Generation Dread Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Anxiety

by Wray, Britt; McKay, Adam

• ISBN13: 9781891011214
• ISBN10: 1891011219
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2023-10-03
• Publisher: The Experiment

Summary

“Generation Dread is a vital and deeply compelling read.”—Adam McKay, award-winning writer, director, and producer (Vice, Succession, Don’t Look Up)

“Read this courageous book.”—Naomi Klein, author of This Changes Everything

“Wray shows finally that meaningful living is possible even in the face of that which threatens to extinguish life itself.”—Dr. Gabor Maté, author of When the Body Says No
 
When we’re faced with record-breaking temperatures, worsening wildfires, more severe storms, and other devastating effects of climate change, feelings of anxiety and despair are normal. In Generation Dread, Britt Wray reminds us that our distress is, at its heart, a sign of our connection to and love for the world. The first step toward becoming a steward of the planet is connecting with our climate emotions—seeing them as a sign of our humanity and empathy and learning how to live with them. Britt Wray, a scientist and expert on the psychological impacts of the climate crisis, brilliantly weaves together research, insight from climate-aware therapists, and personal experience, to illuminate how we can connect with others, find purpose, and thrive in a warming, climate-unsettled world.

Author Biography

Britt Wray, PhD, is the leading researcher on the emotional and psychological impacts of the climate crisis. She is a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, where she investigates the mental health consequences of ecological disruption. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, and Globe and Mail, among other publications. She has hosted several podcast, radio, and TV programs with the BBC and CBC, is a TED Resident, and writes Gen Dread, a newsletter about staying sane in the climate crisis: gendread.substack.com.

Adam McKay is an award-winning writer, director, and producer. He directed and wrote the film adaptation of The Big Short, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and was nominated for Best Director. Most recently, he wrote and directed Don’t Look Up (starring Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Meryl Streep, and Cate Blanchett). His next film is an adaptation of the Elizabeth Holmes story Bad Blood.