Contemplative Practice in the Face of the Climate Crisis

Abstract

As the climate and biodiversity crisis grows ever more serious, the article suggests five human reactions to climate change and the deeper responses they can provoke. It then explores what a contemplative practice can mean and how it can be a profound resource in coping with the despair that so many feel. This practice leads to a new relationship with the natural world. It assists in developing a new knowing, seeing and understanding, all of which confront the modern myths of consumer capitalism and human exceptionalism. Finally the article describes how contemplative practice leads to a way of living differently and becoming part of a different story.