As students of Tourism, Society and Environment, part of our course is learning about the negative effects of climate change and with it, a future of despair. Hearing that land will disappear, ecosystems destroyed, and lives will be lost, is something that can keep us awake at night. These feelings of, grief, despair and anxiety can be hard to navigate, but if one succeeds, can be a great source to manage one of humanities biggest challenge.
On the 18th of January, Jaap van der Stel gave an online presentation to the members of Licere. He explained us that feelings related to climate change are normal, as it is indeed one of the greatest risks to our health, social- and mental well-being. This risk does have many different determinants such as working conditions, community networks, individual mental factors, and demographic & personal traits. Anxiety from climate change comes from the social representation of that risk and our interpretation of that representation.
However, anxiety can also be used as a powerful motivator. It will move us to both mitigate and adapt for this change in the environment. Many positive things can come if we choose to change; better air quality and less fuel poverty, more connections within communities and taking better care of our climate. Once we realize that the transition towards cleaner energy has many opportunities, fear can move us to act.
Many actions were discussed including the juxtaposition of solidarity and self-reliance. As he stated: “it is an illusion that we should be able to do everything; everyone is vulnerable in a sense.” A way to overcome anxiety was to create discussion groups to ensure that we are aware that we are not alone. Yet at the same time be aware that you can make a change by setting goals that are attainable. By discovering how you can contribute to a larger movement in altering the course of climate change, we can work together to make a difference. Knowing that there are opportunities out there makes the future, and our feelings towards it, a little easier to navigate.