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Climate Change and Mental Health: Ecological Grief |
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by Theodore Bechlivanis | 21-02-2020 08:54 0 |
When scientists and activists talk about environmental issues, they go to great lengths in order to underscore its immediacy. The ramifications of human activity on the environment are indeed both rapid and severe, but often invisible to the unengaged eye. At the same time, they are devastating to behold for those who study or fight against them.
The phenomenon where scientists, climate activists, and afflicted citizens experience sorrow over ecological collapse is called Ecological - or climate - Grief. Aptly so: it has been described as "the grief felt in relation to [...] ecological losses, including those of species, ecosystems, or landscapes due to [...] environmental change" (Cunsolo, Ashlee; Ellis, Neville. "Hope and mourning in the anthropocene: Understanding ecological grief"). An often-cited example is the despair of marine biologists and conservationists at the gradual death of the Great Barrier Reef. Ecological grief is expected to be on the rise as our environment shifts more visibly and more people become invested in securing a sustainable future. This raises immediate concerns with regard to mental health management; however, it also calls for a radical shift in climate leadership. Activist circles, scientists, citizen initiatives and the vast areas where those groups overlap have two things in common: first, their goal of protecting the planet, and second, the need to organize, distribute tasks, and support each other. Softening the blow of climate grief requires us to uplift and empower each other, to develop new approaches to leadership and more powerful actions of solidarity. The following are questions an effective leader should ask themselves in the context of ecological grief: - Which members of my community are affected the most, and why? - How are the tasks I assigned them influencing their morale and perspective? - Who can cover for them while they seek help with their mental health? - How do we, as a community, shield those vulnerable members until they are in a position to confront climate grief successfully? The above questions can help shape more efficient leadership models. This is achieved by mindfully delegating responsibilities to each member of your group according to their strengths and their sensitivities, and always prioritizing their well-being.
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10 Comments
Thanks for the report.
Posted 29-03-2020 09:58
Thank you for your report.
Posted 27-03-2020 22:51
Namaste!
Thank you for sharing this informative report,
Hope to see more from you sir!
Regards,
Asmita Bhusal
Posted 23-03-2020 00:03
Hello
I hope you are doing well
Thank you so much for this report
Regards
Susmita
Posted 12-03-2020 13:11
Greetings
I do hope everything is going well..
Thank you so much for sharing your report!!
Really enjoyed it..
Green cheers
Regards
Jasmine karki
Posted 09-03-2020 11:07
Keep writing
Green Cheers
Posted 26-02-2020 10:33
Thank you so much for this report
Posted 22-02-2020 16:48
Hello Theodore,
Thanks for writing such nice and informative report .
Posted 21-02-2020 17:41
thank you for sharing..
Yes, climate change is a very very very big issues for us..
Posted 21-02-2020 15:21
It's so informative report that climate change and mental health is so related and we should be aware for that.
Thanks for introducing this topic
Posted 21-02-2020 12:13