(This article is part of a six-post reality-check. Concepts and examples are drawn from “Silent Earth: Adaptations for Life in a Devastated Biosphere.”)
Earth’s environmental changes are not just an external, physical phenomenon. They have powerful effects on our inner, psychological landscape. As the world we know changes, many of us are experiencing distress that, until recently, had no name.
Philosopher Glenn Albrecht coined the term solastalgia to describe the feeling of homesickness caused by the negative transformation of the environment (Albrecht et al. 2007). It’s the pain of seeing a beloved forest logged, a familiar river run dry, or a vibrant reef turn white. This is accompanied by ecological grief, a deep sadness in response to experienced or anticipated environmental losses (Cunsolo and Ellis 2018).
These are not abstract concepts. They are the lived reality for people around the world. Researchers have documented the grief of Inuit communities as they witness the decline of caribou herds (Cunsolo et al. 2020). Conservation professionals report experiencing significant emotional distress as they conduct their work.
This emotional toll can lead to a dangerous feedback loop. As people lose direct, positive interactions with nature, their emotional connection weakens, reducing their motivation to protect it. This can lead to further loss (Soga and Gaston 2016).
By acknowledging these genuine emotions, we can address the mental health dimensions of biosphere decline. It’s time to explore our inner landscape response to our changing planet,
References
Albrecht, G., et al. 2007. Solastalgia: the distress caused by environmental change. Australasian Psychiatry 15(sup1): S95-S98.
Cunsolo, A., and Ellis, N. R. 2018. Ecological grief as a mental health response to climate change-related loss. Nature Climate Change 8(4): 275-281.
Cunsolo, A., et al. 2020. You can never replace the caribou: Inuit experiences of ecological grief from caribou declines. Cultural Geographies 27(4): 599-616.
Soga, M., and Gaston, K. J. 2016. Extinction of experience: the loss of human–nature interactions. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 14(2): 94-101.
