A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety

How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet

By: Sarah Jaquette Ray

Narrated by: Sara Sheckells

Length: 5 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Gen Z's first "existential toolkit" for combating eco-guilt and burnout while advocating for climate justice.

A youth movement is reenergizing global environmental activism. The "climate generation"—late millennials and iGen, or Generation Z—is demanding that policy makers and government leaders take immediate action to address the dire outcomes predicted by climate science. Those inheriting our planet's environmental problems expect to encounter challenges, but they may not have the skills to grapple with the feelings of powerlessness and despair that may arise when they confront this seemingly intractable situation.

Drawing on a decade of experience leading and teaching in college environmental studies programs, Sarah Jaquette Ray has created an "existential tool kit" for the climate generation. Combining insights from psychology, sociology, social movements, mindfulness, and the environmental humanities, Ray explains why and how we need to let go of eco-guilt, resist burnout, and cultivate resilience while advocating for climate justice. A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety is the essential guidebook for the climate generation—and perhaps the rest of us—as we confront the greatest environmental threat of our time.

©2020 Sarah Jaquette Ray (P)2022 Tantor

A must read

Big ideas: use mindfulness and emotional intelligence to build bridges and thrive in a chaotic and complex climate changed world. Left me feeling very hopeful and grounded

language is not tailored to audience well

some of the content was good to hear and i am an educated person but this book was sooo hard to follow along given the amount of words used that we don't use in everyday conversations. it would've been nice if the audience this was written for was all audiences, not just the ones with masters or doctorate degrees.

It's not great

I had originally believed this book to be of a similar mind as Carolyn Baker in "Collapsing Consciously." But no, it began with a somewhat "kumbaya" tone, and it was fully confirmed when the author began unironically quoting Stephen Pinker. The "Oh, come on, it's not as bad as it seems" sort of message. It takes a very "both sides" perspective and tries to give the whole "can't we all just get along" message. The author takes the thoroughly debunked position that if people hear the grave truth of the climate situation that they'll shut down and do nothing. This perspective suggests that "if we all just got together and _____...", but that ship has sailed. Now is the time to try to mitigate the impact of collapse, and that requires acceptance and understanding, not blind optimism that we could somehow miraculously get back to our promised golden future. The future has changed, and this book naively insists that it isn't so. I highly suggest you go with Carolyn Baker instead.