The news could get Buddy down too sometimes.
This week of downers
Every issue, I try to write ClimateDog with mostly upbeat and positive thoughts, but more and more I worry I’m over-optimistic. Or naive. Or just trying to jolly up my readers. Staying buoyant has, of course, been harder since I lost Buddy, my always-hopeful research assistant. So far this week, ‘upbeat’ and ‘positive’ have been especially difficult.
Today’s paper tells me of a really sad and violent world. Our family has connections to Palestine, Afghanistan, and Ukraine.
The local paper tells me of the split in America. A nearby school board has started focusing on book bans, sex education, and critical race theory - at a time when, among the 35 members of the OECD, US students rank 30th in math and 19th in science. We were first in the 80’s.
The online news tells me Trump has a decent chance of becoming President again and implementing, among other disasters, the Project 2025 Plan. The Plan eliminates the EPA and virtually all other government programs fighting climate change.
And the papers tell me that the UN and the Pope have just ratcheted up their fears that mankind is pushing the planet into catastrophic warming.
Raising our hopes
As this reaches readers, Hilary and I are at Climate Camp, a retreat run by Citizens Climate Lobby, designed to “deepen resilience, integrate joy, and cultivate meaningful climate action.” Resiliency and joy, they say, help us remain grounded in the values that inspire our climate work, foster community building, and further protect us from feelings of distress and isolation.
It’s some of that distress and isolation that I’m feeling this week as I pick up the paper and look out at the climate landscape.
Other pick-me-ups
Fortunately, there are other resources we can use to help us toward comfort and camaraderie. Maybe even optimism. I’ve used some and like all of these.
Tips for coping with climate anxiety. [Vox]
Stay positive. [ClimateWise]
Six tips for coping with climate anxiety [University of Colorado]
Sustainable activism comes from a place of hope, optimism, and gratitude. [Save Our Happy Place]
Harvard’s The Climate Optimist, stories about climate action and ways we can help
A good Forbes article on The Power Of Climate Optimists
Upbeat? Downbeat? We can manage our attitude. [ClimateDog]
New psychology practitioners are helping us grieve positively for the world we thought we'd have. [ClimateDog]
As for this weekend’s Climate Camp, I’ll report next week on what we learn that seems helpful. Let’s hope I can offer a list of things to be cheerful about!
LEARN, THINK, ACT
American education [Pew Research Center]
Project 2025 Plan [ClimateDog]