Beyond Ecogrief: Yale Climate Week 2025

This week, I had the chance to attend one of the Yale Climate Week events — Beyond Ecogrief: How to Move from Mourning a Changing Planet to Inspired Action. The session was led by Dr. Maya Prabhu, Associate Professor at Yale School of Medicine, who spoke about ecogrief, the emotional and psychological impact of living through climate change.

What made this event stand out was its openness. Unlike many formal panels, this session invited audience members to share their own vulnerabilities, creating a safe space to speak honestly about grief, guilt, and resilience in the face of environmental change.

Dr. Prabhu reminded us that it is normal to experience grief when faced with the realities of climate change. Some people feel this acutely because of personal loss, while others feel it as frustration with the limits of individual impact. She emphasized that coping is not one-size-fits-all: for some, writing, slowing down, and self-care help; for others, active engagement or seeking community support provides strength.

For me, this talk was personal. Growing up, I didn’t think much about nature — my interests were mostly indoors. But in high school, as academic stress mounted, I found refuge in running and walking outdoors. Nature became a place of calm. Today, I realize how climate change threatens even that source of relief. Hearing Dr. Prabhu and others share their stories made me reflect on how important it is to protect not just the environment, but also the emotional bonds people hold with it.

At Visioning Ambition, our mission is to support youth well-being and empower young people to pursue their passions. This event highlighted how climate action and mental health are deeply connected. By acknowledging ecogrief and giving young people tools to address it, we create space for them not only to cope, but also to transform grief into inspired action.