Climate Anxiety and Spiritual Resilience

When recently asked about climate change, conservationist Terry Tempest Williams responded: “Do we have the courage to understand that this is not just an ecological crisis or a political crisis or even an economic crisis? Because it is all of those things, but at its heart, it is a spiritual crisis.” While many of us are deeply concerned about climate change, we may also feel overwhelmed by grief, anxiety, and the sheer scope of the problem. This lecture brings the psychology of climate grief into conversation with lessons from Indigenous traditions and comparative religions, finding guidance for how we can process grief and move forward to cultivate purpose, courage, and hope.