In their recent podcasts and webinars, the team at the BTS Centre have been exploring climate chaplaincy―that is, spiritual care focused on navigating the anxieties, grief, and uncertainty associated with the climate crisis―through many different lenses and from diverse angles. Hope―and its complicated nature―weaves its way into many of these conversations.
To illustrate, this past week I took part in a student and staff panel on climate chaplaincy in higher education co-hosted by the BTSC and the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab. Throughout the talk (recording available), there were testimonies of the pain, sadness and anger that climate change can evoke, but also many examples of resilience, hope, and action. This complex mix is the reality of how we are living in the world as it is, with all its problems and possibilities.
While I can’t do justice to this huge topic in a brief article, I can share a few resources to explore:
- BTS Podcast, Ep. 2 “Hope: It’s Complicated”. Guests discuss shifting perspectives away from oversimplified solutions towards a deeper understanding of hope.
- BTS Webinar “Climate Trauma and Practices Toward Hope”. Pamela McCarroll examines trauma-informed practices that lean toward "hope for the living of these days."
- Climate Psychiatry Alliance's toolkit for coping with climate change.
One of the most consistent lessons that my climate chaplaincy experiences have taught me is that connection―on all levels―can make a profound difference between surviving and thriving in our climate changed world. While each of us experiences and responds to climate change in our own way, and we all have good and bad days or moments, connecting with ourselves, each other and nature can be deeply grounding and affirming. May you find such moments of connection in every day!
-Carlene Gardner, MORSL Director
