Why Hope matters: How to stay hopeful amidst the climate crisis

Summary

The speaker emphasizes the importance of hope in the face of environmental challenges, rejecting the pervasive narrative of doom and gloom. They advocate for an evidence-based approach to hope, recognizing the interconnectedness of all life and the agency within the world to drive meaningful change. The script highlights the need to seek out and support solutions-oriented initiatives, as well as the collective power of movements like climate marches, which have led to significant global responses to the climate crisis. The speaker believes that hope is a complex emotion that can coexist with anger and anxiety, and is a necessary component for engaging with and addressing the world's environmental issues.

Takeaways

• 🌱 The speaker finds resilience and hope through recognizing their deep interconnection with nature and the world around them.
• 🌐 They challenge the pervasive narrative of doom and gloom regarding environmental issues, advocating for a more balanced perspective.
• 📚 The speaker wrote a book to provide an evidence-based case for why hope matters in the face of environmental challenges.
• 🔍 Evidence-based hope comes from critically analyzing problems and identifying positive trends that address them effectively.
• 🌿 The speaker acknowledges the severity of issues like climate change and biodiversity loss but emphasizes the importance of not being solely focused on the problem frame.
• 🔎 Actively seeking out solutions-oriented subject matter is crucial for a more hopeful and engaged approach to environmental issues.
• 💡 There are existing pockets of promise that are making a difference, but they often go unreported, highlighting the need for more visibility of positive actions.
• 😡 Hope is a complex emotion that can coexist with feelings of anger and frustration about social injustices.
• 🌍 Recognizing our relationship with the planet and addressing existential anxiety is key to engaging in productive environmental actions.
• 👫 Hope is often easier to find and sustain within a collective, as seen in the impact of climate marches and the subsequent declarations of climate emergencies.
• 🌟 The speaker views hope as a brave political act and believes in our evolutionary programming for compassion and empathy, which are crucial for facing global challenges.

Q & A

What is the primary setting described in the transcript?

The primary setting is outdoors, where the speaker spends most of their time, including sleeping and eating.

What does the speaker find as a source of resilience and hope?

The speaker finds resilience and hope in recognizing their deep interconnectedness with nature and the world around them.

How does the speaker describe the common narrative about the environment?

The speaker describes the common narrative as one of doom and gloom, characterized by a fatalistic belief that everything is ruined.

What impact does the doom-and-gloom narrative have on people's well-being?

The pervasive doom-and-gloom belief has a profound impact on people's well-being, making it problematic for environmental engagement.

What was the speaker's motivation for writing a book?

The speaker wanted to challenge the narrative of doom and gloom and provide an evidence-based case for why hope matters.

What does the speaker mean by 'evidence-based hope'?

Evidence-based hope comes from a critical analysis of the problems we face and an understanding of the trends that are moving us through them in a meaningful way.

What is the speaker's stance on the severity of issues like climate change and biodiversity loss?

The speaker acknowledges the severity of these issues but criticizes the focus on them only in a problem frame, suggesting that there are positive developments not widely discussed.

Why is it important to actively look for solutions-oriented subject matter according to the speaker?

Actively looking for solutions-oriented subject matter is crucial because it helps to counterbalance the negative narrative and highlights the pockets of promise that are making an impact.

How does the speaker describe the complexity of hope?

Hope is described as a complex emotion that can coexist with feelings like anger at social injustice, and it is not simply about being constantly happy.

What role does the speaker believe collective action plays in fostering hope?

The speaker believes that collective action, such as climate marches, is important because it fosters a sense of pride and support, making it easier to find hope.

What is the speaker's view on hope as a political act?

The speaker views hope as a brave political act, suggesting that if everything is indeed doomed, there would be no need to take action, which contradicts the need for engagement.

How does the speaker address the issue of fatalism?

The speaker argues against fatalism by stating that the future is uncertain and that the unpredictability of the living planet is reassuring, rather than a cause for despair.

Outlines

00:00

🌱 Embracing Interconnection and Hope

The speaker starts by setting the scene with the sounds of ducks, indicating their close connection with nature as they spend most of their time outdoors. They express their belief in the importance of recognizing our deep interconnection with the world around us, which they find to be a source of resilience and hope. They critique the pervasive narrative of doom and gloom regarding environmental issues, which they argue negatively impacts people's well-being and engagement with the environment. The speaker's goal is to challenge this narrative through a book that presents an evidence-based case for why hope matters. They emphasize that hope is complex and can coexist with emotions like anger at social injustice. The speaker also discusses the importance of collective action, such as climate marches, which have led to significant global responses like declaring climate emergencies. They conclude by advocating for hope as a brave political act and a natural human quality that can drive positive well-being and engagement with environmental challenges.

Keywords

💡Resilience

Resilience refers to the ability to recover quickly from difficulties or to adapt to change. In the video's context, it is tied to the speaker's personal experience of finding hope and strength through recognizing their deep interconnectedness with nature and the environment. The speaker's resilience is exemplified by their lifestyle of spending most of their time outside, which is a direct response to their environmental concerns.

💡Interconnection

Interconnection denotes the state of being interconnected or linked together. The video emphasizes the concept of interconnection by describing the world as 'one big network' that we are all part of. This idea is central to the speaker's perspective on environmental issues, suggesting that recognizing our place within the larger ecosystem can foster a sense of responsibility and hope.

💡Doom and Gloom

Doom and gloom is a phrase used to describe a pessimistic outlook, often associated with a belief that things are bound to end badly. The video discusses this narrative as a pervasive belief that the environment is ruined, which impacts people's well-being and engagement with environmental issues. The speaker aims to challenge this narrative through their book, advocating for a more balanced view that includes both problems and solutions.

💡Evidence-based Hope

Evidence-based hope is a concept that combines hope with a critical analysis of problems and trends. It is presented in the video as a counter to the doom-and-gloom narrative, suggesting that hope should be grounded in a realistic assessment of challenges and the recognition of positive developments. The speaker believes that this form of hope is more effective in motivating environmental engagement.

💡Environmental Engagement

Environmental engagement refers to the active involvement in addressing environmental issues. The video discusses the importance of this engagement for both individual well-being and collective action. The speaker argues that a sense of hope is crucial for motivating people to participate in environmental solutions and to counteract the negative impact of doom-and-gloom beliefs.

💡Biodiversity Loss

Biodiversity loss is the reduction of variety within ecosystems, species, and genetic diversity. In the video, it is mentioned as one of the 'massive issues' that the speaker acknowledges but argues should not be the sole focus of environmental discussions. The speaker encourages a broader perspective that includes efforts to mitigate and reverse such losses.

💡Solutions-oriented

Solutions-oriented is an approach that focuses on finding and implementing answers to problems. The video emphasizes the importance of actively seeking out and promoting solutions to environmental challenges. The speaker suggests that this approach is essential for fostering hope and motivating action, rather than being overwhelmed by the scale of the problems.

💡Hope

Hope is presented in the video as a complex emotion that can coexist with other feelings, such as anger at social injustice. It is not simply an optimistic outlook but is intertwined with a critical understanding of problems and a belief in the possibility of positive change. The speaker argues that hope is essential for maintaining the capacity to engage with difficult environmental issues.

💡Collective Response

A collective response is a coordinated action taken by a group of people in response to a common issue. The video mentions climate marches as an example of a collective response to environmental concerns, which has led to significant global recognition of the climate emergency. This concept is central to the idea that collective action can inspire hope and lead to tangible change.

💡Existential Anxiety

Existential anxiety refers to a deep concern about one's existence, often related to the uncertainty and potential threats to life as we know it. In the video, the speaker acknowledges the anxiety that people feel regarding the state of the planet and emphasizes the importance of recognizing how this anxiety affects our ability to engage with environmental issues.

💡Fatalism

Fatalism is the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable. The video criticizes this belief as it relates to environmental issues, suggesting that a fatalistic attitude can lead to inaction and a sense of hopelessness. The speaker argues against fatalism, advocating for a more proactive stance based on the unpredictability and potential for positive change.

Highlights

The speaker spends most of their time outside, finding resilience and hope in recognizing their deep interconnectedness with nature.

They challenge the pervasive narrative of doom and gloom regarding the environment, arguing that it negatively impacts people's well-being and environmental engagement.

The speaker wrote a book to provide an evidence-based case for why hope matters in the face of environmental challenges.

Evidence-based hope comes from a critical analysis of problems and trends that move us forward meaningfully.

While acknowledging the severity of issues like climate change and biodiversity loss, the speaker emphasizes the importance of not only framing them as problems.

The speaker encourages actively seeking solutions-oriented subject matter to counterbalance the doom-and-gloom narrative.

There are pockets of promise having an impact, but the challenge is that these are often not widely publicized.

Hope is a complex emotion that can coexist with feelings of anger and anxiety about social injustice and the state of the planet.

The speaker believes that hope is easier to find in collective actions, such as climate marches, which have led to a significant global response.

Hope is considered a brave political act, as it challenges the idea of inevitability in doom-and-gloom scenarios.

The speaker argues that practicing hope is a political stance and believes in our evolutionary programming for compassion and empathy.

Compassion and empathy are qualities within us that can create positive well-being and maintain our capacity to engage with difficult problems.

Continuing to reproduce a sense of hopelessness is as problematic as the environmental issues themselves.

The speaker rejects fatalism, believing that the future is not predetermined and finds reassurance in the unpredictability of our living planet.

The transcript concludes with the calming presence of nature, symbolized by the ducks and birds, suggesting a peaceful coexistence with the environment.

Transcripts

(ducks quacking excitedly)

- Oh, ho, ho, that's a good duck!

You can probably hear my ducks.

That's what you may be able to hear in the background.

I spend almost all of my time outside.

I sleep outside, I try to eat outside.

So, where I personally find a lot of resilience and hope

is recognizing my deep interconnection-ness.

(ducks quacking distantly)

It's like, I just see this as one big network

that we're all part of.

And just seeing the agency that exists

in the world around us.

(slow, calming music begins)

This narrative of doom and gloom, you know,

sort of a fatalistic belief that everything is ruined,

is widely held,

so almost the moment someone thinks about the environment,

that's what they feel.

Pervasive doom-and-gloom belief is having a profound impact

on people's well-being.

And it's really problematic

from an environmental engagement standpoint.

And so, what I wanted to do was write a book

that challenged this narrative of "doom and gloom,"

and that was an evidence-based case for why hope matters.

And I would say evidence-based hope

comes from a really critical analysis

of the problems we do face.

And the critical analysis of what trends are moving us

through them in a way that's meaningful and important.

I'm in no way saying that climate change

or biodiversity loss or any of those massive issues

are not massive issues.

But what I am saying is that we only hear about them

in that problem frame.

(more calming music plays)

There are so many incredible examples of things happening.

And the real challenge is we don't hear about them.

Actively looking for solutions-oriented subject matter

is really crucial.

There are pockets of promise

that are actually having an impact.

It's not that one has to only ever be smiley and happy.

(chuckles)

Hope isn't like that.

Hope is actually a complex emotion.

The kinds of anger that we feel when we see social injustice

can sit right beside hope.

It's important to think about

that people have existential anxiety

about the state of the planet.

And to recognize our relationship and how we feel

has a critical impact on whether we're able to engage

in the kinds of productive ways we need people

to be able to do.

(woman speaking indistinctly)

And hope is much easier to find in the collective

sometimes than it is with the individual.

(woman speaking indistinctly)

You know, we're much more likely to engage

in something meaningful if we feel prideful

and if we feel that we are supported.

And that's why I think things like the climate marches

have been so important,

because they are a collective response.

And as a result of the climate marches, by the end of 2019,

one in 10 people on earth lives in a place

that has declared a climate emergency.

So that's an amazing amount of response.

(crowd chanting)

I believe that hope is a brave political act.

If it really is doom and gloom

and everything truly is wrecked,

then we don't have to do anything.

And so, I think I both practice hope as a political stance

and also I really do believe

we are evolutionarily programmed for compassion and empathy.

You know, these are qualities that are within us

and these sorts of emotions have been shown

to be much more likely to create positive well-being

and also to keep us with the capacity

to engage with these really difficult problems

that we're trying to face.

(birds chirping)

(speaking to duck) That's a difficult side, Olive.

If we continue to reproduce this thing

where people just feel hopeless (chuckles),

that's as big a problem as the problems themselves.

(ducks quacking)

Fatalism presumes you know what's gonna happen

and I think you don't know what's going to happen

on this remarkable, living planet.

(calming music plays)

So, that I find really reassuring.

(ducks quacking)

(duck quacks three times)