Climate change is inflicting devastation across the world at a great rate and its impact is most felt by those already disadvantaged, creating larger disparities and greater burdens. The World Health Organisation has called climate change “the biggest health threat facing humanity.” On the other hand, public health experts consider this crisis to be the ultimate opportunity to tackle social and environmental barriers that denigrate human suffering and dimmish quality of life. Millennials have loudly proclaimed through civic action, vivid banners, and strong messaging that addressing climate change is both urgent and a collective responsibility. Artists across the world are disrupting pre-existing narratives through bringing the level of urgency about the environmental damage to the forefront of awareness. While also creating innovative strategies through developing art-based conservation efforts and engaging their audiences to think more deeply about socio-political concerns.
Art therapists also have a responsibility to pay attention to the health of our planet. Doing so engenders a sense of care for ourselves as well as our clients, patients, and participants. Furthermore, we can leave the earth in a habitable shape for future generations to come.
This special issue aims to examine how art therapists are responding to the devastation that climate change is having on the individuals, groups, communities that they work with and the environment that encompasses their practice. We are looking for case reports, research, perspectives, philosophical debates, and theoretical papers that address any of the following questions:
- How are art therapists becoming ethical conscious about the life span of the art materials used in art therapy?
- What ways have art therapists observed the impact that climate anxiety has on our clients and community?
- How have art therapists developed art therapy practices to address the grief, loss and suffering caused by climate change?
- How have art therapists cultivated the climate justice ethos in various aspects of art therapy practices?
- How have art therapists examined their own environmental footprint when working with communities impacted by climate change?
- Why is it important for art therapists to become more climate aware and embed this stance within pre-existing models, frameworks, and methods?
