I decided to practice fear-attuned listening in my sit spot this week. I asked myself: \u201cwhat do I fear?\u201d while sitting on my now-familiar bench in Poplar Park. I was comforted by the fact that beside my sit spot is a little free mystery library \u2013 a great place for fear-based inspiration if I needed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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But I didn\u2019t need the inspiration. Although climate change is front and centre in my mind, what is occupying most of my emotional energy these days is a personal worry. A person I love is waiting for medical test results \u2013 and I fear those results. My fear is distracting. I even catch myself shaking my head when I think about it, as though I am physically trying to dodge it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I decided to consider what this fear can teach me about climate communications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I realized the worst part of my current fear is the waiting. The unknown, the uncertainty. I dread hearing the results of that test, yet hearing the results would also bring an end to this period of distraction and anxiety. All I want is certainty. <\/em>Perhaps that\u2019s the hardest part about climate change too: we have predictions, but no certainty. We can read the reports, stay on top of the research, engage with our communities, and yet we don\u2019t really know what the future will look like. We will have to wait and see what unfolds. And many people in British Columbia are experiencing another excruciating wait: the wait to see what damage has unfolded as the flood waters recede. When dealing with climate change, it seems we have to balance urgency with patience. That makes the waiting especially difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My fear is teaching me to respect the distracting power of anticipation. It\u2019s teaching me that fear is not something we should exploit needlessly. If I am going to use fear as a communications technique, I need to be mindful (perhaps even responsible) for the emotional reactions that occur. With that in mind, how can we support communities who may be grappling with multiple types of fear?<\/p>\n\n\n\n References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chakrabarti, M. (Host). (2021, October 29). The pessimistic generation: How grown-ups can grow up and give kids some hope Audio podcast episode. In On Point. <\/em>Wbur. https:\/\/www.wbur.org\/onpoint\/2021\/10\/29\/kids-pandemic-pessimism-politics-teens-future-social-media<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hayhoe, K. (2019, January 11). The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it <\/em>[Video]. TED. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-BvcToPZCLI&t=14s<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Heglar, M.A. (2019, September 12). Home is Always Worth It. <\/em>Medium Environment. https:\/\/medium.com\/@maryheglar\/home-is-always-worth-it-d2821634dcd9<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Macy, J., & Johnstone, C. (2012). Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We\u2019re in without Going Crazy. <\/em>New World Library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marlon, J.R., Bloodhart, B., Ballew, M.T., Rolfe-Redding, J., Roser-Renouf, C., Leiserowitz, A., & Maibach, E. (2019). How hope and doubt affect climate change mobilization. Frontiers in Communication 4. <\/em>doi.org\/10.3389\/fcomm.2019.00020<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Razavi, K. (2021, November 19). Anxious about climate change Here\u2019s what you need to know about \u2018ecological grief\u2019. Global News. <\/em>https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/8380734\/climate-change-anxiety\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n