Photo credit: www.conservation.org
In the face of escalating concerns about climate change, a recent article in The Washington Post offers a refreshing perspective on handling climate anxiety.
Michael J. Coren explores the concept that writing letters to future generations might be a compelling method to galvanize support for climate action, bridging political divides in the process. He highlights the journey of Trisha Shrum, a PhD student who, around ten years ago, penned a letter to her future daughter as a means of confronting her own climate fears.
Inspired by her reflections, Shrum adapted her dissertation to investigate whether this approach could similarly motivate others to engage with climate issues. Her research aimed to assist social scientists in understanding the drivers behind proactive climate measures:
To explore her hypotheses, Shrum encouraged nearly 2,000 participants from all 50 states to compose either an essay or a letter addressed to a family member in the future, detailing their concerns about climate change. A control group focused on writing about daily activities. Participants were also given the chance to contribute any portion of a potential $20 bonus to a tree-planting charity dedicated to combating global warming.
The findings, published in the journal Climatic Change in 2021, along with subsequent studies, revealed that while discussing climate risks didn’t alter participants’ perceptions, it did enhance their readiness to take action. Contributions from those who wrote letters or essays increased by 11 percent compared to those in the control group, a notable effect within social research.
Currently, Shrum heads a nonprofit organization called DearTomorrow, which encourages individuals to craft letters, poems, and illustrations as a means of processing their anxieties and motivating proactive steps toward climate action.
Many environmental advocates grapple with the emotional burden stemming from climate change and ecological degradation. Esteemed conservationists acknowledge the difficulty in maintaining optimism, with anxiety often serving as a powerful catalyst for action.
“I believe that the current momentum in environmental activism is largely fueled by a genuine sense of despair, especially among youth who will face the severe consequences,” remarked M. Sanjayan, CEO of Conservation International, during a 2019 C-SPAN interview. “The avenues for effective intervention are narrowing.”
Despite the challenges of remaining hopeful, Sanjayan emphasizes the necessity of resisting despair:
“Certainly, there are moments when I feel hopeless,” he told PBS in 2023. “However, despair did not suppress the threat of smallpox, nor did it lead to the rapid development of a coronavirus vaccine. Historical achievements—like continental railroads and harnessing energy from natural sources—stemmed from hope, creativity, and persistence. We are fully aware of our required actions; the only barriers are self-imposed.”
For further details, read more here.
Source
www.conservation.org