A Climate Change Horror, How Monsters Help Me Fight Climate Eco-Anxiety
Updated: Oct 18
There are many reasons to start a career in sustainability. But for me, it unfortunately all began with fear.
As a kid, I remember when I first heard that the sun would one day burn out. I spiraled as this harsh reality sank in: we are all just temporary beings on a floating rock, and so much of it is out of our control. How was I expected to move on to dividing fractions after learning that?
Then I learned about climate change. As a lifelong "Type A" control freak, I was horrified by what was happening to the planet.
But then I realized something powerful: this climate change horror was a crisis caused by humans. And that meant one incredible thing - it is also within our control.
Why Climate Change, Horror Movies Go Hand in Hand
Another thing about me - I love horror and monsters. Research shows that people with anxiety can be soothed by horror films because it allows them to confront their fears in a controlled environment, which is something I relate to . And one of the great things about the horror genre is most of it is crap. Crappy writing. Crappy acting. Crappy effects. Or the tri-crapta of all three. So when I find a good horror film or story that resonates, it’s like I found a treasure!
I started seeing these fictional monsters come to life in my world:
☠️ Big Oil & Politicians: I saw them as ruthless serial killers, prioritizing short-term wealth at the expense of human lives and the planet.
🧟 Climate Deniers: In my hometown, they manifested in my mind as hordes of zombies, blindly moaning about hot summers and "crazy weather." They are hungry for answers, but ignore the facts that scientists have known for years because those facts are tied up in politics.
👹 Corporations: Many felt like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...displaying a responsible green persona on the surface while being pulled toward an uglier, polluting reality behind closed doors.
🫠 Melting Ice Caps: I started viewing the ancient diseases and greenhouse gases trapped in thawing glaciers as a modern "Creature from the Ice Lagoon."
Images created using Gemini
What Is the Real Monster Behind Climate Change?
It's easy to vilify climate change itself, to look at the rising oceans, the dying crops, and the extreme weather, and just yell, "Why, climate change?!?"
But climate change isn't the monster; it’s a symptom. The real monster behind climate change is human complacency. It is an unseen, parasitic force that feeds on our effort, empathy, and will.
Like Dracula, it sucks your energy, emptying you out until you're nothing but a listless, indifferent shell. If only climate change was as sexy as Dracula.
Overcoming Apathy and Eco-Anxiety
I'm not immune to it. If I'm honest, the fear that drove me to this career seems to fade a little more each day. I read headlines about natural disasters and temperature records and just scroll past them. I walk outside in November to 90-degree weather and don’t bat an eye. This apathy, ironically, scares the living daylights out of me. It's a monster we all have to fight, because at the end of the day, hope is still there. We are still in control. This is a monster we created.
How to Fight Climate Complacency and Pessimism:
Break down big goals: Divide massive climate action plans into smaller, actionable steps.
Celebrate small victories: Acknowledge progress along the way to build momentum.
Reject climate fatalism: Fight against pessimism and the belief that we are past the point of no return.
"That's the nature of pessimism, it foreclosed the imagination of hope."
— Zoë Schlanger, The Light Eaters
Embracing Hope and Human Innovation
Hope, imagination, and innovation are never in short supply when it comes to humanity. I believe in our collective power to solve these problems.
The characters in my horror movie world are also much more complex than I first made them out to be. People aren’t purely good or evil. We are antiheroes. The climate solutions we need will come from embracing our full, complex selves.
Stay open, stay curious, and stay alert. And in the iconic words of Nancy Thompson from A Nightmare on Elm Street: “Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep.”
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