We're Updating Carbon Conversations

We have some big news about Carbon Conversations. Contrary to everything we have been saying since 'In Time for Tomorrow' came out we have agreed to update the materials, transforming Carbon Conversations to meet the needs of the 2020s.

 

Rose's Carbon Conversation

Carbon Conversations Torono's latest newsletter says:

We understand this news can be overwhelming and leave you unsure of what to do. Our Six-Week Sessions offer a venue to help you explore and work through some of that climate anxiety and distress, toward climate action.

Rose Barcarse, a past participant of our Six-Week Sessions, recently shared her experience and what participating in CCTO’s flagship program meant for her. Watch the full interview between Rose and CCTO co-founder Amy Castator to hear her story.

New podcast on climate grief

 

This recent podcast in Dave Powell’s ‘Your Brain on Climate’ series, where he interviews Cambridge Climate Therapists’ Ro Randall on Climate Grief, may be of interest. 

Rosemary recently recorded this podcast for Dave Powell. Dave is a wonderful interviewer and manages to give this difficult subject the seriousness it needs while at the same time injecting a great strand of his infectious humour into the conversation.

The rest of his series is pretty interesting too - he's got Andrew Simms on Change, Kimberley Wilson on Food, Adam Corner on Risk and many more to come.

Check it out!

Coping with the Climate Crisis

Free Webinar with Ro Randall 
on Wednesday 17th February 2021

 In this webinar, hosted by the Centre for Alternative Technology Ro will talk about the complex emotions - anxiety, outrage, grief and fear to name a few - which we face as we struggle with the climate crisis. She will emphasise the importance of community and connection and offer ideas on how to support ourselves and others. 

 Full details and how to book here:
http://www.cat.org.uk/events/free-webinar-coping-with-the-climate-crisis/

Food and Climate Change without the Hot Air

 

Want to track the emissions from everything you eat across the day? Wondering what the latest research has to say about meat? Or maybe you’re just confused about where to begin with reducing the impact of your food.

Whatever your issue, this lovely new book from Sarah Bridle, Food and Climate Change without the Hot Air will answer your questions. She takes you through a typical day, looking at the impact of popular choices for breakfast, lunch, snacks and the evening meal, outlining their impacts and offering alternatives. Everything is backed up with numbers from the latest research and presented in easy to understand bar charts.

There won’t be any surprises here for aficionados of Carbon Conversations but what you will find is a wealth of data to buttress your convictions and a great resource for using in groups. What is even more amazing is that the e-book version is completely free, thanks to some generous support from the University of Manchester.

You should also check out the other resources Sarah has produced through the ‘Take a Bite out of Climate Change’ project. In particular her Food flashcards which can be used to play ‘Top Trumps’ or other familiar games. Again, these are all free to download.

This book is a great resource, beautifully produced and a joy to look at and handle. Thank you Sarah!

News from Toronto

Carbon Conversations Toronto is going from strength to strength. They've been hosting very successful groups since 2019. The majority of their group members report that they no longer feel so overwhelmed by climate change. Participants also commit both to actions that will have a big impact on their own footprint and to talking to others or joining a climate campaign. Despite Covid the Toronto team have developed a new website, are working hard on adapting the materials for the Canadian situation and will be starting to train more facilitators (who they are calling Climate Action Facilitators) this October, doing so online. Check out their website - there's a great blog post on intersectionality and the empathic, psychologically focused language they use to describe their project is something we can all learn from. 

Congratulations to the team

Six short videos on Coping with the Climate Crisis

Just before lockdown Ro's son made these six short videos on ‘Coping with the climate crisis’ in which she talks about the emotional dimensions of people’s responses and how we can support each other through what are often difficult and traumatic experiences.

1: Disavowal or everyday denial

2: Climate anxiety or climate distress

3: Loss and grief

4: Supporting others

5: Hope and despair

6: Climate journeys – can the climate crisis transform your life?

Do link to and share the videos if you find them useful.