286-3 Why Would We Act if We Weren’t Afraid? Getting Over Our Fear of Fear in Climate Communication and Education

Session: Balancing Tradition and Innovation: Evolving Geoscience Curricula for a Changing World, Part II

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Being frightened by climate change is a fully rational response to the climate emergency. That fear underlies the motivation for many of us who work to address climate change. Yet, many educators fear using fear in their climate education and communication efforts. 

That too is rational. It is uncomfortable to make people uncomfortable. But we have a moral obligation to be honest in our climate change education efforts, and honesty in this case induces negative emotions. If people aren’t scared regarding climate change, they do not understand it. 

As an educational strategy, fear should not stand alone. Being too scared can lead to a state of hyperarousal, where one cannot calm down. It can also lead to hypoarousal, where one is depressed and shuts down. In between these extremes is the “window of tolerance,” where one can access both reason and emotion and maintain mental engagement. The window is the optimal zone of “arousal” for a person to function in everyday life.

How can we help learners live inside the window of tolerance? Acknowledge that feeling fright and other negative emotions is a rational response to a frightening situation. Provide access to efficacious action. The most effective way to deal with negative emotions is to get to work on the problems inducing those emotions and to ideally do so in community with others. 

Not only does getting to work on the problem in community with others help to alleviate the consequences of climate change, it also reduces climate anxiety. That reduction in anxiety comes from both working on the problem and building community while doing so. 

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

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