What exactly is climate optimism, and how can we be optimistic about the future, especially with the climate crisis right at our doorstep?
That is a question I get a lot of the time, and something I like to remind people, as I remind myself so often, is that optimism isn’t a mindset or an attitude — it’s a practice.
But what exactly does that practice look like? That is what I aim to break down with The Climate Optimist Venn Diagram.
Why is it a practice?
Climate optimism is not what I call toxic positivity, where we rely on the outside world to give us reasons for hope. Hope is an active participation in what we believe is possible next.
It’s in our actions that hope is brewed, and it’s also where we nurture and grow our optimism. So optimism is a practice, and it’s one that we can actually start to understand quite easily when we map it out. To better explain the practice of climate optimism, I have created what I call the Climate Optimist Venn Diagram.
It’s a three-pillar Venn diagram that really speaks to the core essential pieces of climate optimism and how they can play a part — and should be playing a part — in your life, in your work, in your mission, and in our time here on earth right now, living through these pretty unprecedented times.
In this episode, I walk you through the Venn Diagram piece by piece and invite you into the practice of climate optimism. In a world often clouded by doom and despair about the future, climate optimism isn’t about ignoring reality. It’s about cultivating hope through consistent, intentional action.
Let’s get into it!
Do you find this helpful? Please feel free to use it in your own work and when introducing the principles of climate optimism to your communities!
Does this resonate? Here’s how we can work more together!
* Explore the Climate Optimist Retreat in El Salvador
* Connect for speaking, consulting, or workshop opportunities at theclimateoptimist.com/contact
Also mentioned in the episode:
* Download The Climate Optimist Venn Diagram
* Learn more about the Inner Development Goals (IDGs)
* Book chapter mentioned in The Climate Optimist Handbook: 41 - 43
* Book by Jack Adam Weber: Climate Cure
* Episode 104: The 3 Narrative Shifts
* Episode 96 with Charlie Sellars from Microsoft
