Avoiding Apocalyptic Overwhelm: Chelsea’s Story
“I find energy in turning toward the reality of climate change and trying to be responsive rather than reactive.” (Chelsea)
Late last year, Deb chatted with Chelsea about her life of activism …
People come to climate activism for a variety of reasons. What informs your activism?
My awareness of the climate crisis came about through a justice lens – while the climate crisis is all pervasive, it absolutely impacts some more than others. The heart of my activism comes from what I consider to be a central teaching of the Christian faith tradition, which is a commitment to justice for communities on the margins of society.
As a child I was embedded in a world that viewed nature as something to be subdued or as a ‘resource’ to use, whereas now I see all living things as interconnected, as part of a circle. Even when I was a child my dad encouraged attentiveness and curiosity about the wonder of the natural world – and he still does. Even last week, when my dad was visiting, he had the kids and I running out to the street with the binoculars to check out two beautiful hobby falcons that had landed in our neighbor’s large gum tree!
Chelsea Size, Australian Religious Response to Climate Change, Discobedience. Photo provided.
I had the privilege of living in Port Augusta with my family for eight years. During these years I learnt so much more about Aboriginal culture, knowledge and history and this made me more curious and open to the bigger, broader, more confronting things: it drew me into the bigger perspective. Having children also informed my climate activism and my sense of urgency and I feel accountable to them for my decisions and actions in relation to the climate.
I try to live my life in ways that best align to my values. I acknowledge that I’m very privileged and that I can make intentional choices about how I live. This means aligning my values with the common good and doing my best in terms of showing up the best I can in difficult situations. I am interested in asking questions about what it means to live a ‘good life’- a resilient life, a loving life and a connected life- and in this I can still take actions, even within the confronting existential unknowing that comes with living in a time of climate crisis.
Activism can take many forms, how do you ‘do’ your climate activism?
My activism has changed over time. I started with personal actions like recycling, growing vegetables and composting, especially once I had young children. I thought that living a life that does the least harm was the way to go. Over time, I have become more aware of the broader systemic issues that underpin the climate crisis. This drew me to seek out groups like Extinction Rebellion in 2020, Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC) in 2021 and the Climate Justice Network in 2023. I was drawn to these groups because of their commitment to non-violent direct action, which again connects me to some key teachings of my faith. These groups also help me feel that I have ways to respond to the urgency of the climate crisis.
Currently my main focus is with ARRCC and I represent them in the Climate Justice Network. I joined ARRCC because I was interested in their multi-faith approach; its collaborative way of working; and how it represents a particular voice in the climate area. ARRCC insists that the climate crisis is a moral issue. I’m in the SA members group and we organize actions locally, but also join in with national and international actions where we can. In the lead up to the last state election we did quite a bit of campaigning in the marginal seat of Boothby. As part of an international (Greenfaith) action we ran a day of action where banners were placed on places of worship and photos put on social media. Nationally we held a multifaith prayer event with the local service at St Johns Halifax. This ran alongside an open letter to the Prime Minister which attracted great media.
Chelsea joins other multi faith leaders in addressing climate change. Photo provided.
One of the issues that the CJN is interested in is how to increase people’s involvement in public, political action on the climate crisis. What insights do you have on this?
Conversations about the climate crisis are always difficult. Sometimes, when I talk with friends, or present at a community event or conference, it feels like people’s eyes get wider and wider with each sentence. In a way, even if we know the facts, we don’t want to know! We are all embedded in the industrial, consumer, capitalist society- something which ARRCC has called ‘collective enmeshment’. Like me, many of my friends are in their 30s and 40s, they are time poor, juggling mortgages/rent, children and work and it is really difficult to attend to something that is existentially challenging.
I am interested in practices, processes, questions, storytelling and rituals that might help us engage with, firstly, the confronting realities of the climate crisis, and secondly, building the climate action movement and community resilience. This is an ongoing project and has been a focus of my recent master’s studies in Narrative Therapy & Community Work.
I know you have a special interest in how climate activists sustain their activism – how do you sustain yours?
It is so important for me to have community around me who I can talk with that accepts the realities of the climate crisis and the unsustainability of our consumer society. This helps me feel more connected and less isolated. I also have many small spiritual and regenerative practices that I weave into my days: of noticing beauty in the everyday, deeply enjoying my cups of tea, lighting a candle, watching the New Holland honey-eaters in the garden or laughing gently at myself instead of critiquing.
My narrative practice community helps me deal with the existential overwhelm of the climate crisis. Narrative Practice comes from a place of curiosity and asks questions about the taken-for-granted ideas embedded in society and culture. I am a part of a wonderful international group of practitioners who are using narrative practices to respond to the climate crisis. They sustain me through recommending amazing speculative fiction books, important articles, and sharing the innovative, inspiring and challenging work they are doing alongside their communities.
Read Chelsea’s article: Resisting the cycle of apocalyptic overwhelm
Find out more about ARRCC: https://www.arrcc.org.au/