Ecopsychologists use terms such as “eco-grief”, “eco-anxiety”, and “eco-depression” to describe and acknowledge feelings of anxiety, depression, and despair that arise over loss of nature (Clinebell, 1996; Buzzell, 2009; Buzzell, 2011). Dr. Kristine A. Kevorkian describes “environmental grief” and “ecological grief” as feelings of grief over the loss of ecosystems caused by natural or man-made events and grief over the disconnection and loss of the natural world, respectively (Kevorkian, n.d.). Joanna Macy calls it our "pain for the world" (Macy and Young Brown, 1998)
My experiences working in the field of conservation in the Hawaiian Islands, which is often considered to be the endangered species capital of the world, have resulted in situations where I have become intimate with the loss of species and degraded habitats, as well as far reaching effects of human behaviors on some of the most remote and uninhabited islands in the world. These experiences have led to feelings of sadness, despair, and grief in my own life.
I am interested in educating others on this topic, and am currently developing a workshop to help individuals cope with their own feelings of loss over the natural world. More information will be presented here, please check back soon. Meanwhile, feel free to contact me and/or explore the links below for more information:
http://www.joannamacy.net/goals.html
http://radicaljoyforhardtimes.org/
http://extinctionwitness.blogspot.com/
http://drkkevorkian.com/Dr_Kevorkian.html
References
(check back soon)