Appreciative Approaches to Climate Change: Moving from Climate Anxiety to Climate Resilience

With Alex Arnold.

The effects of climate change are all around us, whether we are witnessing suffering in faraway places or experiencing losses, big and small, ourselves. In response, innovations, recovery efforts, and change initiatives are increasing.Yet the psychological impact of climate change (known as “climate anxiety”) is not often at the forefront of climate action. Thankfully, there is a growing movement to address the mental health aspects of our changing environment, and you can be a part of it! You don’t need to be a climate scientist or therapist to transform complex and emotionally charged conversations about climate change into generative ones. Reframing reality, harnessing the power of language, imagining the ideal future, embracing a prototyping mindset, building on strengths, exploring values, taking a systems approach, drawing strength from community… Appreciative Inquiry offers powerful tools to transform climate anxiety into climate resilience — at work or in everyday conversations.