About the author

Leslie Davenport is at the vanguard of the emerging field of climate psychology. She is the co-creator of the first of its kind Climate Psychology Certificate Program, a 60 hour training offered to psychotherapists and allied health professionals through the California Institute of Integral Studies. She helped shape the document “Mental Health and Our Changing Climate: Impacts, Implications, and Guidance (2017)” and the same year her landmark text was released by Jessica Kingsley Publishers: Emotional Resiliency in the Era of Climate Change. Since then, she has completed two significant publications through the American Psychological Association. All the Feelings Under the Sun: How to Deal with Climate Change (2021), a book for tweens that pairs emotional resilience tools with climate science, and Working with Clients Experiencing Climate Distress (2022), an educational video created with Wendy Greenspun as part of the APA’s educational series for universities. She is currently under contract for a book for younger kids, What to Do When You’re Worried about the Earth, which will be released in early 2025.

As ground-breaking leader in climate psychology, Leslie is highly sought after for media interviews and has appeared in (highlights) PBSNews, NPR, Washington Post, New Yorker, Scientific American, The Atlantic, Mother Jones, Verve, the Guardian, Grist, Wired, Self, and Teen Vogue. She has been hired to work with a broad range of organizations including (highlights) The Monterey Bay Aquarium, 350.org, NOAA, Post Carbon Institute, CivicSpark, 3Degrees, Woman, Food and Agriculture, Rad Power Bikes.

Leslie serves as an advisor to the non-profits One Resilient Earth, Project InsideOut, Climate Mental Health Network, and the Post Carbon Institute. She is currently on the faculty of the Professional School of Psychology and Health at the California Institute of Integral Studies.

Chapter overview

Scientists are warning us again that a disturbing level of severe ecological degradation from climate change is occurring much sooner than anticipated. But even with more of us awakening to the reality of the climate crisis, business as usual prevails. Why do we continue living the way we do, given the overwhelming evidence of the damage it’s causing to ourselves and the entire biosphere? What can we do to make a difference when we feel so small in the face of such a complex crisis? How can we work with the waves of overwhelming feelings? Evolutionary psychology, recent neuroscience research, and mindful contemplative practices all offer surprising answers to these questions. This chapter explores how unconscious biases fuel climate change inaction and offers ways to shift to a more eco-wise orientation. It includes guidelines for facilitating a climate emotions group, and two emotional resiliency practices specific to climate justice work that can be used in classrooms from middle school though graduate school.

What others say about Leslie Davenport’s work

“In her unique style, Leslie Davenport takes us through this remarkable journey of self and planet.” - Christiana Figueres, Former Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on Climate Change.

“Breaking new ground with healing responses to climate chaos, Leslie Davenport brings not only abundant psychological methodology but also deep ecological wisdom.” - Joanna Macy, Ph.D., author of Coming Back to Life.

“As we enter this revolutionary time on the planet, Leslie Davenport breaks new ground in synthesizing climate science, conscious self-awareness of our interconnectedness with all species and the living earth, ecological psychology, and deep resiliency practices that provide practical guidance for a sustainable future.” - Nina Simons, Co-Founder and President of Bioneers.

Excerpts from the chapter

“...inner defenses are active in all of us to varying degrees, but when it comes to the climate crisis, they come with a high price: They shield us from difficult truths and hinder our much-needed engagement in our changing world.”

“We’ve grown accustomed to relying on words and logic, which are essential – but they’re only a tiny fragment among the myriad ways our brain is designed to understand our experiences. We can discover ways to reawaken dormant forms of human perception that are undervalued in the dominant culture – including intuitive, creative, somatic (body-based), relational, and emotional intelligence – so that we can develop a more holistic and expansive understanding of our humanity and enable our eco-wise transformation.”

“I define emotional resiliency as the practice of cultivating the ability to remain present, open-minded, and empathetic in the face of increasing stress. Building resiliency is building the capacity to bear witness to and be present with more intensity without lashing out or “checking out. Emotional resiliency can be learned, and there are now a wide variety of valuable tools and practices emerging from neuroscience research and trauma studies.”

Chapter discussion questions/activities

1.     (Best done in pairs or small groups) Describe your experience, and what you learned in the Befriending the Nervous System with Creativity exercise from the chapter.

2.     Complete these sentences (can be done individually as a writing practice, verbally in pairs, or part of small group discussion)

Sometimes I numb my feelings by…

I can cultivate courage by…

When I’m standing open-hearted in strength,

an eco-wise action I’ll take is…

3.     Create a Cinquain. A cinquain is a non-rhyming five-line poem. This can be facilitated with adults and kids, individually or in groups. This is a resiliency tool that taps into creativity and is a great preparation for more flexible problem solving. When used with a group it supports connection and can be used as an icebreaker or collective closing, letting various member of the group call out words for the poem popcorn style.

Format:

• Title (choose a word that related to themes that arose when reading the chapter)

• Two words that describe the title

• Three interesting action words that fit the topic, ending in -ing

• A four-word phrase the captures your feelings about the topic

• One word, related to the title

Examples:

Web of Life

relationships, threads

touching, connecting, holding

bringing us all together

whole

Eco-Anxiety

scared, questions

trying, hoping, wondering

I hold my breath

worried

From All the Feelings Under the Sun: How to Deal with Climate Change by Leslie Davenport. Magination Press, APA Children’s Book Division. p. 59.

Excerpts from teaching materials

Links to additional resources

1. PBS Newshour: Tips for Combating Climate Anxiety in a Warming World.

2. PBS Short Film Festival: Everything Wrong and Nowhere to Go.

3. Emotional Resilience Toolkit for Climate Work: A handbook designed to provide emotional support, resources, and tools for eco-anxiety, grief, and the range of feelings that accompany climate work. In Italian.

Podcasts:

1. In This Climate: Climate-Aware Psychology.

2. Climate One: Series of Episodes.

3. Climate and Happiness: Breathing the Sky – Climate Coping for Children and Adults.

Leslie is available for public speaking and consulting. Frequent topics include:

• Public talks about navigating life in a rapidly changing world.

• Staff support for organizations, government agencies, and activists working in environmental fields.

• Working with kids, parents, and educators in supporting our youth and designing climate curriculum with social emotional learning

• Training for the mental health field and allied professionals in building climate-aware practices.

For inquiries, write to office@lesliedavenport.com.