Ep 106 Claire O'Rourke - Together we can... building solidarity in climate grief

When was your moment of realisation that life, including our own, is finite & that the climate will impact our way of life.  How are you processing this? Claire asks, ‘how are you using your skills, networks & privilege to add your weight to the climate movement & shares the value of processing our individual climate grief & collective efforts. Processing climate grief Catalysing change within your own communityYou can’t work on any part of nature without understanding and working on climateCognitive dissonance of our every day existenceBecoming clear & present in the reality of what life will be for her later years & her children livesClimate grief results in exhaustion, sadness, overwhelm, Its ok to feel frustrated, distressed, anxious - things are NOT normal, we are collectively experiencing trauma There are rising levels of pre traumatic distress due to the climate realitiesIt’s emcombant on me as a person in a position of privilege to share my skills and knowledge with those who have less agencyComing to terms with the fact that life is finiteStepping outside the western paradigm of endless productivityLearning from first nations people Using acceptance and commitment therapy as a way to move forwardMinimising ebbs and flows of grief with the agency that comes from actionShunning a Pollyanna view of the world - there’s no hero coming to save us. We all have a role to contribute to our collective efforts and leverage existing relationshipsWe can all make a choice about fighting or flighting - being consructuve or active or distructive and dismissive is our choice aloneAcceptance of the inevitability that fossil fuels are on the way outWe are in the middle of an epidemic of loneliness - especially 19-25 years olds, this can spiral our community connection and collectiveThe value of participating without having to be the expertCreating ancestral totemsBuilding gratitude practice into your every day via living creatures that connect us all to our ancestorsThe way behaviour change flows through networks via those on the edge of multiple networks - this is often ‘everyday’ folksClimate deniers are a very small percentage of AustraliansReframing success to celebrate the spirit of co-operationShowing politicians that we want to be connected and interrelated will be transformational for politicians to seeTaking kids on this journeyGo where your interest is strongest and the need is greatestWe have to enjoy the world we are in otherwise whats the point in fighting for itImperfection is the beauty of human nature and imperfect is most liely to be the journey we go on as we decarboniseAction on climete means more of the things we love (like the sun comig up) but less of the things we actually cant maintain (consumables)ReferencesTogether we can - Claire O'RourkeCarol SandfordClimateactionstartshere.comAustralianparentsforclimateactionPodcast partners ROCK!Hidden Sea - Wine that saves the seaNutrisoilWwoof AustraliaBuy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersSupport the show