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Overcoming the sad affects of the energy transition

Public and global health | Mental health, the mind and behaviour

Join us for an instalment of the Weather, Climate, and Health Research Theme's online talk series.

  • Date (DD-MM-YYYY)

    17-03-2026

  • Time (GMT/BST)

    17:00 - 18:00

  • Cost

    Free

  • Education type

    Virtual

  • CPD subtype

    Scheduled

Description

The current preoccupation with the future, in terms of the sixth mass extinction or post-apocalyptic futures, produces sad affects such as eco-anxiety and grief. These sad affects diminish our power to act by dissociating people from the climate issue. Considering the ability of affects to augment or diminish our power to act, I point to the importance of infusing any alternative to the dominant transition paradigm with positive affects, such as joy and pleasure. I discuss the local experimentations of ZAD Notre-Dame-des-Landes as offering new positive attachments that counter the technocapitalist transition imaginary and produce joyful affects. Rather than serving as models of a utopian living, they function as images and produce affects, connecting to the structural and collective order.

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