Hope Matters. Elin Kelsey
Praise for Hope Matters
“Like Elin, I have met countless people who have lost hope in many countries. Most were apathetic. Some were angry. Others depressed. Because, they told me, their future has been compromised and there was nothing they could do about it. But there is something they can do. This book comes at just the right moment. It brings a message of hope to help curb the negativity, the gloom and doom we are confronted with each day. It is NOT too late if we get together and take action, NOW.”
JANE GOODALL, PhD, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace
“This is a truly eye-opening book: about our endangered planet, with many signposts towards a better world. Kelsey’s study is full of illuminating analyses and uplifting, empowering stories about people from all over the globe. A beautifully written book and an effective antidote against apathy and inaction.”
CHRISTOF MAUCH, director, Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society
“At a time of overwhelming anguish for our fellow citizens and the health of our planet, Kelsey provides clear strategies to translate hope into action, with inspiring stories of ecological resilience and restoration across the globe. Hope Matters points the way forward.”
FRANCES BEINECKE, former president, Natural Resources Defense Council
“Elin Kelsey writes with the acuity of a scientist, the grace of a poet, and the heart of a mother. Hope Matters is a clarion call to reawaken our spirits and renew our efforts—a book to inspire resilience for our children, for our leaders, and for ourselves.”
ANNE NELSON, Fellow, Arnold A. Saltzman Institute, Columbia University School for International and Public Affairs
“In a time when so much of the news on biodiversity is depressing, Kelsey reminds us that there are good reasons to be hopeful. This book is a tonic in hard times.”
CLAUDIA DREIFUS, author of Scientific Conversations: Interviews on Science from the New York Times
“As we work to turn back the urgent threats of climate change and species extinction, Kelsey shows through countless well-chosen examples that the solutions we need are there if we learn the habits of optimism and practicality rather than succumbing to despair.”
GEORGE BLACK, author of Empire of Shadows: The Epic Story of Yellowstone
“Required reading for anyone despairing about the future of the planet.”
MITCHELL THOMASHOW, author of To Know the World: A New Vision for Environmental Learning
“This book has an important message for everyone, including (and perhaps especially) for the hope skeptics. Hope is not about feeling cheerful or ignoring the facts to look on the bright side; rather, it’s about ‘recognizing both the threat and the potential solvability of the climate crisis’ and amplifying transformative solutions.”
VERONICA JOYCE LIN, North American Association for Environmental Education “30 Under 30” education influencers
“A refreshing and uplifting read. It is so useful as a teacher to have information to share with students about the power of the collective, the power of the small gesture which eventually is magnified, and the beauty, power, and creativity of the living, breathing world. An amazing, powerful, and wonderfully heartwarming book!”
ENID ELLIOT, leader in the Nature Kindergarten movement
“An uplifting and eye-opening read for anyone worried about climate change and the state of our planet. Kelsey brings us stories of recovery and resilience. A must-read for anyone writing or reading about the perils of climate change.”
LESLIE KRAMER, former producer, CBC News
A Note About Time
This book will not go out of date because the tension between hope and despair is always with us. At the same time, all of the examples I use are real life issues that are rapidly changing. I time-stamped content throughout the chapters to give you a sense of the current state of play when the book was written. Please be sure to hop online and look for positive developments that have transpired since I wrote this.
But, there are bats who catch fish and slime molds that sing
and ancient Greenland sharks who don’t even reach sexual maturity until they are 150 years old.
This is what I want to say to those who believe the Earth is already doomed:
Just look at the capacity of this gloriously complex planet.
CONTENTS
1.The Power of Expectation and Belief
2.The Collateral Damage of Doom and Gloom
4.Stories Change
5.The Age of Personalization
6.We Are Not the Only Ones Actively Responding
7.The Strength of Empathy, Kindness, and Compassion
8.Trending Hopeful
Afterword
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
INTRODUCTION
I WROTE THIS BOOK for you—and for the people you love who believe the world is screwed.
I suspect you know who I mean—the ones brave enough to acknowledge the existential angst of living and working through a planetary emergency. We see it in students who appear to have everything going for them yet are so desensitized by environmental despair, they are simply done with feeling; or the ones so saturated with doom-and-gloom messages, they honestly believe no future exists. We hear it in adults grieving for the world their children will live in. We watch it echo around the world through the voices of the million and a half students joining Greta Thunberg in school strikes against climate change.
Whenever I speak about environmental solutions and positive global conservation trends, I encounter people so hungry for hope, they line up to talk to me. They follow up with long, thoughtful emails telling me they honestly believe the state of the planet is past the point of no return. They express incredulity that hope could exist.
What is clear from these conversations is that more of us are aware of the very real and urgent environmental problems we face than ever before; more people care and are ready to take action, and our worries about these issues are profoundly impacting our lives. According to the American Psychological Association, climate change has far-reaching effects on our mental health: it triggers stress, depression, and PTSD, strains our personal and community relationships, and leads to increases in aggression, crime, and violence, to name but a few of these effects.
My journey into this issue began in earnest in 2008, when I led a series of workshops at the United Nations Environment Programme’s Children’s Conference on the Environment in Stavanger, Norway. I met with children between