IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i13p7948-d851722.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Turning to Nature to Process the Emotional Toll of Nature’s Destruction

Author

Listed:
  • Ross Westoby

    (Griffith Institute for Tourism, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, Australia)

  • Rachel Clissold

    (School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
    International Centre for Environmental Management, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam)

  • Karen E. McNamara

    (School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia)

Abstract

As challenges emerge in the context of the Anthropocene, one often overlooked area is the emotional toll that the Earth’s destabilisation has on the human psyche. Deeper investigation into perceived “negative” emotions of the Anthropocene requires closer attention if those in highly industrialised societies, as the major contributors to the climate crisis, are to avoid collective denial and move towards transformative change. This paper aims to provide insights into these “negative” emotions that are emerging in Australia in response to changes to the biosphere and the destruction of nature, including sadness, grief, anger, frustration, and anxiety. As a way of processing these “negative” emotions, the authors find that connecting with, and being in, nature is critical. Such connection allows people to cope, renew, and heal. In this way, nature is both the trigger for, and answer to, our ecological grief, anger, and anxiety, and, as such, is at the epicentre of human emotions in the context of the Anthropocene.

Suggested Citation

  • Ross Westoby & Rachel Clissold & Karen E. McNamara, 2022. "Turning to Nature to Process the Emotional Toll of Nature’s Destruction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-8, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:13:p:7948-:d:851722
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/13/7948/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/13/7948/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lesley Head, 2020. "Transformative change requires resisting a new normal," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 10(3), pages 173-174, March.
    2. Matthew I. Curnock & Nadine A. Marshall & Lauric Thiault & Scott F. Heron & Jessica Hoey & Genevieve Williams & Bruce Taylor & Petina L. Pert & Jeremy Goldberg, 2019. "Shifts in tourists’ sentiments and climate risk perceptions following mass coral bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 9(7), pages 535-541, July.
    3. Naseem Dillman-Hasso, 2021. "The nature buffer: the missing link in climate change and mental health research," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 11(4), pages 696-701, December.
    4. Ashlee Cunsolo & Neville R. Ellis, 2018. "Ecological grief as a mental health response to climate change-related loss," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(4), pages 275-281, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Andy Felix Jităreanu & Mioara Mihăilă & Ciprian-Ionel Alecu & Alexandru-Dragoș Robu & Gabriela Ignat & Carmen Luiza Costuleanu, 2022. "The Relationship between Environmental Factors, Satisfaction with Life, and Ecological Education: An Impact Analysis from a Sustainability Pillars Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-25, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Martín Bascopé & Kristina Reiss, 2021. "Place-Based STEM Education for Sustainability: A Path towards Socioecological Resilience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-16, July.
    2. George Cunningham & Brian P. McCullough & Shelby Hohensee, 2020. "Physical activity and climate change attitudes," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 159(1), pages 61-74, March.
    3. Tanja M. Straka & Christian C. Voigt, 2022. "Threat Perception, Emotions and Social Trust of Global Bat Experts before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-17, September.
    4. Willian Sierra-Barón & Pablo Olivos-Jara & Andrés Gómez-Acosta & Oscar Navarro, 2023. "Environmental Identity, Connectedness with Nature, and Well-Being as Predictors of Pro-Environmental Behavior, and Their Comparison between Inhabitants of Rural and Urban Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-14, March.
    5. Susan L. Prescott & Alan C. Logan & David L. Katz, 2019. "Preventive Medicine for Person, Place, and Planet: Revisiting the Concept of High-Level Wellness in the Planetary Health Paradigm," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-15, January.
    6. Ma, Tianyi & Moore, Jane & Cleary, Anne, 2022. "Climate change impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of young people: A scoping review of risk and protective factors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 301(C).
    7. Gemma Hayward & Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson, 2021. "‘Seeing with Empty Eyes’: a systems approach to understand climate change and mental health in Bangladesh," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 165(1), pages 1-30, March.
    8. Elgaaied-Gambier, Leila & Mandler, Timo, 2021. "Me trying to talk about sustainability: Exploring the psychological and social implications of environmental threats through user-generated content," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    9. Petra Tschakert & David Schlosberg & Danielle Celermajer & Lauren Rickards & Christine Winter & Mathias Thaler & Makere Stewart‐Harawira & Blanche Verlie, 2021. "Multispecies justice: Climate‐just futures with, for and beyond humans," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 12(2), March.
    10. Rory G. J. Fitzpatrick & Douglas J. Parker & John H. Marsham & David P. Rowell & Lawrence S. Jackson & Declan Finney & Chetan Deva & Simon Tucker & Rachael Stratton, 2020. "How a typical West African day in the future-climate compares with current-climate conditions in a convection-permitting and parameterised convection climate model," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 163(1), pages 267-296, November.
    11. Kosanic, Aleksandra & Petzold, Jan, 2020. "A systematic review of cultural ecosystem services and human wellbeing," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
    12. Zhi Cao & Jingbo Zhou & Meng Li & Jizhou Huang & Dejing Dou, 2023. "Urbanites’ mental health undermined by air pollution," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 6(4), pages 470-478, April.
    13. Daniela Acquadro Maran & Tatiana Begotti, 2021. "Media Exposure to Climate Change, Anxiety, and Efficacy Beliefs in a Sample of Italian University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-11, September.
    14. Pedro Macedo & Ana Huertas & Cristiano Bottone & Juan del Río & Nicola Hillary & Tommaso Brazzini & Julia M. Wittmayer & Gil Penha-Lopes, 2020. "Learnings from Local Collaborative Transformations: Setting a Basis for a Sustainability Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-24, January.
    15. Richard Howitt, 2020. "Decolonizing People, Place and Country: Nurturing Resilience across Time and Space," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-16, July.
    16. Panu Pihkala, 2020. "Anxiety and the Ecological Crisis: An Analysis of Eco-Anxiety and Climate Anxiety," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-20, September.
    17. Linda A. Selvey & Morris Carpenter & Mattea Lazarou & Katherine Cullerton, 2022. "Communicating about Energy Policy in a Resource-Rich Jurisdiction during the Climate Crisis: Lessons from the People of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-12, April.
    18. Joana Gonçalves & Ricardo Mateus & José Dinis Silvestre & Ana Pereira Roders, 2020. "Going beyond Good Intentions for the Sustainable Conservation of Built Heritage: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-28, November.
    19. Makenzie MacKay & Brenda Parlee & Carrie Karsgaard, 2020. "Youth Engagement in Climate Change Action: Case Study on Indigenous Youth at COP24," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-17, August.
    20. Middleton, Jacqueline & Cunsolo, Ashlee & Jones-Bitton, Andria & Shiwak, Inez & Wood, Michele & Pollock, Nathaniel & Flowers, Charlie & Harper, Sherilee L., 2020. "“We're people of the snow:” Weather, climate change, and Inuit mental wellness," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:13:p:7948-:d:851722. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.