Because it’s not just the powerful who are responsible for fixing the climate crisis. To encourage people to move out of despair and denial, Clover thought of a twist on the famous Spiderman quote “ with great power comes great responsibility ”. With great responsibility comes great power But she also thinks carrying this weight of responsibility around is causing young people to shut down and not face up to the problem – as passive as the adults in denial.Īnd what was obvious to her was that the feelings of climate denial and despair in both the young and old were rooted to the same thing – a sense of powerlessness. Young people were more likely to imagine a dystopian blockbuster scenario of a ruined planet with empty supermarket shelves – showing despair at the situation.Ĭlover is the first to acknowledge that it’s normal to feel despair when it comes to the climate crisis. Most adults pictured a glorious techno-utopia, complete with flying cars – suggesting their denial of our planet’s issues. This is beautifully illustrated by each generation’s answer to Clover asking how they predicted the world would be in 50 years. And it was clear to her that whilst young people were in despair about the future of the planet, adults were simply in denial. Climate despair vs climate denialĬlover began speaking to people across the world about eco-anxiety. Fuelled by climate ‘ doomscrolling ’ on social media and a feeling like adults aren’t taking responsibility, it became clear that the mental health of young people was collateral damage in the climate crisis. Even though they’re inheriting a planet that’s been polluted for the past 200 years.Īfter some research, it was no surprise to Clover that there was an epidemic of eco-anxiety among 18-24 year olds. On top of this, she felt frustrated by the widely held belief that the climate crisis is a problem just for young people to deal with. She felt powerless to protect the place she loved. As Australia was engulfed in bushfire flames towards the end of 2019, she was engulfed in despair, frustration, grief, and helplessness. Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth led to what she sees as her first ‘heartbreak’, as she began feeling like humans were a plague on our own planet.Īnd a second heartbreak led Clover to begin the journey she’s now on. It turned out that many of these were horror films in their own right for Clover. And, funnily enough, it was through not being allowed to watch horror films that she found her way into the world of nature documentaries. How Clover’s mission beganĬlover spent her youth delighting in the wonders of nature in Queensland, Australia. And Force of Nature has already done an amazing job at activating a global network of young activists ready to change things. She made it her mission to mobilise mindsets. And she’s also launched an awesome podcast of the same name that looks at ordinary people doing extraordinary things to save the planet.Īt 16, Clover was lobbying decision-makers at the Paris climate meeting, when she realised that a threat even greater than climate change was the universal feeling of powerlessness in the face of it. She founded the aptly-named Force of Nature : a youth-led organisation empowering Gen Z to step up – rather than shut down – in the face of the climate crisis. But first, let’s meet Clover…Ĭlover Hogan is a 21-year-old climate activist and researcher who specialises in eco-anxiety. Last month, we were lucky enough to have Clover talk to us all about how we can break down eco-anxiety and take action! We’ll be sharing all that we learned in a sec. And now there’s a new push to help people affected by this rise of ‘ eco-anxiety ’. We’re beginning to see more and more evidence of our climate changing, especially in the global south – which is devastating.Įxperts are starting to worry about the impact that the climate crisis is having on people’s mental wellbeing. But it ain’t always easy being green.ĭealing with the scale of the challenges we face can overwhelm some people. And being reminded of the importance of nature and planting trees. Sure, there are uplifting elements to it – like realising how we can all make a difference through simple changes at home. Doing your bit to fight the climate crisis.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |