We live in a troubled and rapidly changing world, but we can take consolation that no matter how terrible things get, the birds and the trees will always be there, and will continue to be there long after we are gone. At least, that is how things used to be. Now, with the imminent threat of climate change and mass extinction hanging over us, even that timeless assurance is gone.
“Ecological grief,” a term recently coined by Ashlee Cunsolo, director of the Labrador Institute at Memorial University, is that feeling of fear or sorrow at the magnitude of the ecological disasters now facing us. It seems as if the very face of the Earth is shifting rapidly, unpredictably, and uncontrollably. This flux is robbing humanity of a fundamental certainty that it has enjoyed from our earliest days until very recently. We depend on certain reliable constants in order to function. One cannot make plans or preparations if it is impossible to know what the world will look like a few years from now. For some, it is paralyzing and may be an underlying cause of clinical depression or anxiety.
It is not hard to see why this is happening. Until recently, climate change was distant in both space and time, but now, large parts of the world have come face-to-face with the consequences in one way or another. Our own foretaste of the apocalypse here in B.C. has come in the form of increasingly frequent and destructive wildfires. Devastating forest fires are seemingly an annual occurrence now, and that is terrifying to think about. Even in years like this one when we are spared the worst, a tension still hangs in the air. We wonder how long it will be before our own home gets burned to the ground, and how much more our forests can take before our home province is reduced to a barren wasteland. A pervasive sense of doom invades our environment, which has become a powder keg threatening to blow up at any minute and destroy everything within reach.
In addition to fear, there is sadness. With each sudden and violent change, the realm of nature becomes a little more degraded. We are haunted by the notion that the flora, fauna, and natural spaces will soon be gone. Even the wonder and invigoration of experiencing wild places first-hand is now tainted because we are conscious of the possibility that we could be among the last to experience them.
Sufferers of eco-grief would do well to seek help in the form of therapy or medication if it results in or contributes to depression or anxiety. However, such measures would only treat the symptoms rather than the cause. To truly overcome eco-grief, we must fight for our world.
I think the rhetoric of environmentalism has succumbed to eco-grief, and in doing so has become part of the problem. At first it was about stopping climate change before it happened. Later the objective became reducing and mitigating climate change. Now it seems like the best we can hope for is to delay the inevitable, and even that is asking a lot. This defeatist attitude does not help. A more hopeful and positive message is necessary to find the strength to carry on.
Perhaps things are too far gone for meaningful change to be made at this point. What matters is taking a proactive role in shaping the world around us. I say that we should fight for our world. Winning is preferred, but not essential. Stopping or reversing environmental degradation is best, but reducing or delaying the damage is worthwhile too. Take pride and hope from our victories, however small. The act of working to preserve that which we know and love instead of passively allowing it to slide into ruin can give those who suffer from eco-grief the hope and motivation they need.
If you want good news, I have some for you. Climate protests that are erupting around the world are making it clear that people care deeply about these issues and will support leaders who offer meaningful solutions. If nothing else, the desire to gain and retain power will motivate our leaders to take serious action. With that in mind, instead of focusing on the enormity of the global ecological crisis, it would be best to get involved at the local, regional, and national levels. It is these institutions that have the power to influence the world, and can also be influenced by us. With enough action and expression of desire, individual people and individual nations can collectively turn the tide.
Illustration: Kate Hine
