The known and projected impacts of climate change forecast massive changes to life on a planetary scale. As visions for the future become less recognizable and actions taken by those in power are varied, humans are left with a range of emotions. This discussion among leaders in the field of climate change and mental health will help bring into focus our understanding of what it means to feel in response to climate change. Understanding our emotions can help us adapt and act, as individuals and also in community, to promote justice and resilience.

Speakers: 

Susan Clayton is Whitmore-Williams Professor of Psychology and Professor of Environmental Studies at the College of Wooster, in Wooster, Ohio. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and an author or editor of five books, including Psychology and Climate Change: Human Perceptions, Impacts, and Responses. New York: Academic Press (2018).

Britt Wray is an author and researcher working at the forefront of climate change and mental health. She is Lead of a Special Initiative of the Chair in Climate Change and Mental Health in Stanford University’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She is the author of two books, including Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis (2022).

Joonmo Kang is an assistant professor of Social Welfare at the University of Kansas. He studies climate justice and the role of social work in addressing climate-related disasters. 

Moderated by Melinda Lewis, Associate Professor of Practice in the School of Social Welfare at the University of Kansas. She is also the Associate Director of the School’s Center on Community Engagement and Collaboration, with responsibility in the areas of agency capacity-building and public scholarship support. 

Webinar will be offered via Zoom on Wednesday, April 19th, 2023 at 7:00 PM CDT. Register here >

Presented by The Commons and the IPSR Center for Compassionate and Sustainable Communities at the University of Kansas