This “challenge accepted” attitude, combined with a mounting sense of urgency, an understanding of climate and environmental science, and a yearning to feel connected to a community of like-minded people, can provide renewed hope even to those who have been engaged in the movement for years — or decades. It also is creating a feeling that society... See more

There is, however, one climate action that I believe to be truly and universally effective. It is concrete and accessible. Not only can it make a real difference for the more-than-human world, but it can also act as a salve for the painful and paralyzing dissonance of the anguished position many of us have internalized. This action is familiar to... See more

Most people do not feel they or their loved ones could die from the climate crisis this month, and so emergency mode is harder to activate and sustain. As Salamon pointed out to me, if we truly accepted we were in a climate emergency, then every day the news would lead with updates about which countries were reducing their emissions the fastest,... See more

as bad as climate doomism is, so is what she called “hopeium” — an unfounded optimism that someone else will come up with a magical climate solution akin to a silver bullet. “Underneath doomerism and hopeium is the question of ‘Are we going to win?’’” Ms. Heglar said. “That’s premature at this point. We need to ask ourselves if we’re going to try.... See more