I suffer from an overwhelming amount of climate dread, rage, and anxiety on a daily basis. This negative energy has caused me to not want children out of fear of the world they are going to be born into, it has me feeling shame over every purchase that contains plastic or endangers some species’ habitat, and has left me with a feeling of hopelessness over the state of the world that I cannot shake. If you are keeping up to date with the more and more fear-inducing reports the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is releasing, you may have the same thoughts as I do.
Their sixth assessment report was released at the end of February. According to Hoesung Lee, Chair of the IPCC, “This report is a dire warning about the consequences of inaction.” The report makes clear that those “people and ecosystems least able to cope are being hardest hit.” The planet is locked in for a guaranteed 1.5° increase over the next two decades, which will cause severe and irreversible impacts to society.
So, now that you know that we’re basically screwed, what is there to do? I suggest, instead of drawing creative protest signs that will inevitably be thrown out later, or getting angry with strangers over social media, or limiting your diet to solely food you foraged or grew yourself, you spend time with the earth we are slowly but surely killing. Spending time in nature, really absorbing Mother Earth’s energy, will reduce a lot of the stress and anger you feel over these climate reports, and you’ll leave the experience more inspired to keep fighting for her.
Multiple studies have shown that spending time in forests and within nature helps reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and boost our immune systems. Spending time in nature can help you focus better and improve your directed-attention, can heighten your self-esteem and improve your mood, and even reduce your cortisol and blood glucose levels. It has even been shown that just a view of a natural setting can help post-operative hospital patients recover faster than if their view contained just urban infrastructure.
There are so many ways to interact with the great outdoors, be it hiking up a mountain and taking in the entire landscape or honing in on the details by learning tree or mushroom identification; just find something that you can get lost in. Once we learn to appreciate, love, and draw our inner peace from nature, we will go above and beyond to help protect it.
Our sixth iteration of The Zine will be up for grabs on Apr. 13, and its content is centered around climate change. It has been a joy to curate this Zine and pore over all the beautiful submissions from contributors who are largely brand-new to The Cascade. It will cover a wide range of climate topics from protecting old growth forests to saving coral reefs to salmon conservation through the mediums of visual art, journalism, and creative writing. It is meant to not just educate readers about the effects of climate change in the Fraser Valley, but to help them appreciate the beautifully healing aspects of nature that we will be devoid of if the global powers continue their “exponential growth.” It is meant to inspire an awe that provokes readers to make a change.
Pick up a copy of The Zine when it hits newsstands on April 13, and take some much needed time away from your computer screen today to be healed by the comforting embrace of Mother Nature.
Andrea Sadowski is working towards her BA in Global Development Studies, with a minor in anthropology and Mennonite studies. When she's not sitting in front of her computer, Andrea enjoys climbing mountains, sleeping outside, cooking delicious plant-based food, talking to animals, and dismantling the patriarchy.
