About the Book
Overwhelmed by climate anxiety? Transform your angst into action to become the hero humanity needs
A lifeline for those suffering from climate anxiety, Facing the Climate Emergency combines expertise in clinical psychology and disruptive climate activism to help readers transform their fear and grief into courage and heroism.
The second edition of this beloved, radical self-help book provides:
An updated analysis of the context of the climate movement including COVID-19, the hunger crisis, growing political unrest, and more
An unflinching analysis of the accelerating impacts of climate change and what they mean for each of us, personally
Concrete strategies for tackling climate anxiety, including welcoming painful feelings and using them to catalyse change
Inspiring profiles of ordinary people sounding the alarm by gluing themselves to priceless works of art, blocking transportation corridors, and shutting down fossil fuel infrastructure
Resources, exercises for self-reflection, and an invitation to the Climate Awakening, a global virtual climate emotions platform.
Featuring a foreword by visionary filmmaker and philanthropist Adam McKay, Facing the Climate Emergency takes a deep dive into why disruptive grassroots activism is the fastest, most cost-effective path to transformative change.
Whether you're drawn to the front lines of high stakes, non-violent direct action, or prefer to play a supporting role, this guide will help you combat the forces of climate denial and discover your own power in the face of the greatest planetary crisis.
1st EDITION AWARDS
SILVER | 2021 Living Now Book Awards - Green Living
SILVER | 2020 Nautilus Book Awards: Rising to the Moment 2020
Table of Contents:
Foreword
Preface: A New Age of Climate Heroes
Introduction
Step One: Face Climate Truth
Step Two: Welcome Fear, Grief, and Other Painful Feelings
Step Three: Reimagine Your Life Story
Step Four: Enter Emergency Mode
Step Five: Join the Movement and Disrupt Normalcy
Conclusion: Alliin for All life
Endnotes
Index
About the Authors
A Note about the Publisher
About the Author :
Margaret Klein Salamon, Ph.D, is the executive director of the Climate Emergency Fund, which raises and grants millions of dollars to nonviolent disruptive climate activists. A graduate of Harvard with a Ph.D. from Adelphi University, Margaret brings her psychological expertise to all of her climate work. As founder of the grassroots advocacy group Climate Mobilization, she spearheaded the campaign for governments to acknowledge the climate emergency through an official declaration. A climate emergency has now been declared by over 2,270 global governments, comprising more than 1 billion of the world's citizens. Her Climate Awakening project facilitates hundreds of virtual and in-person small-group conversations, helping people transform their fear, rage, and despair into effective action. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Review :
"This book is a guide through the difficult emotions of climate activism, and we are lucky to have it. It helped me understand how to cope with the enormity of the challenges we face, and I bet it can help you too."
—Vanessa Nakate, climate activist, founder, Rise Up Movement, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
"If you are filled with anxiety and reeling from the onslaught of bad climate news, do yourself and your loved ones a favor and read this book. There is no way around the crisis we face, and no way around the dread we feel except to gather up our courage and fight like hell for the Earth’s future. I’m transformed and you will be too."
—Abigail Disney, Emmy-winning documentary producer and director, philanthropist, activist
"This is a life-changing book. Full of tough love, no nonsense moral clarity, and brave determination, Margaret Klein Salamon’s words will get you to sit up, reassess your life, and realize the history-making moment you’re in."
—Britt Wray, PhD, author, Generation Dread, Planetary Health Fellow, Stanford University School of Medicine
"This is the most powerful, honest, and psychologically astute book on climate change I’ve ever read. If we humans have a collective death wish, we certainly express it in our pervasive climate denial. Here is the antidote."
—Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow, Post Carbon Institute, author, Power
"Our civilization is asleep at the wheel as we speed headlong towards an irrevocable precipice. Margaret Klein Salamon and her Climate Emergency Fund are on the front lines of transformative action. This book is an exhortation and a wake up call. Everyone should read it."
—Jeremy Strong, actor
"There are many intervention points to address the climate emergency, but the most important one is within each of us—not by changing our light bulbs, but by owning our power. Facing the Climate Emergency is an invaluable roadmap for everyone who wants to move beyond despair and into effective action. Read it and let’s get to work!"
—Annie Leonard, co-executive director, Greenpeace US
"Most of us, most of the time, live in denial. Margaret is uniquely skillful at pulling us into reality, allowing us to live in full awareness of the challenges we face... a sober, prophetic voice that can cut through the din of apathy."
—Paul Engler, director, Center for the Working Poor, co-founder, Momentum Training, co-author, This Is An Uprising
"Facing the Climate Emergency offers relief for climate anxiety. With the skill of a psychologist and the passion of an activist, Salamon helps readers process fear and grief and find their place in the climate movement."
—Raffi Cavoukian, singer, author, Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring
"The only self-help book you will ever need."
—Jessica Wildfire, author, influencer
