Seasons greetings to all our members and subscribers!
As we pass the Winter Solstice, it is time to reflect on the past year. While the COVID-19 crisis continues to dominate the headlines, the twin environmental crises of climate change and biodiversity loss have also loomed large in the public consciousness.
November’s COP26 meeting ended with a controversial outcome and mixed reception. Despite various promises and pledges being made, skepticism at the seriousness with which world governments take the environmental crisis abounds. Mass demonstrations have accused world leaders of greenwashing and COP26 President Alok Sharma lamented that “the pulse is weak” for keeping the rise global temperatures below 1.5ºC.
There is clearly much work to be done to ensure not only that our governments keep their promises, but that they make these promises even more ambitious. For Ireland, which is a core member of the newly-formed Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA), it means ensuring that the State honours its commitment not to lease new exploration or production of oil or gas. It means safeguarding sufficient space for nature in Irish agriculture, something which groups such as the Irish Wildlife Trust have criticized the CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027 of failing to achieve. It means demanding that Ireland has a strong showing at the COP15 on biodiversity, due to be held in China next April.
The signs of climate breakdown continue to make themselves felt across the world. From flooding in central Europe to wildfires in North America, we are seeing as nature and human society are being pushed to the brink by evermore extreme weather events. The IPCC and Met Eireann have both argued that such events will only become more frequent the further the environmental crisis continues.
Such concerns are becoming more prevalent in the Irish public consciousness, as suggested in the EPA survey, “Climate Change in the Irish Mind”, which was published this month. The survey found that 91% of respondents say climate change matters to them personally, while 94% of respondents saying they trust scientists as a source of information. An earlier survey, the EPA 2020 in Review report, published in February, found that 84% of respondents said that access to nature was important for their mental health last year.
This latter point is of particular importance to the work being done by Ireland’s ecotherapists. In this regard, the Ecopsychology and Ecotherapy Association of Ireland has been replaced with Ecotherapy Network Ireland. This has been done to reflect the diversity of practitioners within the network, and to ensure that all practitioners within Ecotherapy Network Ireland are given equal value.
The link to the new website can be found here: www.ecotherapynetwork.ie
The complex political and social issues which surround the environmental crisis can make tackling it seem impossible. Though the name has changed, Ecotherapy Network Ireland will continue to strive to help clients engage with these challenges by exploring how the environmental crisis relates to our own mental state.
Our growing awareness of the fragility of our world can make it harder to appreciate the time we have with our friends and family, something so important at this time of year. In times such as this, it is vital to remember that we can only save the world by working together, maintaining and building strong connections with each other, and showing kindness to ourselves and to others. The values of togetherness and goodwill which are emphasised at this time of year are the same values which will be crucial to tackling the environmental crisis and ensuring a safe, beautiful world for ourselves and future generations.
Ecotherapy Network Ireland will be there to helpits clients, members, and subscribers on this journey and will always be available to newcomers who wish to explore the relation between nature and their mental health.
We wish all of you a safe and happy Christmas and a New Year full of possibility!