Feeling Climate Change

Debra J. Davidson gives us a hugely important lens through which to understand the crisis of climate change, and motive to do something about it. A highly important book.

Dr. Arlie Russell Hochschild, Sociology, University of California-Berkeley, author of The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling (2012), Strangers in Their Own Land (2016), and Stolen Pride (forthcoming)

Feeling Climate Change is a compelling account of the way emotions affect how individuals, institutions and societies respond to the climate emergency. Davidson offers a pragmatic and personal exploration of our collective capacity to better respond to climate change. Going beyond disciplinary boundaries, the book illuminates an in-depth understanding of the challenges we face. The main thesis is that while humanity may not emerge unscathed, there exists considerable potential to transform our relationship with the planet into one that is more mutually respectful. Davidson offers a thought-provoking exploration that empowers readers to play a vital role in shaping the future, offering hope and a roadmap to transform our current trajectory into one that is more sustainable and equitable.

Dr. Emily Huddart Kennedy, Sociology, University of British Columbia, author of Eco-Types: Five Ways of Caring about the Environment (2022, Princeton)

Reason, cognition, language, and facts still matter in Feeling Climate Change. But if we want to tackle something as complex and politicized as climate change, we need to also understand that these debates are as much about what we feel in our gut as what we know in our head. I highly recommend this book, as it helps cultivate our collective emotional intelligence.

Dr. Michael Carolan, Sociology, Colorado State University, author of Society and the Environment: Pragmatic Solutions to Ecological Issues (2020, Routledge)

There have been many publications on climate change in the past two years. Feeling the Climate is certainly one of the most important. The emerging literature on emotions and climate change, to which Davidson has made key contributions, demonstrates emotions matter. Davidson here orchestrates a concerto, showing how the literature on emotions outside of environmental work can be used to better understand emotions around climate change. She also clarifies how emotions work in consort with other factors that have been more extensively studied around environment, such as identity, values, beliefs and norms. This is exactly the kind of synthetic work we need both to advance the science and to offer advice for practice.

Dr. Tom Dietz, Sociology and Environmental Science, Michigan State University, author of Decisions for Sustainability: Facts and Values (2023)

In Feeling Climate Change, Davidson draws from and integrates important areas of research on emotions from across various disciplines, ranging from sociology to neuroscience, and in doing so offers a compelling case for how an emotionality lens can help create meaningful strategies for climate action. Ultimately, this is a book about bottom-up solutions to the climate crisis. It is beautifully and accessibly written and will work very well in courses and seminars on climate, sustainability, social change, emotions, and other related topics.

Dr. Andrew Jorgenson, Sociology, University of British Columbia, co-author of Super Polluters: Tackling the World’s Largest Sites of Climate-Disrupting Emissions (2020)

Facing the climate emergency, how can we cultivate visionary collective action rather than apathy and denialism? In this remarkable, engaging, and accessible book, Davidson – one of the most high-profile environmental social scientists internationally – helps us understand the conditions for human agency. The author explains why and how our emotionality is both a blocker and opener for transformational change. After reading this book you will never again maintain that the future is already determined.

Dr. Magnus Boström, Sociology, Örebro University, co-author of Environmental Sociology and Social Transformation: Key Issues (2024, Routledge)