Thread by @Berekade

As a former wilderness therapy guide now working in the climate-verse,

I think it’s a huge problem that many climate scientists are quick to equate climate/eco-grief with doomism.

Ours is a society in which humans are largely ‘separate’ from nature, physically, emotionally, spiritually..,
This is by and large a function of capitalism/dualism, as @jasonhickel details in “Less is More” 1/n

When people experience grief and despair over “the death of billions of seashore creatures” in the PNW, the criminalization and incarceration of indigenous protesters, or the threat of even more deadly heat waves that spawn fires that burn down entire towns or sequoia graves 2/n

They’re taking a huge step toward addressing the climate crisis: they’re allowing themselves to feel sorrow over things separate from themselves, things they have been indoctrinated to not give a damn about in our self-centered, consumptive, dualist capitalist culture 3/n

Furthermore, some of the most devoted and vocal climate activists/acti-scientists @ClimateHuman @GretaThunberg @NaomiAKlein @vanessa_vash
Are people who have allowed themselves to *actually* feel losses presently and the shape of loss to come 4/n

I don’t think it serves to decry dualism defying grief (when dualist detachment from nature is a huge part of what got us into the climate crisis in the first place), and insist that people ignore their emotions and only focus on what can be saved 5/n

Grief, sorrow, and despair are emotions that are painful but essential and sometimes necessary. Burying these feelings in the name of being optimistic may well act to mute more powerful action. 6/n

“Doomism” is real, and as @MichaelEMann details, a tool utilized by fossil fuel interests to stifle climate action.

We must be vigilant, & not malign climate-concerned folks for feelings that help rekindle connections to others/nature by falsely categorizing grief as doom 7/7