## You Aren’t Alone In Grieving The Climate Crisis
As the consequences of unchecked climate change come into sharper
focus—wildfires in the Amazon and Australia, rising seas in low-lying Pacific
Islands, mass coral bleaching around the world—what is to be done about the
emotional devastation that people feel as a
result?
In 2007, Australian eco-philosopher Glenn Albrecht described this feeling as
homesickness “for a home that no longer exists,” which he called
“solastalgia.” Others have settled on terms like “climate grief,” or, since
environmental devastation can come without a changing climate, simply
“ecological grief.”
For this chapter of
Degrees of Change,
Ira talks about adapting emotionally to climate change. First, he speaks with
psychologist Renee Lertzman and public health geographer Ashlee Cunsolo about
their research on the phenomenon of grief tied to environmental loss, and what
they’ve learned about how people can adapt their grief into actions that can
make a difference. Then, climate researcher Kate Marvel and essayist Mary
Annaïse Heglar share their experiences
https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/climate-
crisis-grief/" target="new">simultaneously working on climate
change, and grieving it.
## Inequality In The Air
Air quality is a known public health threat, attributed to seven million
deaths around the world every year. Minorities, especially African-Americans,
often live in areas of high air pollution. Now, scientists say pollution is
linked to high rates of COVID-19 deaths, which may help explain why people of
color are dying from COVID-19 at disproportionate rates.
Vox reporter Umair Irfan speaks with Ira about the pandemic’s inequitable
impacts for some communities, as well as other
https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/covid-19-air-
quality/" target="new">coronavirus and climate change
news from the past week.
Read more
## You Aren’t Alone In Grieving The Climate Crisis
As the consequences of unchecked climate change come into sharper
focus—wildfires in the Amazon and Australia, rising seas in low-lying Pacific
Islands, mass coral bleaching around the world—what is to be done about the
emotional devastation that people feel as a
result?
In 2007, Australian eco-philosopher Glenn Albrecht described this feeling as
homesickness “for a home that no longer exists,” which he called
“solastalgia.” Others have settled on terms like “climate grief,” or, since
environmental devastation can come without a changing climate, simply
“ecological grief.”
For this chapter of
Degrees of Change,
Ira talks about adapting emotionally to climate change. First, he speaks with
psychologist Renee Lertzman and public health geographer Ashlee Cunsolo about
their research on the phenomenon of grief tied to environmental loss, and what
they’ve learned about how people can adapt their grief into actions that can
make a difference. Then, climate researcher Kate Marvel and essayist Mary
Annaïse Heglar share their experiences
https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/climate-
crisis-grief/" target="new">simultaneously working on climate
change, and grieving it.
## Inequality In The Air
Air quality is a known public health threat, attributed to seven million
deaths around the world every year. Minorities, especially African-Americans,
often live in areas of high air pollution. Now, scientists say pollution is
linked to high rates of COVID-19 deaths, which may help explain why people of
color are dying from COVID-19 at disproportionate rates.
Vox reporter Umair Irfan speaks with Ira about the pandemic’s inequitable
impacts for some communities, as well as other
https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/covid-19-air-
quality/" target="new">coronavirus and climate change
news from the past week.
Read less