Adapting to Climate Change: Adjusting our Headsets

Climate scientist Dr Joëlle Gergis, from the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society, who worked on the latest UN climate report, has just published a book called Humanity’s Moment: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope (Black Inc).

In it she cites a study by Caroline Hickman which found that three quarters of the young people interviewed from around the world feel the future is frightening, and more than half believe that “humanity is doomed”. Such despair undermines a positive collective response to the current environmental emergency. In the light of these findings, Gergis argues that we need to start having honest conversations which acknowledge and accept that these strong negative emotional responses are understandable and valid.

It's not easy, but it’s essential, to speak to the people in our own lives about how we really feel about our changing world. As Gergis points out, organisations like Psychology for a Safe Climate in Australia, the Climate Psychology Alliance in the United Kingdom, and Climate Awakening in the United States are helping people navigate this difficult psychological terrain.

Many people are more prone than others to such emotions. Many are less trusting that others are inherently good. That goes for scientists too. As Gergis admits, “I’m learning that emotional honesty is something that should be honoured and protected, not shunned and attacked, even if the culture of science is still dominated by men who often struggle to articulate their feelings”, and who fall back on rigid logic. “We can still be rational and professional,” she says, “while being real and humane.”

For the author, the best we can do, in the face of monumental environmental challenges, is to choose how we may balance our sense of despair and disillusionment with hope and joy in our own lives. This doesn’t mean adopting an unrealistic optimism. Instead, we can take pragmatic actions to protect our mental health, in part by strengthening our sense of solidarity with other people who also care about our planet. Gergis cites Macy and Johnstone’s book, Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in Without Going Crazy. Such “active hope” is something you do, proactively, rather than something you have. However big or small our role may be in our community, we can act positively to influence its cultural evolution. As Gergis warns, “We need to be careful not to fall into the trap of viewing anything less than total victory as a failure; otherwise, it’s easy to give up and not celebrate the imperfect wins along the way.”And instead of focusing on a future that seems doom-laden, we can concentrate on the present, in ways that allow us to help shape a better, more sustainable world.

For an edited excerpt from Dr Joëlle Gergis’ book, Humanity’s Moment: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope (Black Inc), go to Humanity’s moment: ‘How can we find meaning in a world that is at once both heaven and hell?’ | Climate crisis | The Guardian

Contributed by Wendy Morgan