The sadness and helplessness many feel, due to the immense forces of ecological destruction and climate change, are often immobilising, leaving us questioning how mourning a planet’s past can be turned into building a planet’s future. Transforming this grief into action takes strength and perspective - and sometimes help:
International
Climate and Mind (International)
Climate and Mind explores the relationship between climate disruption, human behaviour and the human experience.
Planetary Hope: Find Your Voice & Power with Emily Toner
This course has been designed to help provide a space to process the myriad of emotions that arise in response to the environmental challenges currently facing our global community. Combining research from neuroscience, the science of wellbeing and the psychology of emotion and behaviour, each day leads into a specific guided mindfulness practice designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to tend to your own wellbeing, while also creating space for you to act for the earth in small, committed, everyday ways. Emily Toner is a Clinical Psychologist with a research background in Behavioural Neuroscience and Positive Psychology.
Good Grief Network (North America)
Good Grief Network is a nonprofit organisation that brings people together to manage collective grief, eco-distress, and other heavy emotions that arise in response to daunting planetary crises. They aim to create spaces for communities to gather and process their feelings with an intention of turning that grief into meaningful action.
Soapbox Project (United States)
The Soapbox Project is a social movement that was started specifically in response to the mental stress caused by climate anxiety. They are very aware of how overwhelming the topic can be so they structure themselves to only require bite sized and manageable commitments from individuals, which you can scale up at any time.
Force of Nature (UK & International)
Force of Nature is a UK based organisation started by Clover Hogan which aims to empower young people to create real change and to be given agency in the face of the climate crisis. They run training programmes for both students and teachers, provide a platform for young people, and enable collaboration through workshops, consulting, and youth advisory boards.
- Host or join a climate cafe to connect with your local community
- If you’re a student, join Force of Nature’s youth portal to get involved and start training
- If you’re an educator or parent, download this free discussion guide to facilitate conversations about climate anxiety with your child or students
Know of any other groups or resources? Let us know.
Learning about how to transform your climate grief into regenerative action is part of a larger collective response. Click here to read more.
Australia
Australian Parents for Climate Action
Australian Parents for Climate Action engaged, organises and empowers parents, carers, and families to advocate for a safe climate for our children’s future.
- Watch an expert panel discuss the transformation of climate grief.
- Act - ways you can get involved with AP4CA.
- Join - join AP4CA to help the cause.
The Commons Library
The Commons Social Change Library is an online collection of educational resources on campaign strategy, community organising, digital campaigning, inclusivity and diversity.
- Access articles, podcasts, books and networks to help deal with and transform climate grief.
Psychology for a Safe Climate
Psychology for a Safe Climate fosters emotional engagement with climate change by providing support and engaging with those working on climate change, within caring professions, and the broader community.
- Listen to a collection of podcasts dealing with climate grief, burn-out and resilience in the context of climate change.