ABSTRACT
Empirical evidence of the acute and chronic mental health effects of climate change has significantly increased over the last decade (Cunsolo et al., 2020). Beyond the community of climate scientists, more people are feeling disruptions to what was once the predictable cycles of their natural environments. Lingering feelings just under our skin warn us something is not quite right with the world. In July 2020, climate goosebumps rippled across my body twice within one week when the emergency siren sent our family to the basement because tornado clouds were spotted just outside the city. As I leaned against the washing machine holding onto to our shaking dog Maiv, I mumbled to my partner, “The thunderstorms in Manitoba are more intense now”, and as the claps of thunder rattled the windows, one of our sons wondered out loud if “…tornado alley was moving north”. Weather talk isn't just weather talk anymore. You, too, may have experienced the uncanny as you overheard a loved one mention, “The summers are so much hotter now” or maybe you can recall getting lost in your thoughts for a few seconds after your neighbours lamented the absence of monarch butterflies in their flower garden.
