As climate change wreaks even more havoc this summer, I keep thinking about the importance of climate resilience–and not just in terms of people’s ability to physically survive. Climate resilience also includes mental, emotional, and psychological resilience to the changes and the work ahead.
The reality is, even if we were to exceed anybody’s most optimistic expectations and bring our greenhouse gas emissions down to a pre-industrial level next week, we’d still have several years of heatwaves, tropical storms, wildfires, and droughts.
I’ve spent this week around smallholder farmers solving environmental issues in Mexico. I spend most of my weeks around people working tirelessly towards climate solutions. Know what I keep seeing? People are saddened and enraged by recent events, but not surprised. And they sure aren’t giving up.
We’ve gotta invest in our ability to find joy before the work is complete, to experience gratitude alongside grief, and to still soak in the moments along the way that make the process feel worthwhile.
