Temperatures were above average this spring.

Temperatures were above average this spring.Credit:Aresna Villaneuva

I live in a major city where I am largely shielded from climate change’s most devastating effects. At best,the extreme heat this summer will mean more days spent at the beach. At worst,a few sleepless nights and sweaty commutes. Perhaps us city dwellers will also have to deal with periods of thick smoke blown over from the fires,but that’s about it for now.

But we know thatclimate change affects the most vulnerable,a cruel reality given they contribute the least to the crisis. So here lies a troubling inner conflict between my anxiety about the future and enjoyment of the present.

A public artwork titledThe Bureau of Linguistic Reality has come up with several terms to describe this paradox. “Shadenfebruary”,coined during California’s 2015 wildfires,is defined as “a pleasure received from good weather at the potential expense of other people,species,or even one’s future self”. Similarly,“Blissonance” describes the fleeting experience of bliss that accompanies climate changes,like drought.

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I ask Miki Perkins,a senior climate and environment journalist forThe Sydney Morning Herald andThe Age,what it’s like covering the climate crisis day in,day out,and how she grapples with this cognitive dissonance. Of course,like anyone else,she experiences grief and despair at the state of the world. But she also says reporting helps her feel a little less powerless,as it helps people understand some of the ways in which they might take action.

“In some ways,it’s quite hopeful,” she tells me.

Perkins also believes it’s OK – even important – to enjoy ourselves,even if warmer weather is a bad warning sign. “I’ve come to believe that you need to see joy where you can find it.”

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“There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a pleasurable day or an early dip in the sea in the way you wouldn’t usually be able to. If it makes you feel more sensitive and balanced,you can then go back into the world and try and solve some of the problems that we face.”

Dr Tim Dean,a senior philosopher at The Ethics Centre,says it’s important to remember that there is only so much that can be done on an individual level to fight climate change.

But he says that our increasingly online and globalised world means there’s a greater tendency to descend into outrage or despair. “At the same time that our sphere of perception has increased dramatically,our sphere of power hasn’t changed that much. So there’s this huge disconnect between what our minds are exposed to and what our minds react to and what we can actually do.”

“I think we sometimes beat ourselves up a bit too much,and we sometimes feel a bit more guilt than we ought to.”

This doesn’t mean we should give up and do nothing at all. Dean says we still have an ethical obligation to act,but that we should recognise the limits of individual power.

He believes individual action can often be self-serving. “[One will think] If I just recycle every day,then I’ve shown that I’m a good person. I’m absolving myself of responsibility for being trapped in this system.”

“So sometimes that satisfying a desire to feel like we’re a good person can also trick us into pretending we’re better than we are.”

‘At the same time that our sphere of perception has increased dramatically,our sphere of power hasn’t changed that much.’

Dr Tim Dean,senior philosopher at The Ethics Centre

Katharine Greenaway is a senior lecturer and research fellow in social psychology at the University of Melbourne who researches climate anxiety. She points out that while we tend to think of emotions as purely phenomenological reactions,they can be functional too. My guilt or anxiety,for instance,might be helpful if they push me to do something.

While there is still some debate over just how useful climate anxiety can be,she suspects that when coupled with hope and efficacy (the understanding that one’s actions can lead to change),it can be a powerful driver of action. Of course,too much anxiety is not helpful either – Greenaway believes the sweet spot lies somewhere in the middle of feeling nothing at all,and crippling anxiety.

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Interestingly,her research has also found that action can be a solution to climate anxiety. Problem-focused actions like activism and volunteering were found to be immediately beneficial,alongside social connection and emotion management.

Like Dean,Greenaway says that structural change is necessary. Knowing this,she says,can lead many to feel disempowered. “I think that’s actually where a lot of the anxiety comes from is the feeling of disempowerment.”

She believes hope is a powerful antidote to feelings of helplessness.

“The way that hope operates,it’s not a blind faith that things will get better and we don’t need to do anything. It’s more about realising that wecan have a better future. It’s about envisaging a positive future.”

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