Finding hope in positive stories and imagination

Eco-anxiety catches those who have a lot to lose (Global North), but also vulnerable populations, those whose houses cannot withstand the hurricanes. It concerns just as much those who "think" about changes, who read and document themselves, as those who experience them. For the latter we will speak of a form of "melancholy linked to the loss of the known environment" = SOLASTAGIA. Some solutions to this feeling of hopelessness can be: • Strengthening your emotional resilience; • Frugality: consuming less, being consistent, leading by example; • Being in the Action, volunteering, campaigning, advocating; • Disconnecting from social networks, distancing yourself from infobesity; • Sharing solutions, mutual aid, and experience; • Staying connected to real people, "you are not alone"; • Reconnecting with Nature: going for a walk in the forest, mountain, park.

Rob Hopkins is an activist and writer on environmental issues, and the founder of the Transition Network and the international Transition Towns movement. In an interview given to Youth at Work Partnership, he explained "We really have to reframe the story. In my work, I try to say to people: we could create a future that would look quite different from today, but that would be so much better, where we would have more time, more space, more connections with other people, more interesting work, where we would live in more beautiful diverse places." (watch the full interview here). Shifting the perspective and deciding to approach the climate emergency as an opportunity for innovation and progress instead of a depressing lost battle can also be a good way to invite the public into the concept of Circular Economy. Here are some more visual resources that invite the viewer to hear the stories of people who are actively making a change and to imagine a better future.

• Tomorrow (Demain) (2015) : Instead of showing the worst that can happen, this documentary focuses on the people suggesting solutions and their actions. • Paris to Pittsburgh (2018) : empowering documentary consulting climate scientists, geologists, politicians, and local pioneers to understand what some cities are actually doing to achieve the goals set by the Paris agreement. • Kiss the ground (2020) : the film optimistically showcases those championing regenerative agriculture, running composting and sustainable waste management facilities, and fighting to restore balance to the planet through the dirt under your feet.

• 2040 (2019) : Positive vision of the future in 2040. • What if… (2020) [TedX] : Rob Hopkins, cofounder of

Transition Network, opens a new perspective on how to approach the climate emergency and the importance of imagination. What if we saw this transition time as an opportunity to imagine a great future?