EMOTIONS, MENTAL HEALTH & CARE PRACTICES
Solastalgia & Ecological Grief
Definition: Emotional responses to ecological loss and environmental change, including the distress of witnessing a beloved place transform while you are still on it.
Why it matters: Recognizing these feelings helps individuals and communities process them and turn them into action.
Useful Links
Video Playlist: “Solastalgia: Book Art and the Climate Crisis” tinyurl.com/solastalgia-artists
Book: Stories of Solastalgia: Race, Health and Climate by Land Body Ecologies
Book: Solastalgia by Ciarán Hodgers
Academic Text: Cunsolo, A. & Landman, K. (2017). Mourning Nature: Hope at the Heart of Ecological Loss and Grief.
Radical Hope
Definition: A deliberate choice to imagine and work toward better futures despite uncertainty or loss.
Why it matters: Keeps movements and communities engaged in collective care and action even in the face of daunting challenges.
Useful Links
Video Explainer: “Why We Need Climate Hope” tinyurl.com/radical-hope
Book: All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for Climate Crisis edited by Ayana Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson
Book: Climate Optimism: Celebrating Systemic Change Around the World by Zahra Biabani
Book: Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future by Mary Robinson
Academic Text: Lear, J. (2008). Radical Hope: Ethics in the Face of Cultural Devastation.
Joy as Resistance
Definition: Using joy as a political and practical tool to sustain long-term social change.
Why it matters: Counters burnout and nurtures resilience in activism, art, and community work.
Useful Links
Key Website: Good Anthropocenes: goodanthropocenes.net
Book: We Refuse: A Forceful History Of Black Resistance by Kellie Carter Jackson
Book: Art on My Mind by bell hooks