Contextualizing eco-anxiety and eco-anger: tentative responses to visceral and numinous emotions

In this paper, we explore how the emotions of eco-anxiety and eco-anger can be perceived as potentially constructive responses to the climate crisis. We examine the context in which these emotions are experienced and expressed in light of the relationship between human beings and Nature. We argue that these eco-emotions are both visceral and numinous, and that this dual characteristic is critical when determining how best to respond to eco-anxiety and eco-anger. We propose that a suitable approach to this challenge is to draw from the imagination and the symbolic domain, and we offer personal reflections on what this process may look like.