Vulnerability and trust: affective landscapes in times of climate and ecological change

Oele, M. (2024). ​ Anxiety, Grief, and Trust in Times of Climate Change: A Phenomenology of Affective Constellations and Future Transformations in and beyond the Anthropocene. ​ Comparative and Continental Philosophy. ​ https://doi.org/10.1080/17570638.2024.2361409 ​

Marjolein Oele explores the affective landscape shaped by climate change, focusing on eco-anxiety and eco-grief as key moods that reflect the pervasive sense of destruction and loss in the Anthropocene. ​ Drawing on Aristotle, Heidegger, and Butler, Oele distinguishes between short-term emotions and long-term atmospheric moods, emphasizing their temporal flexibility and collective impact. ​ Eco-anxiety highlights vulnerability and existential uncertainty, while eco-grief captures the mourning of environmental loss, including solastalgia—a homesickness felt while still at home. ​ Oele argues that these affects, when combined with trust, can foster constructive transformations toward environmentally sustainable futures. ​ Trust, unlike short-lived hope, provides a foundational, enduring affect that supports collective action and rebuilding a sense of ecological "home." ​ The paper advocates for affective constellations—interwoven moods of anxiety, grief, and trust—as a pathway to transcend the fractured timelines and ecological crises of the Anthropocene. ​