The Eco-Existential Threatometer: A Pedagogical Approach to Eco-Anxieties
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Authors
Humby, Rob
Date
2023-03
Type
Language
en
Keyword
Eco-Anxiety , Arts-Based Learning , Anthropocene , Education
Alternative Title
Abstract
The impact environmental events related to climate change and the ecological crisis have on one's mental and emotional health is a growing area of research, but many questions remain. An increase in poor mental health outcomes resulting from intensified climate change is likely. If altering environmental conditions can provoke various feelings of uncertainty, negative valence, and existential threat, these dimensions of affect must be considered in education. Eco-anxiety can cause considerable distress and is of particular pedagogical concern. High levels of sustained eco-anxiety among learners and educators may hinder opportunities to learn new ways of thinking and create new ideas. That hindrance has significant implications if we consider that a shift from conventional thinking is needed to solve complex sustainability problems. Envisioning the future of education during unprecedented times should involve considering the social, emotional, and intellectual health of learners and educators. Therefore, what might learning and teaching in and for the Anthropocene, taking eco-anxiety into account, look like?
This project offers insight into the eco-existential threatometer (EET); a pedagogical approach that assists in identifying, experiencing, and constructively directing climate emotions and non-pathological eco-anxieties. The EET activity combines visuals-arts with emotional health literacy to support teachers and students in exploring environmental content that has emotional implications. With applicability for high school education, the EET is intended to activate learning opportunities when encountering environmental content that has emotional implications, and support positive behaviors that facilitate thinking critically, differently, and creatively.