‘Anxiety into action’ is the theme of this 10th and final episode in our Newsroom video series The Way Forward about the ways we are tackling the climate crisis in Aotearoa.
For many of us, anxiety is often triggered by the sheer scale and complexity of the crisis and the solutions to it. ‘The situation’s so dire’; ‘our actions are so feeble’; ‘whatever I do is so inconsequential’ are just a few of the thoughts we have.
Yet that anxiety can also spur us into action; and help us work with others to push for positives changes.
We explore the subject in two related ways. First, Niki Harré, who specialises in the psychological aspects of community and sustainability issues, sheds light on anxiety and action, and the relationship between them.
To help people learn better ways to respond to both, she developed The Infinite Game, a way for groups of people to experience how cooperation creates more constructive outcomes than win/lose strategies. This video is one of her presentations on the subject.
Second, she reflects on presentations that three people deeply engaged in climate issues gave in a session at last year’s Auckland Climate Festival - Adam Currie, a climate campaigner with 350 Aotearoa; Gina Williams, from a Waikato dairy farming family; and Simon Wilson, a journalist with the New Zealand Herald.
The event was hosted by St-Matthew-in-the-City in the centre of Auckland, and the church community had invited Wilson and Rod Oram, the presenter of this Newsroom video series, to help them with the session.
In its short history to-date, the festival has grown by leaps and bounds. The scale and breadth of the programme last year were testament to the burgeoning wealth of positive climate action around the country. This year’s festival will run from August 31 to September 29, with the programme listed here as it develops.
From all of us at Newsroom involved in The Way Forward, we hope you’ve found this series a source of useful information and encouragement on climate. And rest assured, we’ll continue to grow our climate coverage.
