Recently, there is a growing call for members of the higher education community to grapple with complex and challenging emotions related to climate change, such as distress, anxiety, burnout, and hope. However, the emotional, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of climate change remain undervalued in the urgency to implement technological climate solutions. This chapter presents a threaded discussion with three campus voices about their experiences at a STEM-focused university in the Northeast United States: an undergraduate student, a psychologist, and an interfaith chaplain and spiritual guide to the Indigenous community. Key themes that emerge from the discussion are: the need to better integrate these dimensions across academic disciplines; the value of alternative climate realities and Indigenous knowledge; the role of psychology and psychotherapy as a critical tool; and the call to address burnout and anxiety from climate activities and cultivate hope. Recommended strategies to address these findings include new courses and curriculum, workshops, events, and suggestions for institutional change that provide creative and experiential opportunities for the campus community to share, reflect, and transform climate distress into meaningful action.

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Exploring Climate Change and Emotions on Campus: From Distress to Action

  • Christopher Rabe,
  • Susy Jones,
  • Cindy J. Xie,
  • Maria Minkova,
  • Nina G. Lytton

摘要

Recently, there is a growing call for members of the higher education community to grapple with complex and challenging emotions related to climate change, such as distress, anxiety, burnout, and hope. However, the emotional, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of climate change remain undervalued in the urgency to implement technological climate solutions. This chapter presents a threaded discussion with three campus voices about their experiences at a STEM-focused university in the Northeast United States: an undergraduate student, a psychologist, and an interfaith chaplain and spiritual guide to the Indigenous community. Key themes that emerge from the discussion are: the need to better integrate these dimensions across academic disciplines; the value of alternative climate realities and Indigenous knowledge; the role of psychology and psychotherapy as a critical tool; and the call to address burnout and anxiety from climate activities and cultivate hope. Recommended strategies to address these findings include new courses and curriculum, workshops, events, and suggestions for institutional change that provide creative and experiential opportunities for the campus community to share, reflect, and transform climate distress into meaningful action.