Climate Change and The Power of Lament

In this deeply personal episode, Harvard Divinity School student and BTS Center intern Jessica David hosts a heartfelt conversation with BTS Center leaders Rev. Nicole Diroff and Rev. Alison Cornish about lament's essential, uncomfortable, and ultimately connective role in our climate-changed world. Together, they explore the collective practice of ecological grief — not as something to fix or diagnose, but as a sacred response to real, ongoing loss. They reflect on lament’s roots in ancestral spiritual traditions, its embodied and communal expressions, and its relevance for today’s spiritual leaders navigating climate breakdown. Guests Rev. Nicole Diroff is Associate Director of The BTS Center. Ordained in the United Church of Christ, she is a Maine Master Naturalist, a facilitator, and a DEI leader. She brings heart and strategic insight to the Center’s public programming. Rev. Alison Cornish coordinates The BTS Center’s Chaplaincy Initiative and has long practiced ecological theology and interfaith facilitation. She draws from traditions such as Joanna Macy’s The Work That Reconnects and community grief rituals to support climate spiritual care. Main Themes Ecological Grief Is Real and Sacred Ecological grief encompasses present and anticipated losses from disappearing ice rinks to contaminated farmland. It's not a problem to be fixed, but a response rooted in love. Lament Is Embodied, Collective, and Ancestral The guests draw on ancient practices—from ripped cloth and psalms to community rituals—to normalize grief and reclaim lament as a spiritually rich, communal act. Grief Connects Across Time Grief opens connection channels: across communities, generations, species, and histories. When practiced communally, it fosters honesty, solidarity, and renewed purpose. Lament Is an Act of Witness and Turning The movements of lament include naming harm, expressing sorrow, repenting of complicity, and stepping into something larger — sometimes praise, sometimes action. "How will your heart break? Will it break into a thousand pieces, or will it break open?" — Shared by Alison, from a rabbi friend Resources & Reflections Referenced in the episode: Words for a Dying World: Stories of Grief and Courage from the Global Church – edited by Hannah Malcolm Season 1, Episode 6 of Climate Changed featuring Hannah Malcolm The Work That Reconnects – from Joanna Macy The Many – “Is This How the World Ends?” (song featured in Lament with Earth) Lament with Earth – Seasonal online grief gatherings hosted by The BTS Center Earth Hospice Rites – A twice-monthly global grief space led by Alison Cornish Teachings from Vincent Harding, Johnson (unclear exact reference; likely Howard Thurman or Luke Powery-adjacent figures) Elizabeth Kübler-Ross – pioneer in grief studies “Terraforming” – discussed in context of climate manipulation and river systems, detailed in The Nutmeg’s Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis by Amitav Ghosh Spiritual practices like the psalms, lamentations, public ritual, and intergenerational liturgies Join the Conversation How do you practice lament? How does grief show up in your life and leadership? Email us: [email protected] Leave a voice message: 207-200-6986   About the Podcast Climate Changed is a project of The BTS Center, a spiritual leadership organization based in Portland, Maine. Produced by Peterson Toscano. Music by EpidemicSound.com. Find more episodes and transcripts at climatechangedpodcast.org