Affected by Climate Change

Affected by Climate Change

A podcast interview series about emotions around the climate crisis

by Amelie Bauer
Supervisor: Dr. Gesa Lüdecke

The anthropogenic climate crisis is an urgent existential threat. This sense of threat and urgency is enforced by overwhelming scientific evidence, perceptible physical changes, and a rapid succession of bad news, as new emission records are reached and more and more critical tipping points crossed. All of this takes an emotional toll on humans. Diagnoses of "climate-based depression," "ecological grief," "eco-anxiety" or "climate anxiety" have surged in recent years. New activist groups such as Extinction Rebellion are actively addressing mental health issues related to the climate crisis. We are affected by climate change – but there is still little conversation about the emotional toll of a constant sense of threat in a visibly changing world. The Final Project "Affected by Climate Change" wants to address this in the form of a podcast interview series.

Background: coping with stress in a changing world

Science is only just catching up on the mental health impacts of climate change. Climate change can affect mental health in three ways: 1) when people are exposed to extreme weather events and their consequences, 2) when climate change impacts the resources required for mental health, such as economic and social participation, 3) when the awareness of climate change results in emotional distress. Being aware of climate change can induce anxiety because climate change threatens parts of our identity: our descendants, the stability of our society, the landscapes and ecosystems we know, and our conceptions of the future.

It is imperative to allow, accept and articulate emotions such as grief and depression. Ignoring or suppressing these emotions and encouraging people to ‚look on the bright side‘ is not a helpful coping strategy. However, allowing, sharing and processing them can help. The podcast „Affected by Climate Change“ wants to start a conversation about emotions around climate change.

Aims of the podcast „Affected by Climate Change“

The podcast project „Affected by Climate Change“ wants to give room to grief, to discuss coping strategies and visions of the future. The project also documents and explores a unique moment in time where the climate crisis is becoming tangible and is taking a toll on many peoples‘ mental health.

„Affected by Climate Change“ is an exercise in community building and empowerment. The podcast interviewees come from different backgrounds, each with their own unique experiences and ideas. Through sharing and hearing these stories, interviewees and listeners can discover they are not alone with their thoughts. This can lessen the burden of distressing emotions. The „Affected by Climate Change“ interviews also provide practical ideas for regeneration and action and serve to explore new visions of the future. When the climate crisis challenges existing ideas of self and future, through conversation we can accept feelings of threat and establish new concepts and ideas.

At the moment, processing emotional distress from climate change is an issue for only a small part of the population. However, it is likely to become more relevant as the acceptance of climate change consequences increases. A discussion on how to support the processing of climate change anxiety has just begun. There is not only a lack of practical offers but also a scientific research gap. When environmental anxiety and grief spread even farther, it will be helpful to have resources already on hand and different formats tested.

You can visit Amelie's website if you follow this link.