Greenhouse gaslighting: How society silences climate distress
We’re finding ourselves in unprecedented times. Over 80% of Australians have been affected by extreme weather and climate disasters since 2019, and more than half of them feel their mental health has been impacted. And with what feels like a never-ending news cycle of drought, fires and floods in Australia, many of us are feeling anxious and uncertain about the future of the planet.
This anxiety is real and lived, but seldom validated. In this talk, multidisciplinary social scientist Dr Blanche Verlie explores ways social systems coerce people into silence when it comes to climate change, making people who are concerned about the crisis appear hysterical and irrational.
Join as Blanche explores how asserting the validity of not just facts, but also the emotional impacts of the lived experience of climate change, can transform society.
Bio
Blanche is a multidisciplinary social scientist at the University of Sydney whose work focuses on climate change and a member of Sydney Environment Institute. Her research investigates how people understand, experience, and respond to climate change, and how we might do this differently and better.
Blanche's work focuses specifically on the ways climate change is felt, lived and imagined, such as the often visceral experiences of climate distress, and the unequal and unjust dimensions of this, as well as how this affective injustice can inspire regenerative forms of climate action.
Her book Learning to live with climate change: From anxiety to transformation is available free online.
Event
Thursday 3 April, 7:30 – 8:15 PM @Fortress Sydney, Central Park Mall, Level 2/28 Broadway, Chippendale NSW 2008
The other talk at this location is How to grow a brain at 6:15 – 7:00 PM
Fortress Sydney is the ultimate destination for games and entertainment! They offer a one-of-a-kind experience that transports you to a world of fantasy and excitement.
