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Ecological Grief & Community Responses to Environmental Loss in the Anthropocene

Claudia Benham, The University of Queensland
Melanie Zurba, Dalhousie University

IASNR is excited to announce a series of webinars from the 2021 Virtual Conference. These webinars were highlighted by conference participants and IASNR Professional Development Committee members. The third and final webinar in this series is “Ecological Grief and Community Responses to Environmental Loss in the Anthropocene” and was organized by Claudia Benham (The University of Queensland) and Melanie Zurba (Dalhousie University).

Session Chairs: Claudia Benham (The University of Queensland) and Melanie Zurba (Dalhousie University)

Panel Speakers: Melanie Zurba (Dalhousie University), Lilian Barraclough (Dalhousie University), Sara Boyd (Dalhousie University), and Claudia Benham (The University of Queensland)

Panel Session Abstract: As the world experiences the increasingly acute effects of anthropogenic climate change and biodiversity loss, ecological grief – emotional suffering associated with the loss of valued environments – is becoming more widespread. In this session, we explore the phenomenon of ecological grief through a series of presentations that showcase the contribution of interdisciplinary research to understanding this emerging societal challenge. The session brings together topics such as youth responses to climate grief, the relationship between ecological grief and artistic practice, and community experiences of grief and environmental loss in a discussion that highlights the deeply social experience of ecological loss, the relationship between ecological grief and place, and the intricate dependence of people on the environment, and each other.

For questions, please contact Claudia Benham (The University of Queensland).