A message for Earth Day
On wildfires, climate fiction, and our mental health
Hello friends,
Welcome to Sift. Shift. Lift. It is Earth Day as I write this post; wildfires are raging in New Jersey, Los Angeles is still recovering from the catastrophic fires that engulfed it earlier this year, and there are 13 active wildfires in British Columbia, two of which started in the last 24 hours.
This year, I am marking Earth Day by exploring wildfires, climate change, and mental health through the work of academics, artists, and activists.
And I want to share what I find with you. Ready? Let’s go.
The science is clear: burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) is causing hotter, drier
conditions, increasing the risk of wildfires in Canada and around the world.
Sift.
Sift through research on climate change.
The David Suzuki Foundation (quoted above) is doing it’s best to dispel misinformation, hold big oil to account, and equip citizens—that’s you and me—with the knowledge and tools we need to build a greener future.
Interested in learning how you can make a difference? Check out these resources from The David Suzuki Foundation.
Wondering how to talk to children about climate change? Download this free poster and worksheet (featuring art by Métis artist Nevada Christianson) from The David Suzuki Foundation:
Shift.
Shift your awareness through art.
When the fires raged through Los Angeles, I, like many others, followed the news closely. I have a friend there, and my partner’s cousin lives there with her family. I checked in on them daily. They were lucky; many, many were not.
This song by Oakland-based Fantastic Negrito and Miko Marks, which was released in the aftermath of another horrifying spate of fires, played in my mind constantly.
I also thought a lot about “cli-fi” or climate fiction, a “hot”—forgive the pun—genre in the literary world. One of my favourites is Greenwood by Michael Christie, aptly described by its publisher as:
A magnificent novel of inheritance, sacrifice, nature, and love that takes its structure from the nested growth rings of a tree.
Curious? Read about the novel in The Guardian or listen to Michael Christie talk about the acclaimed novel in this segment from “Canada Reads” on CBC TV.
If you want to learn more about climate fiction (or pick up more book suggestions), check out:
“Compelling climate fiction to read before it becomes non-fiction” (New York Public Library, 2023)
“The best climate fiction” (Five Books, 2025)
Lift.
Support mental health and well-being amidst climate change
In 2021, I wrote about climate change and anxiety in the wake of the fires that ravaged much of the world that year. I am reposting what I wrote here in the “Lift” section as it remains relevant.
As governments, non-profit organizations, and businesses focus on how to feed and shelter communities, generate power, fix infrastructure, and try to get things “back to normal” as soon as possible, people’s psychological health and safety needs to be tended as well.
For more information, read:
“Focus on climate change and mental health",” Nature (2018).
In recent years, some individuals and organizations have begun to rally around this issue and a growing body of therapists are promoting “climate-aware” support. You can find out more by visiting the website of the Climate Psychiatry Alliance.
Before you go…
Would you do me a small favour? If you enjoy reading Sift. Shift. Lift. please take a moment to like, share, or comment. It is a simple gesture, but it gives new-ish publications like Sift. Shift. Lift.—and creators like me—a much-appreciated boost.
Thank you my friends.
Thanks for sharing @B.A. Lampman
Thanks for sharing @Tee Sharpe