptance is a method of dialectical behavioral therapy. It is the opposite of what it sounds like. It is accepting the truth about something in a way which is counterintuitive and challenging. This does not imply that you should accept climate change as inevitable and refuse to act. It is a disciplined method of living with terrifying truths without letting them control your life.
Perhaps those of us who suffer from climate anxiety will be able to relate the Sisyphus story. Sisyphus is a Greek mythological character who is punished by Zeus. He is made to push a boulder on a hill each morning only for the rock, which is now falling to the ground, to climb the hill. It will take daily effort to train the mind to accept the reality of the climate crisis. Although it may not feel natural, it is essential to be able live functionally with it.
