The world we live in is intricate and vibrant, a tapestry of experiences that bind us to one another and to the planet we call home. Yet, beneath this complex beauty is a challenge that is quietly unsettling the balance of our existence: climate change. It’s a phrase we’ve all heard, a topic that stirs debates and spurs marches. But beyond the noise, the reality of climate change touches lives in profound and deeply personal ways. This chapter is an invitation to see those impacts through the lens of everyday lives, to understand that the consequences of our global crisis are not distant events on the horizon but currents that run through the rivers of our shared human experience.
Earth
Nestled north of Sydney, the Hunter Valley is a place where the beauty of vineyards meets the gritty reality of coal mining. The valley’s economic bedrock lies in coal mining, primarily for export. While mining once evoked images of subterranean toil, modern-day mining in the Upper Hunter is predominantly a surface operation conducted in open pits. The shift from traditional mining to massive open-cut operations has not only reshaped the land but also the community’s way of life. Dust from the mines blankets everything, and the huge pits left behind are a stark reminder of what’s been lost. The scale of these operations has irreversibly transformed the Hunter Valley’s landscape, obliterating geological features and obliterating homes with each detonation, excavation, shovel, drill, and dump.
For the locals, the changes in their environment have led to a unique kind of homesickness for a place they still live in. This feeling has a name: solastalgia. Coined by philosopher Glenn Albrecht, it describes the distress caused by environmental change right at your doorstep. The term draws from the fusion of solace and nostalgia. This evocative term provides a name for an experience that many have endured yet struggled to articulate. It’s a term that resonates beyond the Hunter Valley, touching anyone who feels a deep connection to their changing surroundings. As humans, we are deeply interconnected with our environment, and when that environment undergoes rapid and destructive transformations, it can profoundly affect our well-being.