Climate Change and Happiness

Climate Change and Happiness

We give language to what you feel about the climate crisis—and also what you might want to feel, feelings you can grow and cultivate. This supports your resilience and your mental health and wellbeing. We invite other experts to join us in our conversations, and we hope you can join us too.

Episodes

Season 5, Episode 2: Lessons From the Climate Anxiety Counseling Booth with Kate Schapira

September 30, 2025 • 35 mins
From Lessons From the Climate Anxiety Counseling Booth “In 2014, when Kate Schapira first set up a Climate Anxiety Counseling booth in her hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, far fewer people were talking about climate change and its attendant anxiety, leaving those who couldn’t ignore climate change and the forces that cause it feeling frantic and alone.  Seeking a way to reach out and connect, Schapira set up a  Peanuts-style ...
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Season 5, Episode 1: Youth and Intergenerational Connections – With Sarah Newman and Larissa Dooley of theClimate Mental Health Network

September 12, 2025 • 31 mins
Thomas and Panu were joined by Sarah Newman and Larissa Dooley of the Climate Mental Health Network. Sarah discussed her long-standing personal experience with eco-anxiety, and how it influenced her life choices and led her to establish the Network. Larissa, Director of Research and Programs, first learned of climate change's psychological effects during her graduate studies; the increasing frequency of wildfires in California late...
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Season 4, Episode 28: Remembering Joanna Macy

August 30, 2025 • 33 mins
Thomas and Panu reflected on the profound impact of Joanna Macy on their understanding of environmental emotions and activism. Thomas highlighted Macy's role in transforming environmental engagement from an intellectual pursuit to a visceral, emotional experience. He shared a personal story of meeting Macy and read an excerpt from his new book describing one of her workshops he attended as a graduate student. Panu reflected on his ...
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Season 4, Episode 27: On Raising Anti-Doomers with Ariella Cook-Shonkoff

August 15, 2025 • 30 mins
In this enlightening episode, Thomas and Panu sat down with Ariella Cook-Shonkoff, a licensed therapist and author of Raising Anti-Doomers: How to Bring Up Resilient Kids Through Climate Change in Tumultuous Times (2025). Ariella shared her journey from motherhood amidst California wildfires to writing a book that empowers parents to foster resilience in their children. Panu Thomas each reflected on their own parenting, and enjoyed...
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Season 4, Episode 26: Coming Back to Climate News after a Vacation

August 1, 2025 • 30 mins
Thomas advocates a news and technology break for people to enjoy their summer or holiday time; to reconnect with nature and their family; and replenish their own thoughts and dreams. But what to do when you come home? In this episode of "Climate Change and Happiness," Thomas and Panu Pihkala explore their own intricate balance between staying informed about global climate events and maintaining personal well-being. As they discuss ...
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Season 4, Episode 25: “Queer Brown Vegan” with Isaias Hernandez

July 18, 2025 • 33 mins
Thomas and Panu were joined by environmentalist Isaias Hernandez, creator of Queer Brown Vegan. Together, they explored the profound impact of identity on environmentalism, discussing how personal backgrounds, cultural heritage, and lived experiences shape one's approach to climate issues. Isaias shared his journey from growing up in Los Angeles as a first-generation immigrant to becoming a voice in the climate movement. The conver...
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Season 4, Episode 24: On Grief and Mourning for Animals with Panu Pihkala

July 4, 2025 • 32 mins
Thomas learned about Panu’s recent research with Elisa Aaltola on animal ethical mourning and how this relates to feelings people have about pets and companion animals, farmed animals and wild creatures. Like many of our emotions about nature and environmental issues, natural feelings for kindred species are often ignored, suppressed or disenfranchised (not recognized and given standing) in human-centric society and economics. Ways...
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Season 4, Episode 23: On Transformational Resilience with Bob Doppelt

June 20, 2025 • 34 mins
Thomas and Panu met with long-time environmental and mental health advocate Bob Doppelt. Bob talked about his personal story beginning with landscape and river system conservation and moving into sustainability and leadership education. Bob also spoke of his recent activities working with the International Transformational Resilience Coalition on ways that communities can connect and adapt in the face of climate disruptions. Bob's ...
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Season 4, Episode 22: Climate Therapy in Italy with Camilla Gamba and Lucia Tecuta

June 6, 2025 • 36 mins
Thomas and Panu engaged with therapists and researchers Camilla Gamba and Lucia Tecuta, who shared their cosmopolitan journeys into climate psychology and eco-therapy. Lucia and Camilla described their bicultural backgrounds in Italy and the US and challenges and opportunities in translating concepts like environmental identity and stewardship into the rich Italian cultural and historic context. Join us for an inspiring discussion ...
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Season 4, Episode 21: Climate Psychology in Italy with Matteo Innocenti

May 28, 2025 • 34 mins

The Climate Change and Happiness podcast is focusing on our colleagues in Italy this season. In this episode, Thomas and Panu spoke with Milan psychiatrist Matteo Innocenti to discuss the growing awareness of climate psychology in the country. Matteo described his personal journey inspired by witnessing the effects of pollution in South Asia and how the COVID-era loss ...

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Season 4, Episode 20: Changing Summers and Winters: Moods, Music Family

May 9, 2025 • 31 mins
With the coming of spring in the northern hemisphere, Thomas and Panu looked ahead to the summer and reflected on how we can no longer take for granted (or trust) that the seasons will be as they were before. What may have been a benign and clement season may now bring unexpected and uncomfortable weather – and even extreme or dangerous conditions. This profound change affects our mood, identity, families, and life plans. They refe...
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Season 4, Episode 19: Living Sustainably: A View from Finland with Mette Hartonen and Niilo Syväoja

April 26, 2025 • 36 mins
What does it mean to be self-sufficient and to live sustainably? How should we balance our use of modern technology with traditional living skills? Panu and Thomas discussed these and other questions with guests Mette Hartonen and Niilo Syväoja, who shared their perspectives as young adults from Finland. The group discussed ways to translate the concept of a self-sufficiency community to different cultural contexts – similar terms ...
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Season 4, Episode 18: Climate Psyched: A View from Sweden with Frida Hylander

April 10, 2025 • 34 mins
Thomas and Panu spoke with accomplished Swedish climate psychologist Frida Hylander. Frida shared her journey into climate psychology, the founding of Klimatpsychologerna, and the initiatives in Sweden to support individuals and communities dealing with climate anxiety. It was validating to see the parallels between climate and emotions initiatives in the US, Sweden and Finland and notably many of the barriers are the same, such as...
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Season 4, Episode 17: Eco-Friends Part II: Thomas and Panu Meet in Person!

March 31, 2025 • 25 mins
Here’s to in-person connections! Most people don't know that up until just a few weeks ago Thomas and Panu had never met in person. They had connected over long distance and constructed their podcast dialogue over the last few years solely through electronic means. So, it is very special to us that this episode was recorded over Thomas's living room table in Portland Oregon while Panu was visiting during his tour of the United Stat...
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Season 4, Episode 16: On Eco-Friends with Gregory Hill

March 14, 2025 • 33 mins
Thomas and Panu had a warm conversation with a long time friend and colleague of Thomas, environmental science and advocacy expert Gregory Hill. They explored the idea of “eco-friends”—the close personal relationships we have with friends and collaborators that support and inspire us in our environmental values and actions. Greg recounted his life from early connections with the desert lands of Arizona to his discovery of Buddhism ...
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Season 4, Episode 15: Climate Arts and Social Dreaming with Kamila Kuc and Julian Manley

February 28, 2025 • 34 mins
Thomas and Panu connected with Julian Manley and Kamila Kuc who joined in from Scotland and London to explore the intersections of climate change, emotions and the arts. Kamila and Julian described their recent collaboration using the practice of social dreaming, a group process to discuss and find larger meaning, emotional reality, and direction from personal dreams. Hosting social dreaming gatherings is a powerful way to foster c...
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Season 4, Episode 14: On Connectedness to Nature and Community Resilience with Cindy Frantz

February 17, 2025 • 32 mins
Thomas and Panu spoke with noted social and environmental psychology researcher Cindy Franz from Oberlin College. First, they revisited Cindy’s foundational research on people’s connectedness to nature. Then they discussed her new work on how communities adapt to climate change. Cindy noted that “adaptation begins in resilient communities” and saw her work at the local level as hopeful – “real people, attacking real problems in rea...
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Season 4, Episode 13: Coping When Disaster Finds Your Home with Gale Sinatra and Renee Lertzman

January 31, 2025 • 44 mins
Thomas and Panu met with USC climate researcher Gale Sinatra and climate psychologist Renee Lertzman and spoke about how to cope and help with recent Los Angeles wild fires—at the disaster site and from a distance. The need was made real in the context of Gale’s sudden loss of her home to the recent Eaton fire and her unfolding experience as a climate refugee. 
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Season 4, Episode 12: Coping with the LA Fires: Checking In With Local Therapists

January 24, 2025 • 45 mins
Thomas and Panu present a special episode focusing on coping with the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires with on the ground reports from Southern California Ecotherapists Linda Buzzell and Maria Nazarian, and artist and climate activist Maksim Butayev.
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Season 4, Episode 11: On Legacy with Stylianos Syropoulos

January 17, 2025 • 32 mins
Thomas and Panu Pihkala welcomed Stylianos Syropoulos, director of the Intergenerational Decisions and Effective Action (IDEA) Lab at Arizona State University to discuss his research on how people approach their legacy in relation to their environmental values. Stylianos explained that thinking about one’s legacy is an ancient and cross-cultural concern. Legacy can be understood in various ways like the biological legacy of having ...
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