Across the globe, groups of activists, educators, and mental health professionals are redefining the fight against human-caused climate change by embracing laughter, dancing, hugs, and joy. This approach seeks to counter the pervasive doom and gloom often associated with environmental advocacy.
Joy as a Tool for Resilience
At a retreat center in New York's Hudson Valley, a team-building group stood out for their constant laughter, prompting others to ask, "Who are you guys?" They were climate activists strategizing to combat worsening climate change—a cause typically linked with failure, sacrifice, and despair. Katharine Wilkinson, who led the seminar, remarked, "I believe that joy is all the more necessary and maybe all the more holy in difficult times." She described joy as a way to "take part in the shimmy and the shimmer even as the world lurches."
Wilkinson and others aim to harness happiness to empower those fighting to reduce fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions. In a speech at American University, she called power and joy "a really potent portal to the gifts that we want to offer in this time of immense trouble and yet also immense possibility."
Psychological Benefits of Joy and Laughter
Psychologists endorse this joyful approach. Jiaying Zhao, a professor of psychology and sustainability at the University of British Columbia, explained, "Joy is what made our species survive in the first place. If we’re rewarded, reinforced by it, then we continue doing it. We spill over. We become contagious. We get others on board." Julia Kim-Cohen, a clinical psychology professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago, highlighted laughter's stress-relieving benefits: "Laughter is really one of the best strategies for coping with stress. The science shows that it reduces blood pressure and relaxes people’s nervous systems."
Facing Reality While Embracing Joy
Christiana Figueres, former UN climate chief who helped broker the 2015 Paris Agreement, emphasized the importance of acknowledging harsh realities. "We cannot turn our back to the suffering and the grief and the eco-anxiety," she said. Figueres likened converting pain into positive action to transforming kitchen waste into compost for a garden. "The trick is to anchor ourselves precisely in the pain and the suffering, embrace the pain, and then turn it into something good."
Wilkinson, who runs Climate Wayfinding seminars and has a forthcoming book of the same name, invites darker emotions into her sessions to create space for laughter, jokes, hugging, and dancing. "When those come in then we also open space for the pendulum to go to the other side," she said.
Joy Over Sacrifice
For years, climate messaging focused on sacrifice—consuming less energy and meat. Elizabeth Dunn, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia, argued, "If we have to win the fight against climate change by getting people to give up the things they enjoy, I don’t think we’re going to win the fight." Zhao and Dunn co-authored the book "Leave the Lights On," which advocates for "doing more of the stuff that brings you pleasure but also has a low carbon footprint." Dunn noted that enjoyment makes behavior changes easier to sustain, using biking to work as an example.
From ‘Eco-Pooper’ to Empowered Teacher
Kim-Cohen admitted she used to approach climate discussions negatively, bringing up wildfires and floods at parties. "I was such a pooper. There’s actually a term called ‘eco pooper.’ I was that person. And it didn’t work. People would just shut down." After burning out, she attended Wilkinson's seminar and emerged "with my heart filled with love." Now, her psychology class on climate change leaves students feeling empowered. Senior Leah Glaser said, "I leave every class feeling empowered to do something. I definitely leave with a smile on my face. It just really uplifts me in ways that other classes really don't."
