HOW ENVIRONMENTAL LOSS SHAPES OUR PSYCHE

Within the field of ecopsychology, a relatively new discipline that explores the connection between human well-being and the environmental state of our planet, two terms have recently gained prominence: Solastalgia and Eco-anxiety.

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Both designate the psychological impacts that climate change and environmental degradation have on individuals.

The word “solastalgia” was coined in 2003 by philosopher Glenn Albrecht while he was working at the University of Newcastle in the UK. At the time, the university was approached by residents concerned about the pollution caused by a local factory and a coal mine.

It can be triggered by news about natural disasters, species extinction, or bleak climate forecasts.

According to Albrecht, that was when he first recognized the intensity of the anxiety these individuals felt—an anxiety rooted not only in environmental damage, but in the threat such changes posed to their well-being and personal sense of identity.

Solastalgia refers to the distress or discomfort caused by witnessing negative changes in one's local environment, resulting in a sense of losing one's “home” even while still living in it. In essence, it is a form of nostalgia that can be experienced without the need to be physically away. Eco-anxiety, on the other hand, is the growing feeling of fear, worry, and unease about the future consequences of climate change and its looming effects on both the environment and society.

Solastalgia

Solastalgia refers to the distress or discomfort caused by witnessing negative changes in one's local environment, resulting in a sense of losing one's “home” even while still living in it. In essence, it is a form of nostalgia that can be experienced without the need to be physically away.

Eco-anxiety