Post by Anna Burrowes
Methods Specialist at the BC Behavioural Insights Group
There was a time when holidays felt hostile in my family, and I am partially to blame. I showed up to family dinners armed with the most recent facts and stats about climate change, sure that I could convince my relatives to adopt more green behaviours using the most recent dire climate projections. Not only was this an ineffective communication and behaviour change strategy, but, more importantly, it lacked compassion. Thankfully, I have learned a bit more about climate communication and behaviour change since then and have come to understand the importance of compassion in climate conversations.
A Diversity of Eco-Emotions
For me, compassion starts with an understanding that we are all at different places concerning our feelings around climate change. A recent survey suggests that Canadian adults are experiencing a diversity of eco-emotions (i.e., emotions around climate change), sometimes at the same time: half of the respondents report being very or extremely worried, a third very or extremely angry and a third anxious. About 15% feel very or extremely hopeful. Similarly, I often experience a range of emotions in a single day.
Or perhaps the environment isn't top of your list of concerns and you don’t feel much; it isn't like there aren't enough other things to worry about (e.g., housing affordability, rising grocery bills, a potential banking crisis). So, where does that leave us – overwhelmed, defeated, anxious, hopeful, or indifferent to climate change?
What Behavioural Science Says About Climate Emotions
Behavioural science tells us that our emotions influence our behaviour. Specifically, emotions have been found to play an essential role in our climate change-related perceptions and behaviours. Negative eco-emotions, such as fear or anxiety, can motivate people to relieve these negative feelings. Sometimes this leads to productive actions like engaging in eco-friendly or pro-environmental behaviour, but other times it leads to avoidance.
When our minds “shut down” from experiences that are disturbing we can become stuck in avoidance. This is especially true when we feel powerless to affect change. By acknowledging that our feelings are an understandable emotional response to climate change and adopting self-compassion, we can move beyond avoidance and overwhelm toward climate action.
Finding Self-Compassion as We Move Toward Action
Just as we each have unique and dynamic emotional responses to climate change, we each start from a different baseline of pro-environmental behaviours. While shifting from dependence on vehicles to more active forms of transportation makes sense for some, I can't imagine balancing multiple hockey bags on an e-bike. And that’s okay. A strange silver lining of living in a society that has become so removed from its impact on the natural world is that there's a smorgasbord of possible pro-environmental behaviours from which to choose. At the same time, that smorgasbord of environmental actions I "could," "should," and "really ought to" take can leave me feeling overwhelmed and further entrench those feelings of anxiety and guilt. This is another place where self-compassion comes into play.
What does a self-compassionate approach look like? Let’s say you need your car to drop your kids at hockey. Instead of focusing on active transportation, you might get your kids excited about more plant-based meal options. Focus on adopting pro-environmental behaviours that work for you, within your context, and that, ideally, leverage your skills. For example, you may have the financial means to support environmental initiatives, a large social media following to whom you can post about your #TravelLocal vacations, or a policy analyst position in which you can advocate for environmental considerations when developing new policies or programs. However, we can't do everything, everywhere, all at once.
Here is an approach I have adopted that helps keep me from feeling overwhelmed or guilty, although I will acknowledge it is still a work in progress for me.
Recognize or even try to name your emotions. Acknowledge that your emotions are a valid response to climate change.
Start from where you’re at: Identify your pro-environmental behaviour baseline (the green activities you are currently engaged in) and add just one more pro-environmental behaviour – bonus points for a more impactful one. Or drop/decrease an environmentally unfriendly behaviour.
Give yourself grace. Try a behaviour; if it doesn't stick, try a new one. If you need help, consider joining a free workshop on how you can reduce your carbon footprint and increase your happiness.
Repeat. Continue to build by adding or dropping one new behaviour weekly, monthly, or annually – always building off your newly established baseline.
Compassionate Climate Conversations
As you expand your green behaviour repertoire, spread the word. Talking about what you are doing can help normalize pro-environmental behaviour, thereby increasing the likelihood that others will engage in green behaviour. In fact, the largest predictor of intention to take high-impact climate action is believing others are taking action.
Personally, I have found benefit in sharing the emotions arising for me around climate change and my pro-environmental behaviour. When I engage in climate conversations with compassion and curiosity, I find that shared values, specifically fear of losing what is meaningful to us, underlies many of our emotional responses. This has helped me understand the justifiable range of emotions climate change can surface. Likewise, I've discovered that many of us are already taking action by utilizing our skills within our unique contexts. And that gives me hope – perhaps the most potent antidote to challenging eco-emotions and the most effective agent for change.