I found the following TED talk when I was researching for my critical thinking project focused on climate change. I think the speaker, Renee Lertzman, is able to empower the viewers by validating their fears. With a topic like climate change, it is easy to feel lost, anxious, and stressed. Her approach is very unique and not commonly talked about. She focuses on the psychology between grief and creativity, and how we can use that as a resource to support the climate change crisis.

She brings up three psychological ideas that can help us understand the world’s current emotional state about climate change. The idea I found most interesting was the “double-bind” phenomenon. It comes from the stress of needing to change. Someone knows they need to change, they see the consequences if they don’t, but the issue is so big they begin to feel stuck and powerless. This common human experience is intolerable, and is often pushed away subconsciously so people can be numb. She further explains that this is where a lot of the disconnect about climate change happens, people experience a double-bind, they feel like they are damned if they do and damned if they don’t, so they push down that intolerable feeling. This comes off as a lack of caring about the climate crisis, when in reality it might just be anxiety-induced paralysis. Renee creates a very interesting analogy to explain this:        Someone is experiencing a double-bind, they are stuck, so they go to a therapist. The therapist yells at them “why don’t you care?’ “You need to take action now or face dire consequences!” Obviously, that therapist needs to be fired.

Her point is that we lack compassion and attunement. Both of which are crucial, as it is a global issue and needs a global community to solve it. If we can better understand each other’s anxieties about climate change, that can create a foundation for creative solutions. Properly understanding the psychological factors that play into the climate crisis might be essential to solving it.

I love the approach she takes to a world crisis, it is one I personally have never thought about. I see her as a leader because she is able to take a step back from the climate crisis stress and identify a piece that society might be ignoring.