Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about climate paralysis — that feeling when you care deeply about sustainability but still struggle to act in big, consistent ways. I see it in myself, in conversations with friends, and even on the shelves of the grocery store (remember my post on sustainability labels?). So, for this week’s blog, I wanted to highlight someone whose work has helped me make sense of this emotional tug-of-war: Dr. Kari Norgaard.
Dr. Norgaard is a sociology and environmental studies professor right here at the University of Oregon. She studies something called “socially organized denial” basically, how people can intellectually accept climate change as real, but still emotionally disengage or feel stuck. Her research has been like a mirror: not always comfortable, but incredibly clarifying.
In her book Living in Denial, she studied a community in Norway that openly acknowledged climate change, they read the news, saw the science, yet didn’t make significant changes to their lives. Sound familiar? It’s not that they didn’t care. They cared a lot. But climate change felt too massive, too painful, too abstract. So, like many of us, they coped by mentally pushing it to the side.
“We know about climate change but act as if we don’t,” she writes. “This is not ignorance. It’s something more complex — a kind of collective coping mechanism.”
When I first read that, I felt so seen. It explained why I can be passionate about composting and still forget my reusable bags. Or why I research zero-waste swaps but still get overwhelmed by packaging in the produce aisle. Guilt doesn’t help, but understanding does.
What really excites me about Dr. Norgaard’s work is that she doesn’t stop at diagnosis. She also talks about what motivates action: community, cultural values, and yes — hope. But not the sugary, “everything will be fine” kind of hope. She talks about motivated hope , the kind that grows from collective action and doing something, even if it’s small.
She’s also done incredible work with the Karuk Tribe in Northern California, showing how Indigenous ecological knowledge offers powerful, grounded solutions to environmental crises. That kind of systems-level thinking, pairing cultural wisdom with scientific urgency, aligns so well with the vision of sustainability I’m trying to explore on this blog.
As students, consumers, and just everyday people navigating the climate crisis, it’s easy to feel like we’re not doing enough. But Dr. Norgaard reminds us that denial isn’t always malicious and it’s often emotional. And the antidote isn’t shame. It’s understanding, community, and sustained engagement.
This post is a little different from my usual, not a product review, not a recipe, not a how-to, but I hope it offers something just as valuable: a framework for grace, reflection, and meaningful action.
Until next time: compost what you can, breathe deep, and be kind to your climate-anxious self.
slow growth 
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