Solastalgia is a term coined by Australian environmental philosopher Glenn Albrecht to describe a specific psychological pain from the changing places we live in. It is not an official diagnosis in the DSM or ICD, but it is a useful concept in psychology and public health. The most prominent driver of solastalgia today is climate change: it is accelerating extreme weather events, changing the appearance of the landscape, and disrupting the habits and certainties that make up our sense of home.<\/p>\n
Why does climate matter?<\/strong>? Climate change is increasing the likelihood and intensity of heat waves, long periods of drought, and sudden torrential rains and floods. In both mountainous and lowland areas, it is bringing seasonal shifts, tree deaths from drought and pests, more frequent forest fires, soil erosion, and biodiversity loss. In cities, the heat island effect and fluctuations in air quality are deepening. These changes are not abstract \u2013 they are changing the appearance of local rivers, forests, parks, and fields, the backdrops of our daily lives. When a \u201cfamiliar landscape\u201d is rapidly turning into a \u201cforeign landscape,\u201d for many it means a loss of anchorage and meaning.<\/p>\n \u2013 persistent sadness, anger, or helplessness when looking at devastated or dried-up places<\/p>\n \u2013 anxiety triggered by climate news, concerns about weather and future damage<\/p>\n \u2013 insomnia, body tension, headaches, fatigue<\/p>\n \u2013 avoiding once-favorite locations because they trigger pain and memories of \u201cthe way things were\u201d<\/p>\n \u2013 social withdrawal, loss of interest in activities related to local nature<\/p>\n Who is more vulnerable?<\/strong> People dependent on the land and water \u2013 farmers, fishermen, foresters \u2013 but also residents of areas affected by repeated heat waves, floods or fires. Children and young people are also at risk, who are intensely aware of climate risks through news and social media and may feel that their future is \u201cnarrowing\u201d. In cities, solastalgia is increasing after the loss of greenery, the drying up of parks or after storms that change neighborhoods overnight.<\/p>\n How does it differ from related phenomena:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2013 Nostalgia is the longing for a home we have left. Solastalgia is the pain of home because home has changed.<\/p>\n \u2013 Eco-anxiety is a broader fear of future climate threats. Solastalgia is more of a sadness and stress about local changes already underway.<\/p>\n \u2013 Ecological grief is the grief over the loss of species and ecosystems; it overlaps with solastalgia, but the latter emphasizes attachment to a specific place.<\/p>\n Why climate change hurts: It is global, long-term, and often irreversible on human timescales. Its \u201csignature\u201d is present in many everyday situations today\u2014from empty wells and poor harvests to repeated evacuations during extreme weather. It also brings a sense of helplessness: individuals did not directly cause the changes, but they suffer the consequences. When fair decision-making is lacking and communities have no voice in adjusting their environment, the psychological burden increases.<\/p>\n What helps at an individual and community level:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2013 Naming and sharing: talk about it with loved ones, in community groups, or with an expert. Just acknowledging that this is a legitimate response to climate and landscape change brings relief.<\/p>\n \u2013 Body and nervous system care: sleep, regular exercise, spending time in nature (even modified ones), breathing techniques, journaling.<\/p>\n \u2013 Care rituals of place: tree planting, riverbank restoration, community gardens, local monitoring and mapping of changes. They give a sense of efficacy.<\/p>\n \u2013 Information hygiene: limit doomscrolling, also search for solutions and recovery stories.<\/p>\n \u2013 Professional help: psychotherapy working with grief and trauma; if symptoms persist, seek professional help.<\/p>\n Systemic steps to reduce solastalgia:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2013 adaptation to climate change (green and blue infrastructure, urban shading, water retention in the landscape)<\/p>\n \u2013 restoration of ecosystems and protection of biodiversity<\/p>\n \u2013 just transformation of affected regions and participatory planning so that communities have a voice<\/p>\n \u2013 emphasis on prevention: reducing emissions and supporting sustainable solutions that reinforce the feeling that changes are being actively worked on<\/p>\n Solastalgia reminds us that mental health and climate change are inseparable topics. It is not a sign of weakness, but a natural human response to loss and uncertainty. If you recognize these feelings in yourself, you are not alone \u2013 support can be found in the people around you, in self-care, and in meaningful steps that bring hope and renewal to the place you call home. JRi<\/strong><\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Solastalgia is a term coined by Australian environmental philosopher Glenn Albrecht to describe a specific psychological pain from the changing places we live in. It is not an official diagnosis in the DSM or ICD, but it is a useful concept in psychology and public health.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-klimaticka-zmena"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37240"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37240\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}How does solastalgia manifest itself:<\/strong><\/h5>\n