The UN recently dropped what is supposed to be a bombshell report about the state of climate change. We’re still a trajectory toward the 1.5 degree Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) global temperature increase. While it is not inevitable, it is not unlikely. And that is frustrating to say the least. We have known about climate change and its connection to the greenhouse effect since the 1850s (thank you, Eunice Newton Foote) and the concept entered into political dialogues beginning in the 1950s and became increasingly prevalent in the public consciousness the 80’s and 90’s. This is to say, what we are learning about is the product of a dialogue that scientists have been attempting to have with the general public for almost 200 years. It is depressing and anxiety inducing – this isn’t something we can recycle, or carpool, or green-wash our way out of.
As I have gone through my college experiences, I have had to focus a lot on therapeutic approaches and modalities. As I’m writing this, the dominant approach to treatment is cognitive-behavioral therapy: The idea that by challenging cognitive distortions/unhelpful thinking you can shift your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors into a more positive direction.
I think it is a generally helpful approach because it encourages action and problem solving, which can be helpful on an individual and group level. I don’t necessarily think it is helpful on large scale, systemic problems. There’s only so much a single person can do before change needs to occur on a larger, more permanent scale.
For me, this is why existentialism has become such an important philosophical approach for me. In my opinion, two of its most important premises are the concepts of meaning and freedom. Throughout life we seek to make our lives mean something and to find personal meaning for ourselves. We are also granted inherent freedom. Although we are locked in to a specific time and place that may or may not press limits on our freedom, we are also shaped by that place and time and contributes to our concept of freedom.
Søren Kierkegaard, a Danish Existentialist, described the concept of angst as a sense of dread that accompanies living and being free. It is the excitement of endless possibilities and the anxiety of limitations. The interesting thing about angst is that it makes us have to face our choices and their consequences, good or bad.
The changing climate is a considerable source of angst for many of us. We are faced with a nearly limitless, escalating problem and we have almost equally limitless amount of choices to wrestle with and a small window of time to implement them. Every day on the news we are seeing a rapidly increasing amount of climate related trauma from wildfires to landslides to extreme flooding which can increase our angst, grief, and anxiety. Existentialism can provide for us a framework to cope with these traumas while reaffirming our desire to change the outcome.
It reminds us that although we are in a fixed place and time, we can change this outcome because we have the freedom and opportunity to do so, if we so will it. It reminds Us, loudly, that this meaning and moment belong solely to Us and We alone can rise to meet it.
I hope this finds you well,
-N.
Leave a Reply