Living With Loss In the Anthropocene

Abstract

Heatedly contested at various points in its development, climate change discourse is at once a political and social issue, an environmental and ecological issue, and a physical and mental health issue. Less attention has been paid to the latter. During her work with the terminally ill, Kübler-Ross (2005) outlined 5 stages of grief: anger, denial, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. That outline is now seen as analogous to the feelings that we may have towards issues of climate change, e.g., the real and perceived loss of ecosystem services, as well as uncertainty in regard to the future of humanity. With that in mind, I created The Anthropocene Adventurer magazine. Conceptualized as a visual and emotional response to climate change, The Anthropocene Adventurer magazine was developed to stimulate climate change communication. The Anthropocene Adventurer magazine grapples with the question, "What does one do when climate change hits home?"