The Power of Hope in Fighting Ecocide
Written by Vidhi Ramnarain
There is reason to be hopeful, to adapt to the ever-changing new normal with renewed purpose and urgency.
The growing impact of climate change often feels like a losing battle. We are nearing critical tipping points which could be irreversible for the ecosystems. This impact causes many people to grapple with profound emotional responses, particularly ecological grief. Ecological grief, which arises from the loss of both physical and familiar environments, as well as the anticipated future loss, reflects a deep sense of loss, anxiety, and despair. Yet, amidst these emotions, there is reason to be hopeful, to adapt to the ever-changing new normal with renewed purpose and urgency. The power of hope should therefore not be overlooked as it can be a motivational force leading to more action, and in turn, fueling more hope.
Social scientists have identified hope as an important component to engage people in solving problems and is often linked to a belief in the possibility of a better future. At the World Economic Forum 2024, hope was positioned as a key message to inspire people to reimagine their relationship with the natural world. However, hope manifests in different ways, and how it is expressed significantly influences its impact. On one hand, passive hope, also known as “false hope”, is associated with denial followed by inaction and a lack of motivation. For example, if hope is conveyed through aspirational messaging without emphasizing actionable pathways (“we have to stay positive!”), it risks reinforcing inaction. According to Maria Ojala, expert in socio-ecological resilience, hope based on denial is negatively related to environmental engagement and involves ignoring the reality of environmental degradation, rather than accepting the situation and taking constructive action. Focusing on false hope (“Everything will work out”) can perpetuate fear in individuals. To move away from this narrative, we can draw lessons from literature in the field of palliative care, where life and death decisions are common, and can provide some insight. It states that hope can be fostered in terminally ill patients without deceiving them about their condition. In this context, hope is viewed as creating meaning in the present and not as a promise for a better future. This sentiment reflects how individuals cultivate hope and attach it to their personal sense of meaning, even when facing the daunting reality of the climate crisis, fostering both resilience and purpose.
Snyder’s hope theory offers an alternative to the notion of mere passive hope. He argues that hoping is a cognitive process, where individuals must set goals, and have the ability to find pathways to achieve them. This also requires agency, motivation, and it focuses more on a solution-focused approach to the environmental crisis. In the context of the criminalizing ecocide movement, the hopeful mindset implies that individuals first think about the strategies they can take to pursue a goal of how criminalization may stimulate positive change, commit to actionable goals and believe in the possibility of success. The existence of such laws can add to the hopeful mindset and provide a sense of empowerment and agency to individuals concerned about environmental issues as well as promote proactive behaviors.
Criminalizing ecocide can be considered as a new revolution towards igniting hope in individuals’ lives. It can provide a beacon of hope as it paves way for constructive engagement – individuals coming together collectively to resolve it. It essentially sends the message that the world is moving beyond passive recognition of environmental harm to taking meaningful action to prevent it. This message can be empowering, and this balanced view of hope and action through ecocide laws can enable individuals to recognize their own capabilities and the opportunities available to them which can help them in enacting behavioral change associated with ecological crises. The collective actions to push the criminalization of ecocide on the international stage can potentially redefine humanity's relationship with nature, offering a foundation of hope grounded in accountability and environmental respect.
Criminalizing ecocide can be considered as a new revolution towards igniting hope in individuals’ lives.
Howard Frumkin’s recent paper further highlights that hope is a prerequisite for constructive engagement, a finding that aligns closely with climate activism research. Embracing hope motivates individuals to join social movements, fostering cooperation within groups and encouraging the pursuit of collective goals. In a Ted Talk, Dana Fisher argues that despite the grim outlook, hope is important for positive change, and she believes that these climate shocks will ultimately lead to widespread activism and profound change. This also shows that it is important that individuals move beyond an individualized psychological model of hope, to be able to engage in broader, active change. Through those movements, individuals tend to feel more hopeful as they understand that they are not alone in fighting the fight and get support from other activists. Social movements are known to have invoked emotions such as hope which can contribute to social change. Summers-Effler also suggested that for such movements to arise, solidarity and emotional support are crucial. When people come together for a cause, they may be able to organize resistance through sufficient emotional energy, supportive communities, and leaders who inspire hope. Through the Stop Ecocide movement, hope can therefore be transformative and help individuals believe in the possibility of justice and meaningful change. In this way, individuals can aim to protect the future ecosystems through protective efforts and further create a sense of justice.
Ultimately, hope serves as an important motivational force and provides a framework for action, guiding both individuals and societies towards more optimism and meaningful engagement. In the conversations surrounding ecocide, hope can serve as a personal and collective force to inspire real change. The source of hope can be the ‘we’ in collective action. Like David Montgomery wrote in his essay on “The Search for Environmental Hope”: “So if you feel defeated or disheartened about the climate, I say: Good. Embrace your despair. And then step into the hope of your next move”. In a time of ecological crises, it is more important than ever to support and encourage those to engage in conversations surrounding hope and ecocide.
This article is related to Understanding Ecological Grief and the Reality of Ecocide. Conceptualizing Ecocide is one of the signature projects that are part of the strategic theme Pathways to Sustainability.