Jennifer Atkinson Featured on the Podcast “Climate Change and Happiness”

Jennifer Atkinson’s new book The Existential Toolkit for Climate Justice Educators was featured on the July episode of Climate Change and Happiness, a podcast exploring the personal side of climate change and its impact on mental health. Hosted by American clinical psychologist Thomas Doherty and Finnish climate emotions scholar Panu Pihkala, the episode discussed how Atkinson’s book helps educators tackle climate anxiety and other environmental issues without overwhelming their students. As they wrote in the podcast summary, Episode 24:

“discussed the new Existential Toolkit for Climate Justice Educators and the emotional, political, personal and pedagogical challenges faced by teachers in the context of climate change. The conversation delved into the history of the Toolkit project, the lingering impact of COVID-19 on education, and the unacknowledged and inequitable impacts of climate and weather disasters on students, teachers and school systems, worldwide. Panu and Thomas reflected on their own schooling in Finland and the US, their personal teaching experiences, and advice on how to remain creative and to cope with fatigue and burnout.”

Sound Bites:
• “Teachers are under a lot of stress to give accurate information to their students about the state of the world, which can be quite troubling.”
• “The existential toolkit fills the gap in providing emotional tools for teachers and educators dealing with difficult topics like climate change.”