By Emma Gallagher
For many people, the reality of climate change can become an extreme emotional burden. Experiencing feelings such as depression, grief, anxiety, anger, fear, and denial is an increasingly common issue and a topic that has been largely left out of the climate crisis conversation. Luckily, researchers today in the field of environmental psychology are attempting to bring more awareness to this issue and are using psychology to help understand people’s emotional and cognitive responses to climate change.
Why is this important? According to researchers, understanding climate change depression, or what is known as environmental melancholia, will result in better communication and advocacy about climate change.
What Is Environmental Melancholia?
Climate psychologist Renee Lertzman, describes environmental melancholia as “our unconscious sadness over ecological loss and degradation.” People can feel overcome with feelings of despair, shame, guilt, conflict, and powerlessness. Lerztman states:
There’s this feeling of loss but it hasn’t been named, partly because we’re not used to talking about it in our culture ... It’s a kind of loss that people are experiencing on both a personal and a social level, it’s a loss that comes with either seeing or experiencing changes in our environment, or hearing about those changes.
This response to the reality of climate change is creating a mental health crisis because many people don’t know how to deal with these emotions. In other words, it is like an emotional barrier to action. Researchers argue that not many people have gotten to the point of being able to process their grief about the inevitable destruction of life on earth. In fact, according to Lertzman, many people are stuck in “a state of arrested mourning.” This means that they are unable to move past their feelings of sadness about climate change.
She goes on to say that “The reason why, I think, we have a pervasive environmental melancholia is directly related to the fact that we’re not really talking about this.” While there are known ways of dealing with the death of a loved one or the loss of a job, mental health experts are still trying to develop methods to help people that have anxieties about climate change.
Why Aren’t We Taking Action About Climate Change?
Psychologists today are trying to fully comprehend and explain why we fail to take action when it comes to climate change. It seems as though humans aren’t taking necessary measures to combat the issue even though we know of the enormity of the threat that lies before us.
Lertzman argues that it’s not because people don’t care. Instead, it is because our emotional response to climate change (which for many is deep yet unprocessed feelings of anxiety and loss) can often leave us with a sense of helpless and paralyzation. As a result, this state of unprocessed grief over the destruction of the planet ultimately gets in the way of us taking action. Lertzman explains that:
to grasp the full implications of climate change is daunting—to recognize our part in it all the more so. To fire up a car or step onto an airplane is to defile the very air we breathe. People cope by disavowing their role in climate change. You’re not denying something, but you are choosing not to know. There rarely is genuine apathy and what shows up as apathy is a defense mechanism. It’s a way for people to cope with the very complicated feelings that come up around these issues.
Other mental health professionals like Lertzman have warned of the mental and emotional consequences of the climate crisis. Researcher Lise Van Susteren coined the term “pre-traumatic stress disorder” to describe the depression felt by many scientists, advocates and journalists. She argues that in the years ahead, the problem will only become more and more widespread.
Ways To Cope With Environmental Melancholia
Although research about environmental melancholia is still new and professionals are still trying to develop ways to address this issue, there are some ways that psychologists say can help people deal with this dilemma. Following these guidelines will help improve communication about climate change and create an increase in climate advocacy.
First is to continue your efforts to address climate change and try to include more ways to address the problem whenever possible. For example, you can be more conscious about the types of decisions you make on a daily basis. In other words, make sure you are making earth-friendly decisions as much as you can. There are many ways you can do your part in facing climate change such as changing your diet to include less meat, switching to green energy in your home, and reducing plastic consumption. Remember that it can be hard to hear about bad news relating to the climate and the future of the planet, but responding in a positive way can be empowering.
Furthermore, try to keep and optimistic perspective as much as possible. However, it is important to know that you can’t be fully optimistic all the time. You have to be able to mourn and accept your negative emotions such as anger and grief.
Next is to talk to others about how you feel. Although not everyone feels the same way about climate change, having someone there to listen to you can still help process feelings. Remember to encourage others for their environmental efforts. The more we remind each other that we’re all in this together, the less lonesome we will feel.
Another way to address climate melancholia is to simply take a break. In other words, try to take some time to stop thinking about the world’s problems for a little while. It may be true that not everyone in the world has this luxury. However, if we can partake in mental rest ever once in a while, it will allow us to be more effective in the more important endeavors that we choose to pursue.
These are some of the methods that can be used to help people who are dealing with climate melancholia. It is important that we learn to understand our emotions so that we can do everything in our power to fight climate change. This is why mental health matters so much in the fight against climate change, and why we must continue to spread awareness about the effects it has on the future of our planet.
References
Obradovich, Nick, et al. “Empirical Evidence of Mental Health Risks Posed by Climate Change.” PNAS, National Academy of Sciences, 23 Oct. 2018, www.pnas.org/content/115/43/10953.
Patterson, Terry. “Engaging with Climate Change: Psychoanalysis and Interdisciplinary Perspectives.” Psychodynamic Practice, vol. 20, no. 4, 2014, pp. 387–391., doi:10.1080/14753634.2014.946783.