ABSTRACT
Today, humans across the globe confront losses in the natural world that have significantly altered their way of life, and these changes have mental health consequences as well. It is time to recognize and embrace our collective grief for the imperiled planet we live on. We also need to mobilize our efforts to mitigate the damages before it is too late. Many populists feel differently about our environment. Some believe the idea of global warming is a clever hoax devised by elitist international cabals seeking to impose restrictive regulations while impinge on the sovereignty of nations. Other populists, sensing change among the voting electorate, have crafted “green policies” that argue for national unity rather than global cooperation in the fight against climate change. In addition, as many of us bear witness to the death of our planet, we mourn. But how? Humans do not have processes in place to deal with the grief and anxiety that many of us feel. Places that we once took for granted disappear, and there are few processes for dealing with those feelings including anxiety and anger mingled with anticipation of the devastation on the horizon. Without mourning, these feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and anger seem out-of-place, misunderstood, or inappropriate, resulting in a kind of mental stasis where acceptance and closure never happens, nor does healing or the cultivation of resilience.
