Five walks to save the world – how ‘psychogeography’ can help you confront the climate crisis

Perhaps, like me, you’ve seen wildfires raging and glaciers melting on the news and felt helpless. Faced with the realities of ReportsThe impacts of climate change are more severe than we expected. What can you do?

Although you might not be able solve the big problems all by yourself, there are still ways to get involved. This can start with a simple walk.

Walking mindfully – taking time to observe your surroundings and the thoughts and feelings they evoke – can help you see familiar spaces like your own street anew. This can make you more conscious and more appreciative of your surroundings, and perhaps inspire a desire for protection.

When I wrote my first novel, I discovered the power of walking as an effective way to engage with climate change. The Half-life of Snails. Allowing yourself to take the time to explore the surrounding landscapes WylfaNorth Wales Chernobyl in Ukraine – both marked by the presence of nuclear power stations – I discovered how these places can awaken extreme emotional responses to this way of generating energy.

Walking with the intention to pay attention to how different features or areas affect our feelings and behave is the heart and soul of psychogeography: The academic intersection between geography and psychology. Practising this involves setting aside the usual reasons for going out, such as commuting, and pursuing a “dérive” instead – a drift through varied areas to defamiliarise.

A recent episode Your Brain on ClimateDavid Powell, my podcast host, and I discussed how feeling emotionally connected to the Earth motivates us all to protect it. Research has shown that it is possible to protect the environment from emotional attachments. Slowing downIt is important to look closely at the spaces that you use most often.

These are five short walks that can be taken to reengage your local community.

• When walking to school or work, find a new route that avoids the usual places you pass. What new textures, smells and sounds do you encounter? What is it like to travel on a different route than your usual?

• Walk your usual route towards the shops or work, but instead of focusing on getting there quickly, slow your pace and stop every three minutes or so to observe what surrounds you. What are the things you notice on your daily commute that you often miss? Are there flowers to smell, or the sound of the breeze through the leaves? These things can stir up emotions.

• Walk in ever wider circles from your front door. Observe areas where people have left a negative impression, such as litter and chewing gum marks on pavement. Look for wildlife that thrives in unusual places. For example, flowers growing between bricks or guttering, or trees or shrubs that grow out of bricks. Consider how you feel about these observations and why. What can you do to improve the environment for wildlife?

• On a warm day, do what I call a “temperature walk”: seek out different surfaces along the route such as walls, grassy areas, and kerbstones, and rest your hands on them. What colours and materials are most effective at attracting and holding heat? The hottest material could be contributing to global warming, a process called the Urban heat island effect. Consider painting walls white. Local change advocacyThis could be reduced with the help of

• Walk your street and, if possible, look at the different front gardens (a quick look as you are passing is fine). Are the gardens stocked with grass and shrubs Are they paved with gravel or artificial turf? Are there any patterns between the garden design and the types of birds and insects found in the gardens? These observations could be used to encourage nature within your garden, or in a local greenspace. Keep track of your ideas.

These five walks are only the beginning. Psychogeography encourages us be flexible, adaptive, and imaginative. So come up with your own walks, and invite others to join you.

Studies have shown this. Even small actionsSowing wildflowers and slowing climate change can help to protect biodiversity. Influence othersTo also take responsibility.

You may find that walking with others and discussing what steps your community could take, can lead to more organised action. You might start a garden rewilding movement in your community that involves people. swap fences for hedgesEncourage local councils to whitewash public buildings in order to reduce heat.

This could go far, who knows? But the first step is to take that walk…

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