Facing Climate Change: An Integrated Path to the Future

by J.T. Kiehl

Facing Climate Change explains why people refuse to accept evidence of a warming planet and shows how to move past partisanship to reach a consensus for action. A climate scientist and licensed Jungian analyst, Jeffrey T. Kiehl examines the psychological phenomena that twist our relationship to the natural world and their role in shaping the cultural beliefs that distance us further from nature. He also accounts for the emotions triggered by the lived experience of climate change and the feelings of fear and loss they inspire, which lead us to deny the reality of our warming planet.

But it is not too late. By evaluating our way of being, Kiehl unleashes a potential human emotional understanding that can reform our behavior and help protect the Earth. Kiehl dives deep into the human brain's psychological structures and human spirituality's imaginative power, mining promising resources for creating a healthier connection to the environment―and one another. Facing Climate Change is as concerned with repairing our social and political fractures as it is with reestablishing our ties to the world, teaching us to push past partisanship and unite around the shared attributes that are key to our survival. Kiehl encourages policy makers and activists to appeal to our interdependence as a global society, extracting politics from the process and making decisions about our climate future that are substantial and sustaining.

Genres: Environment

176 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2016

Reviews

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

The material focuses on the psychology behind people's reactions to climate change and why the major players and policy makers are reluctant to change.

I have often wondered why people vehemently deny global warming and that there are any issues at all with our environment, in particular the 'religious right'. Kiehl brings God and religion into the conversation by saying that for those who are religious, they view God as being responsible for the Earth and its climate. Therefore, a conflict arises with challenging their closely held beliefs and the fear of a loss in faith if they accept that humans (i.e. not God) are responsible for everything.

Religious talk aside, denial is also not far behind - whether conscious or not. People can disassociate to avoid dealing with the reality of the situation. Fear can be crippling, and some just cannot fathom how to change our future going forward so it makes sense that some would essentially 'space out' to the truth.

One of my favorite parts that Kiehl brings up is creating a humble fellowship working toward the greater good. An example of this is the country Bhutan, which uses what they call Gross National Happiness (comparable to a country's GDP) to plan its economic future in the best interest of their citizens. It's such a simple yet awesome philosophy.

We have created and allowed corporations to dictate our lives and tell us that consumerism helps us feel better inside with physical possessions. "We have lost an awareness for the value of life" Kiehl says, which is a poignant comment fitting with the overall theme of the book. We have come to view ourselves as separate from nature/the Earth and are not as fully vested as we should be in its/our future.

Overall the tone remains positive. I wanted to end this review with this quote from the book, which is a Navaho Blessing that reminds us of our connection to Earth and the magnificence of life itself :
"I walk with beauty before me. I walk with beauty behind me. I walk with beauty below me. I walk with beauty above me. I walk with beauty around me. My words will be beautiful."

[Angie Reisetter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. Kiehl brings together three elements important in his life to explore reactions to global warming: Jungian psychology, Buddhism, and climate science. This mix is a little strange to the ear, but there are valuable insights in the text. It's hard to say who will benefit from this book. Those who need to read it the most, who fear making adjustments for climate change, will most likely not read it. Those most likely to read it are those who already believe that we should be facing climate change and making those changes. So in essence it will help us understand the fear that we are dealing with on the other side of the debate.

The reasoning here reminds me of that old joke about a psychologist changing a light bulb -- the light bulb really has to want to change. There is deep-rooted opposition to hearing the warning signs of global warming, and this book doesn't change that. The insight I felt was most inspiring for me was that we, meaning scientists aware of climate change, are called upon to make the invisible visible. We have a responsibility to bring a message of climate change to fearful people and to ask them how they're feeling while we're at it (nope, I've never done that, and I probably should). Even when people do take in the message that action is required, and now, there's only so much they can absorb because their brains are reeling with emotion. We could deal with that by ignoring it or denying it, but discussing it would be better for everyone involved.

I got a free copy of this from Net Galley.