8 Comments

Wow, that poem... thank you for that.

Perhaps action + poetry is the answer to anxiety around climate change

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It's such an amazing poem, isn't it. I do think that it is something like that, action is important, but there's a need for things that are beautiful and uplifting. I think appreciating nature is a part too.

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What a powerful poem! Eco-anxiety is so prolific and can be such a process. Somedays are filled with hope and inspiration while others seem so overwhelming. As a New Orleanian, I can say the trauma from extreme weather events lives on long after the news coverage subsided. People still deal with the ramifications of Hurricane Katrina on a day to day to basis - whether thats on going legal and insurance disputes or just missing the broken communities that weren't able to make a comeback. This newsletter is chock full of useful resources. Thank you for writing this!

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Thanks Lindsay. I think it's easy for us to forget the ongoing and lasting trauma of these extreme events when we haven't experienced them. It's always good to keep that in mind so that we can maintain our compassion.

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Sep 24, 2022Liked by Melanie Newfield

Great article. I think climate anxiety is becoming more acknowledged, at least in the US. This year I have lived through heat waves, multiple wildfires and a near-evacuation, and a crazy heat wave on another continent (I was visiting family). Normally people would have the mental bandwidth to handle nature’s tantrums, but after Covid19, I feel everyone is close to exhausting their reservoir of optimism and patience. As a younger individual, I know this sentiment is more common in my cohort than the seniors.

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I think you are right. Covid's made everything so much harder. Mostly New Zealand has been a bit insulated from the worst of the extreme weather, but people are becoming more and more worried, and rightly so, which makes it harder to deal with.

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Sep 27, 2022Liked by Melanie Newfield

NZ is becoming the true escape haven. Competent management of the pandemic, and no major disasters which are hitting the rest of the world. I presume mental health is probably much better there just due to these factors, if nothing else.

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I think that's probably fair. When I look at what people affected early in the pandemic went through, in places like Italy and New York, and especially what health workers have gone through, I know we are so lucky.

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