About the author

Peter Friederici is a Professor in the School of Communication and Program in Sustainable Communities at Northern Arizona University. He writes, teaches, and works on community initiatives involving ecology, food, and storytelling on the southern Colorado Plateau. His most recent book is Beyond Climate Breakdown: Envisioning New Stories of Radical Hope.

Excerpts from the chapter

“Julia Corbett has suggested that a needed element in climate change storytelling is the explicit acknowledgement that humanity is moving through a “liminal” period, one in which our entire species is moving from one worldview or fundamental set of values to another—though many indigenous or land-based groups of people already have values closely allied to where we need to go. To succeed in that process, we need to acknowledge that this transition is underway—a recognition that should come as a relief to young people infused with the knowledge that the old narratives no longer make sense.”

“We need to create irresistible new stories that transcend science, policy, and individual-level action. Informed by long traditions of storytelling from minority cultures, these stories can present new visions for how humans can live together on the planet in a climate-change future—a future that will be characterized by immeasurable loss and grief, but also by new possibilities of community and of living within limits.”

Chapter summary

Climate breakdown is the ultimate wicked problem, affecting everyone and everything we do. In the face of its complexity, many grasp for standard, ready-made narratives humans have developed to comprehend it: denial, techno-optimism, fatalism, despair. Though seemingly disparate, these narratives are all structured as tragedies that deny decision-making power to all but a privileged few. The result? Disconnection, and inaction.

Yet turning to tragedy’s ancient foil, comedy, suggests promising alternatives. By integrating lessons and activities from realms as disparate as standup comedy, oral history, counseling psychology, and Indigenous traditions, educators can encourage students to explore climate breakdown in productive ways that center engagement, community, and the courage of honesty.

Additional resources

Andrew Boyd, I Want a Better Catastrophe: Navigating the Climate Crisis with Grief, Hope, and Gallows Humor (New Society Publishers, 2023)

Oliver Jeffers, Begin Again (Philomel, 2023)

Ailton Krenak, Ideas to Postpone the End of the World, translated by Anthony Doyle (Anansi International, 2020)

Contact details

Peter is interested in speaking to live audiences. You can contact him via this email.

Peter’s personal website: https://peterfriederici.com/.

Sample of student work