It was among the strongest feelings of grief I have ever encountered. The contrast between the vicious coldness of space and the warm nurturing of Earth below filled me with overwhelming sadness. Every day, we are confronted with the knowledge of further destruction of Earth at our hands: the extinction of animal species, of flora and fauna... things that took five billion years to evolve, and suddenly we will never see them again because of the interference of mankind. It filled me with dread. My trip to space was supposed to be a celebration; instead, it felt like a funeral.
— William Shatner in his Boldly Go autobiography[1]
Ecological grief (or eco-grief), or in particular climate grief, refers to the sense of loss that arises from experiencing or learning about environmental destruction or climate change.[2][3][4] Environmental grief can be defined as "the grief reaction stemming from the environmental loss of ecosystems by natural and man-made events."[5] Another definition is "the grief felt in relation to experienced or anticipated ecological losses, including the loss of species, ecosystems, and meaningful landscapes due to acute or chronic environmental change."[6] For example, scientists witnessing the decline of Australia's Great Barrier Reef report experiences of anxiety, hopelessness, and despair.[7] Groups impacted heavily also include young people feeling betrayal from lack of environmental action by governments and indigenous communities losing their livelihoods.[8][9]
Environmental disruption, such as the loss of biodiversity, or even the loss of inanimate environmental features like sea ice, cultural landscapes, or historic heritage can also cause negative psychological responses, such as ecological grief or solastalgia.[4][10][11][12]
^Shatner, William (October 6, 2022). "William Shatner: My Trip to Space Filled Me With 'Overwhelming Sadness'". Variety. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Boldly Go is Shatner's 2022 autobiography.
^Vince, Gaia (2020-01-12). "How scientists are coping with 'ecological grief'". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
^Cunsolo, Ashlee; Ellis, Neville R. (April 2018). "Ecological grief as a mental health response to climate change-related loss". Nature Climate Change. 8 (4): 275–281. Bibcode:2018NatCC...8..275C. doi:10.1038/s41558-018-0092-2. ISSN 1758-6798. S2CID 90611076.
^ abTschakert, P.; Ellis, N.R.; Anderson, C.; Kelly, A.; Obeng, J. (2019). "One thousand ways to experience loss: A systematic analysis of climate-related intangible harm from around the world". Global Environmental Change. 55: 58–72. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2018.11.006. S2CID 159117696.
^Rosenfeld, Jordan (July 21, 2016). "Facing Down 'Environmental Grief'". Scientific American. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
^Cunsolo, Ashlee; Ellis, Neville. "Hope and mourning in the Anthropocene: Understanding ecological grief". The Conversation. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
^Cite error: The named reference Hickman-2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference Jaakkola-2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Pihkala Panu (2020). "Anxiety and the Ecological Crisis: An Analysis of Eco-Anxiety and Climate Anxiety". Sustainability. 12 (19): 7836. doi:10.3390/su12197836. hdl:10138/348821.
^Weststeijn, Thijs (October 28, 2021). "Heritage at sea: Must we simply accept the loss of beloved buildings and cities to the floods and rising seas of the climate crisis?", AEON.
^Ojala, Maria; Cunsolo, Ashlee; Ogunbode, Charles A.; Middleton, Jacqueline (18 October 2021). "Anxiety, Worry, and Grief in a Time of Environmental and Climate Crisis: A Narrative Review". Annual Review of Environment and Resources. 46 (1): 35–58. doi:10.1146/annurev-environ-012220-022716. ISSN 1543-5938. S2CID 236307729.
William Shatner in his Boldly Go autobiography Ecologicalgrief (or eco-grief), or in particular climate grief, refers to the sense of loss that arises from...
cognitively and affectively. Ecological empathy is related to, but distinct from, the concepts of biophilia, ecologicalgrief, and solastalgia. The biophilia...
and the grief is not taken seriously. EcologicalGrief or Climate Grief has also been identified as a form of disenfranchised grief. Frozen grief is the...
responses to the threat of climate change can include eco-anxiety, ecologicalgrief and eco-anger. Such emotions can be rational responses to the degradation...
Anarcho-primitivism Club of Rome Cornucopian Deindustrialization Ecologicalgrief Internet culture Meteorology Millenarianism Myth of Progress Overshoot...
impacts of climate change include: emotional states such as eco-anxiety, ecologicalgrief, eco-anger or solastalgia. While troublesome, such emotions may not...
emergency declaration Climate movement School Strike for Climate Denial Ecologicalgrief Governance Justice Litigation Politics Public opinion Women Adaptation...
emergency declaration Climate movement School Strike for Climate Denial Ecologicalgrief Governance Justice Litigation Politics Public opinion Women Adaptation...
forms and personal empowerment nourish the ecological ego." Conservation psychology Eco-anxiety Ecologicalgrief Ecospirituality Environmental psychology...
emergency declaration Climate movement School Strike for Climate Denial Ecologicalgrief Governance Justice Litigation Politics Public opinion Women Adaptation...
ocean acidification), mass extinction and biodiversity loss, ecological crisis, and ecological collapse. Some human activities that cause damage (either...
managed. There is faith in the ability to effectively manage social and ecological systems, including by geo-engineering if necessary." The IPCC Sixth Assessment...
responses to the threat of climate change can include eco-anxiety, ecologicalgrief and eco-anger. Such emotions can be rational responses to the degradation...
emergency declaration Climate movement School Strike for Climate Denial Ecologicalgrief Governance Justice Litigation Politics Public opinion Women Adaptation...
emergency declaration Climate movement School Strike for Climate Denial Ecologicalgrief Governance Justice Litigation Politics Public opinion Women Adaptation...
emergency declaration Climate movement School Strike for Climate Denial Ecologicalgrief Governance Justice Litigation Politics Public opinion Women Adaptation...
emergency declaration Climate movement School Strike for Climate Denial Ecologicalgrief Governance Justice Litigation Politics Public opinion Women Adaptation...
emergency declaration Climate movement School Strike for Climate Denial Ecologicalgrief Governance Justice Litigation Politics Public opinion Women Adaptation...
emergency declaration Climate movement School Strike for Climate Denial Ecologicalgrief Governance Justice Litigation Politics Public opinion Women Adaptation...
emergency declaration Climate movement School Strike for Climate Denial Ecologicalgrief Governance Justice Litigation Politics Public opinion Women Adaptation...
smaller land consumption, dense cities hold the potential to have a smaller ecological footprint per inhabitant than more sparsely populated areas. Therefore...
Environment, Including Health, Social Conditions, Economic Conditions, Ecological Conditions or Cultural Heritage" (PDF). www.dffe.gov.za/. Republic of...
Global Information