Climate Anxiety, Maturational Loss, and Adversarial Growth

Abstract

Climate anxiety is intimately connected with climate grief. This article applies interdisciplinary research and especially theories of grief and bereavement to climate anxiety. The aim is to provide important information regarding encounters between children and adults in relation to climate change and other environmental crises. This is useful for therapists, but also for many other adults who wish to react constructively. The article explores various kinds of loss and grief that people, especially children and youth, may experience in relation to climate change. It is pointed out that many intangible losses can be involved. These may be first difficult to notice, and there is often disenfranchised grief in relation to them. Climate change also produces nonfinite loss, which is challenging to live with. Literature of grief research can help in discerning these and in reacting constructively to them, but applications for the context of ecological grief have to be made. Furthermore, the article applies the framework of maturational loss into the context of climate change. While even normal developmental changes can evoke sadness, climate change can intensify this, because “climate maturity” brings many difficult things to live with. At the same time, there are possibilities of adversarial growth or post-traumatic growth because of climate anxiety, and also these need more attention. The article ends with discussion about the challenges and possibilities of encounters between adults and children amidst the complex dynamics of climate emotions. The adults have their own developmental tasks and potential maturational losses which need engagement with.