Toward a Taxonomy of Climate Emotions

Abstract

There is a growing evidence that emotions shape people's reactions to the climate crisis in profound but complex ways. Climate emotions are related to resilience, climate action, and psychological well-being and health. However, there is currently a lack of research about the array of various climate emotions. There is also a need for more integration with general research about emotions. This article conducts a preliminary exploration of the taxonomy of climate emotions, based on literature reviews and philosophical discussion. The term emotion is used here in a broad sense, as is common in climate emotion research. Because of the urgency of the climate crisis and the lack of previous research, this kind of exploration is aimed to be helpful for both practical climate work and for future research which would include more systematic reviews of the topic. Research items which discuss at least five different climate emotions, based on empirical observations, are used as major sources and a table about them is provided. Climate emotions are discussed on the basis of interdisciplinary research. The article considers many aspects of the phenomena of climate anxiety and climate grief.

Discovering emotional patterns for climate change and for the COVID-19 pandemic in university students

“…Also, the scale cannot be considered comprehensive for the whole spectrum of possible emotions. Recent efforts in creating taxonomies of climate change emotions [30] will further enhance research.…”

Emotions of the Anthropocene across Oceania

“…The emotional, mental, and psychological burdens induced by rapid and unprecedented changes and the related sense of unease about our futures are already being documented across the globe [ 9 , 10 , 11 ], albeit more attention in scholarly studies and scientific debate is needed in this area [ 12 ]. These “negative” emotions and diverse manifestations of grief are widespread, profound, and cumulative [ 13 ], and need to be expressed, engaged with, and discussed more openly to better reflect the experiences of people around the globe, and to initiate conversations about how emotions may be used for transformative change and effective politics [ 8 , 12 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ].…”

“…The Anthropocene has “taken hold in plutocratic times, when economic, social and environmental injustice is marked by a deepening schism”, and where there are unequal human impacts, agency, and vulnerabilities [ 19 ] (p. 8). This is relevant for how people experience related emotional burdens and healing in the face of planetary and environmental changes in the Anthropocene, as there are many influencing and contextual factors that shape people’s emotions and processes of grieving and mourning [ 17 , 18 ]. There is value, therefore, in focusing on a regional context—Oceania—and providing rich, in-depth qualitative data to demonstrate the diverse emotions that emerge.…”

“…Emotions in response to ecological crises can be varied and complex, leading to several studies attempting to categorise the range of climate or eco-emotions [ 18 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Enhanced knowledge in this area is important for understanding the relationship between emotions, climate action and contextual dynamics, and to find ways of channelling emotional energy to constructive responses to climate and environmental risks [ 18 ].…”

“…Emotions in response to ecological crises can be varied and complex, leading to several studies attempting to categorise the range of climate or eco-emotions [ 18 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Enhanced knowledge in this area is important for understanding the relationship between emotions, climate action and contextual dynamics, and to find ways of channelling emotional energy to constructive responses to climate and environmental risks [ 18 ]. Most recently, Pihkala [ 18 ] built on existing taxonomies by highlighting a broad range of emotional and mental state categories in the context of climate change: surprise-related, threat-related, sadness-related, strong anxiety-related, strong depression-related, guilt and shame-related, indignation-related, disgust-related, anger-related, envy-related, feelings of hostility and positive emotions.…”