How Experts Are Grieving A Changing Climate

Here at Grieve Leave, we talk about grief of all kinds of losses. Even if death is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of grieving, we know that we grieve diagnoses, we grieve breakups, and big changes that happen around us…like our changing climate.

Maybe the idea of climate change felt like a far-off concept before, or the threat of “extreme weather” seemed like something that could happen in the future– not the present. But given the devastation of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the impacts of climate change are here. It’s hurting our loved ones and beloved places. Folks who moved to places like Asheville, NC, as a haven from climate change are certainly feeling grief now. Those once-in-a-lifetime storms? They're our new normal. We're not just anticipating loss anymore; we're living it.

If climate change grief has been on your mind, too, we have two people, a documentary, a book, and a nonprofit to explore. 

Britt Wray, PhD, author of Generation Dread and featured in the documentary Climate Baby Dilemma.

Dr. Britt Wray wrote a piece for CBC outlining how climate grief might impact how and whether we choose to start families– which comes with its own additional layers of grief. She wrote: 

Perhaps you've questioned having kids, considered adoption so you can have a family without committing another new person to our turbulent world, or experienced sleepless nights because your kids are already here and thinking about their future makes you anxious. 

If so, you're not alone. 

I myself faced the question of whether to have a baby while writing Generation Dread, a book about the mental health impacts of the climate crisis.

If you're on the fence about having children thanks to the climate emergency, firstly, I'm sending you compassion. I know it's not a fun place to be. 

Coming to a decision around this dilemma is not easy, and for some, it's downright excruciating. While the pressures causing this are public concerns, it's an entirely personal decision with no right answer.

Read more on how she recommends navigating these choices in the rest of her article here. 

You can find Dr. Wray’s website here, follow Gen Dread on Instagram here.

Finnish environmental and theology researcher, Panu Pihkala, PhD:

In a 2020 article for BBC News, Dr. Pihkala defined climate grief for all of us. He wrote: 

Climate grief is related both to changes that have already happened and to changes that are coming, or are in the process of happening. Thus, climate grief often has elements of what the grief theorists call “anticipatory grief” or “transitional grief”. 

We have a growing awareness that things are changing, and feelings of grief and sadness because of the many losses involved. 

The range of things (and creatures) that people mourn for is wide: loss of human, animal and plant life, but also loss of identities, beliefs, and lifestyles.

Then there is the bereavement-like grief and trauma when a climate change-enhanced “natural disaster” hits you or your close ones. 

Read more on how he explores climate grief in the rest of his article here. 

You can read Dr. Pihkala’s blog here, and follow him on X here, for more of his insights– particularly supporting educators and researchers navigating their own climate grief as they teach on these emotionally heavy topics. 

The Good Grief Network

LaUra Schmidt founded the Good Grief Network, a nonprofit organization based in the United States that brings people together to metabolize collective grief, eco-distress, and other heavy emotions that arise in response to daunting planetary crises.

The Good Grief Network runs peer-to-peer support groups that help folks recognize, feel, and process their heavy emotions, so that these feelings may be transformed into meaningful action. With the help of Aimee Lewis Reau, LaUra Schmidt crafted GGN’s flagship program, “10 Steps to Resilience & Empowerment in a Chaotic Climate,” which is inspired by the 12-Step family groups, specifically Adult Children of Alcoholics.

You can learn more about The Good Grief Network on their website here, and their Instagram here.

Our take?

Climate grief is complicated. It's part mourning for what's gone, part anxiety about what's coming, and a whole lot of figuring out how to exist in this changing world. And it presents some unique challenges:

• It's ongoing: Unlike grieving a single event, climate grief is continuous as we face new losses and changes.

• It's complex: The causes and solutions aren't straightforward, which can leave us feeling helpless.

• It's often invisible: Society doesn't always recognize or validate this type of grief.

But, most of all, climate change grief is collective: We're all in this together (which can be both comforting and overwhelming, sometimes). Let’s lean on each other as we figure out how to exist in this changing world.