In China and Italy, the air is now strikingly clean. Venice’s Grand Canal, normally fouled by boat traffic, is running clear. In Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta, the fog of pollution has lifted. Even global carbon emissions have fallen. To be clear, the coronavirus pandemic is a tragedy, but this global crisis is also an inflection point for that other global crisis, the slower one with even higher stakes: climate change. It may seem odd, insensitive, or even irrelevant to some people to talk about climate change right now, but as the United Nations’ secretary-general recently noted, the threat from coronavirus is temporary whereas the threat from heatwaves, floods, and extreme storms resulting in the loss of human life will remain with us for years.

Today I am joined by Environmental Communication student and sustainability advocate, Clara Wessel, to discuss eco-anxiety, a term defined by the American Psychological Association as “a chronic fear of environmental doom.” Worry about climate change is affecting people all around the world, but there are solutions that can help improve this anxiety and slow climate breakdown at the same time. We talk a lot about this as well as our own double standards and how we can live more sustainably without compromising the quality of our lives.

I know there are a lot of weird things going on in the world right now, but I actually think this global pandemic is a great opportunity for us to learn more about these issues, make some changes, and reflect on how we want to live our lives, what responsibilities we have towards the planet, and what’s actually important.

Links

Clara Wessel

Instagram @clara.sw

www.clarasophiewessel.com

Recommended Instagram Accounts and other resources:

@atmos

@itsfreezinginla

@theslowfactory

@storiesbehindthings

@ecoage

@futerra

@jackharries

@finnharries

@aliceaedy

@theearthissue

@earthpartner

@sustainablebk

@2040film

Websites

Ellen McArthur Foundation

IPCC

The Ecologist

The Guardian

Creative Climate Cities