How to Live in a Chaotic Climate: 10 Steps to Reconnect with Ourselves, Our Communities, and Our Planet

In this thoughtful debut, Schmidt, who, with Reau, cofounded the environmental nonprofit Good Grief Network, unpacks their organization’s core focus: a 10-step program aimed at tackling climate anxiety and promoting environmental activism. Outlining a program based in emotional health and community connection, Schmidt advises readers to fully experience their grief, rage, and fear, which are “totally normal responses to a hurting planet.” Processing these emotions, she explains, can “orient us to be a catalyst for profound change.” Once reconnected “with ourselves,” Schmidt continues, “we can... begin to reconnect with people, animals [and] the larger world.” This can mean joining a climate change support group or activist organization, whose powerful problem-solving capabilities come from their ability to generate “creative pathways that simply cannot happen when we are alone.” Readers should also engage in “meaningful action” tailored to their individual passions and skills, whether that means planting an organic garden or participating in nonviolent civil disobedience. Schmidt offers a rousing counter to the notion of suffering in silence here, though her emphasis on emotional work sometimes comes at the cost of a more concrete vision of activism. This will serve as a balm for those who feel panicked about the planet’s future. (Aug.)