Coping with Ecological Crises from a Queer Ecological Theory Perspective: Eros and Melancholy

There is strong consensus among many that the Earth is undergoing dramatic changes in climate, resulting in increasingly destructive weather patterns, the mass extinction of species, and other effects. The uncertainty and stress that these changes place upon individuals and communities are strong, and persons may wonder how they can manage distressing feelings in the face of such systemic ecological challenges. This article focuses on how queer ecological theory frames the experiences of Eros and melancholy in relation to the environment, and how these feelings can be used to help people work with and integrate distresses that they may experience as a result of the changing environment. This article suggests that an erotic relationship with one's environment and with the Earth can help individuals soften the boundaries of self that keep them separate and isolated from connection to the places they inhabit and the beings with whom they share this space. This increased capacity for relating to place and/or the beings that inhabit these spaces may help individuals feel more connected to the places with which they live, easing their sense of isolation and aloneness. Likewise, normalizing and working with one's feelings of melancholy in relation to the changes happening in the environment can connect them to the larger world of which they are a part, potentially easing feelings of anxiety or isolation one may be experiencing. In addition, these experiences can help individuals feel empowered to take actions that may ease their sense of helplessness and contribute to the healing of their communities and the Earth.