Reflections On A Dying World: Finding Meaning In The Climate Crisis

The climate is collapsing. Most of us live in denial of this. But it is inevitable.

What does climate collapse look like? The signs are everywhere. The insect population is plummeting. The oceans are overheating. Hurricanes are stronger and more frequent. Methane, a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, is rising at an alarming rate. In short, we are fucked.

I cannot speak to what that means for the future of humanity. I doubt that we will go extinct. But I can say that the climate crisis will bring untold suffering to all of us. Life will never be the same. Everything will get worse.

What to do with this doom and gloom prognosis? When I in earnest begin to dig into the climate crisis a few years ago, my reaction was despair. I went into a deep depression. I suffered from solastalgia, a form of existential grief over the environment and climate change. I had trouble sleeping. I could find no joy in everyday life.

Eventually, I turned to activism and worked with Extinction Rebellion for awhile. I reasoned that I must do something about climate change. I needed to fight for…