1. The Lens
Climate change is not just a technical or political issue—it’s an emotional event. One that arrives through weather, but lands in the psyche. This lens invites us to trace the full arc of emotional experience that surrounds the crisis: not just the loud alarms, but also the quiet numbness, the burnout, the hope, the courage.
Our emotions are not barriers to action. They are the terrain it moves across.
2. The Landscape of Feeling
- Alarm, Fear, Grief: These visceral responses can catalyze urgency—but without direction, they can overwhelm.
- Denial, Minimization, Rationalization: Emotions are dulled or redirected: “It’s not that bad,” “Someone else will fix it.”
- Hope, Inspiration, Solution-Euphoria: Framed with clarity and agency, people light up. But false optimism can stall action as much as despair.
- Fatigue, Eco-Anxiety, Apathy: When concern finds no outlet, it collapses inward. People stop feeling because it hurts too much to keep feeling.
- Resilience, Resolve, Collective Confidence: These emerge in community—through shared purpose, mutual care, and stories of real possibility.
3. What Feelings Do
Emotions don’t just shape what we do. They shape what we can bear to perceive.
- Fear can narrow focus—or unlock care.
- Grief can drain—or clarify what matters.
- Hope can inspire—or blind.
- Apathy can numb—or mask deeper pain.
And most powerfully, unfelt emotions don’t stay buried—they shape action from the shadows.
4. Regulating Together
To sustain momentum, we need more than behavior change—we need emotional infrastructure:
- Rituals to grieve and release
- Celebrations to renew energy
- Safe spaces for fear and frustration
- Visible signals of shared feeling (“You’re not alone”)
Crisis without connection burns. But connection makes crisis bearable.
5. Invitation
- Which emotions feel safe for you to express around climate—and which don’t?
- When did you last feel truly moved, or truly stuck?
- Who do you process this with?
Trace the feeling…
and you’ll find where the action lives.
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