All the Feelings Under the Sun: How to Deal With Climate Change
INTRODUCTION
Climate change isn’t just changing the climate It’s affecting every part of our world To help you understand the transformation of our planet that’s happening right now this book will take you on a journey through many different branches of science our history our societies and cultures and into your own mind and feelings As you learn about climate change you’ll also be learning about yourself You’ll discover all the ways that nature is beautiful powerful delicate fierce mysterious and awesome But nature isn’t just outside of us in the trees fish clouds and lakes We humans are a part of nature We share the same history and we’re made from the same elements as everything else on the planet like hydrogen hydrogen oxygen and phosphorus We live in and share the biosphere We each have a place in our planet’s living system with all of the world’s plants and its other animals from the sky to the earth to the sea This book will look back to the origins of the Earth and the evolution of life up to the present day We’ll learn about the different scientific predictions for our future which depend on how successfully we humans can deal with climate change You’ll learn how climate Introduction 1
change started why it’s creating problems and all the ways you can respond to its challenges You’ll be introduced to some of the many people who are devoting their time and energy to finding climate solutions that will contribute to a safer and healthier world for everyone You’ll see how solutions from different different fields like farming transportation clean energy production and the restoration and protection of land water and air can join together to create a new and healthier world Since we all contribute to the life force of the planet you’ll discover many things you do that can make a difference and you’ll find strength in learning about and making these choices You might be inspired by the creative ideas you’ll read about and the accomplishments of the many youth leaders in the climate movement A very important part of our journey into our own and our planet’s future is learning how to build our inner resiliency our emotional strength It’s a remarkable time to be alive because we’ll all be working working together to deal with the huge challenges to our planet As we learn more about the impacts of climate change at times it may be frightening or sad and make us nervous or angry or more You may experience all the feelings under the sun These feelings are totally natural and healthy You’ll be learning more about what you’re feeling and why and this book will give you some new tools to express your feelings so they don’t overwhelm you In fact strong feelings can be 2 Introduction
helpful They can give you the energy and focus you need to nourish your dreams and act in creative and productive ways This book is meant to be read slowly and you’ll find exercises in each chapter that explore how the feelings and ideas you read about fit into your own life Take your time Most of the activities use writing or drawing so if you want you can make a Making a Healthier World Together journal to use as you read this book You can use a blank book and decorate it or simply use sheets of paper Feelings and Climate Change Paying close attention to our feelings will give us useful information about our life experiences and even help us move toward climate change solutions For example anger can help you take a stand in the world to protect who you are and what you feel and believe But just like natural ecosystems we need a healthy balance Too much anger and you risk hurting hurting others but if you don’t acknowledge the natural anger that you feel in a situation you risk giving up your valuable point of view and your individuality Fear is a feeling that lets us know that change is happening It can help us take care of ourselves and avoid harm or injury Too much fear though can prevent prevent us from doing things that we might enjoy or need to do and too little fear could put us in dangerous situations Introduction 3
