When the warning lights are constantly flashing red, with those in charge seemingly desensitised to the danger at hand, it can be easy for a sense of helplessness to creep into our lives. But as the dramatic effects of humanity’s impact on the environment threaten to overwhelm and paralyse our collective ability to act, it’s more important than ever to improve our own understanding, negotiate our anxieties, and empower ourselves towards positive change.

In this comprehensive, practical and motivating two-part lecture with a leading academic and two expert psychologists studying the environmental emergency, you will learn not only about the history of our shifting climate, but how you can use facts as a foothold up to personal action.

Over two stimulating hours, you will unlock valuable knowledge to ground you in the science behind the headlines, actionable steps you can take to reduce your own environmental impact as well as the tools to turn your eco-anxiety into eco-action - so that you leave this masterclass equipped with insights, and more confident in your ability to improve your world.

With Professor Mark Maslin, Professor of Climatology at University College London and author of How To Save Our Planet: The Facts, you will be taken on an information-rich whistle-stop tour through the causes of climate change and it’s potential future impacts. He will examine different futures and discuss why ‘net carbon zero’ is such an important concept. He will investigate the potential of individuals, corporations and nations to create a better collective future for our planet, and share insights from his attendance at the COP26 summit.

Next, co-directors of Climate Psychologists Megan Kennedy-Woodard and Dr Patrick Kennedy-Williams will give a talk on climate psychology, addressing eco-anxiety and grief. Beyond the doom and gloom narrative, how do we find hope today? Do we all feel eco-anxiety in the same way, or are there cultural and generational divides?

This two-part lecture-style workshop is essential for anyone who is observing the climate catastrophe with a sense of hopelessness, but wants to tap into their reserves of curiosity to better understand the world around them and transform their fear and anxiety into expertise and action.

Course content

Part one: Mark Maslin

Climate change: The Scientific Facts
Why is ‘net carbon zero’ such an important concept?
What can we learn from the pandemic to help deal with climate change?
Key steps individuals, corporations, and Governments can take to reduce the climate emergency.

Part two: Megan Kennedy-Woodard and Dr Patrick Kennedy-Williams

An introduction to eco-anxiety
Understanding our psychological responses to climate change
Transforming eco-anxiety into eco-action
Q&A

This course is for…

Anyone interested in understanding the climate crisis and eco-anxiety
Those looking for practical strategies for contributing to positive change

You will be sent a link to the webinar 2hrs before the start time of 6.30pm (GMT).

Tutor Profile

Mark A. Maslin is Professor of Earth System Science at University College London and a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit scholar. He is a world leading expert on climate change and has published over 175 scientific papers and 10 books. His book The Cradle of Humanity Professor Brian Cox called ‘exhilarating’,while Bill McKibben called his book with Prof. Simon Lewis The Human Planet ‘remarkable’. His latest book How to Save Our Planet: The Facts is the ultimate handbook of irrefutable facts for saving the planet and ourselves. John Simpson suggests ‘‘everyone should read it and absorb its contents’.

Megan Kennedy-Woodard and Dr Patrick Kennedy-Williams are the co-directors of Climate Psychologists, an independent organisation providing individual therapeutic support and wider consultation regarding the mental health implications of climate change. Central to their work is climate change communication. They work with individuals, parents, educators, national government and media organisations to promote psychologically-informed, constructive communication. Their aim is to inspire hope and positive, sustainable action to combat climate change. They are the authors of, Turn the Tide on Climate Anxiety: A Guide to Protecting Your Mental Health and the Planet, due out later this year with Jessica Kingsley Publishing and available to pre-order here. You can follow them on Instagram here.

Course Details

Date: Monday 15 November 2021
Time: 6.30pm-8.30pm (GMT)

6.30pm GMT | 7.30pm CET | 10.30am PT | 1.30pm ET

This masterclass is available globally. If you are joining us from outside the United Kingdom, please use this time zone converter to check your local live streaming time.

You will be sent a link to the webinar two hrs before the start time. Please email masterclasses@theguardian.com if you have not received the access link within one hour of the scheduled start time.

All Guardian Masterclasses are fully accessible but please contact us at masterclasses@theguardian.com if you have any queries or concerns.

Full course and returns information on the Masterclasses website

Anxiety to action: The climate crisis - and what we can do about it