We all know about the environmental effects of climate change. But what about its impact on our mental health? Therapists report that their patients are exhibiting symptoms of what they call “climate anxiety” – loss of sleep, changes in appetite, feelings of grief, anger and hopelessness. One way to cope with the stress and depression brought on by global warming is to get out into the natural world. Two Climate One discussions from the past year explore the psychology of climate change and highlight the importance of reconnecting with nature to maintain physical and mental well-being.

Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode.

Guests:

Part One:

Renee Lertzman, Climate Engagement Strategist; Author, Environmental Melancholia: Psychoanalytic Dimensions of Engagement (Routledge, 2016)

Leslie Davenport, Psychotherapist; Author, Emotional Resiliency in the Era of Climate Change: A Clinician’s Guide (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2017)

Bryant Welch, Clinical Psychologist; Author, State of Confusion: Political Manipulation and the Assault on the American Mind (2018)

Part Two:

Phil Ginsburg, General Manager, San Francisco Recreation and Parks

Rebecca Johnson, Co-Director, Citizen Science at the California Academy of Sciences

Nooshin Razani, Pediatrician and Founder/Director of the Center for Nature and Health at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland

Part One of this program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on November 29, 2018, and originally aired on December 16, 2018.

Part Two was recorded at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on March 15, 2019, and originally aired on March 22, 2019.