Climate Activists Adopt Joy-Focused Strategy

Activists, educators, and psychologists around the world are adopting a new strategy to address climate change, emphasizing joy, laughter, and community rather than sacrifice and doom. The shift gained attention at a retreat center in New York's Hudson Valley, where a group of climate activists drew notice for their constant laughter amid other teambuilding sessions, prompting a fellow participant to ask, "Who are you guys?"

This approach aims to make environmental action more appealing and sustainable by focusing on psychological insights. Seminars, books, and university courses now highlight happiness and connection to encourage behaviors that reduce carbon emissions, such as curbing the use of coal, oil, and gas. Earth Day, established in 1970 as a platform for both protest and celebration, serves as a backdrop for these efforts, according to its founders.

Katharine Wilkinson, an activist who led the Hudson Valley seminar, described joy as essential during challenges. "I believe that joy is all the more necessary and maybe all the more holy in difficult times," she said. "Joy is like, how do we take part in the shimmy and the shimmer even as the world lurches?" In a recent...