Solastalgia following the Australian summer of bushfires

Abstract

People derive less solace from environments that become degraded or destroyed, which is an experience called solastalgia. In the wake of Australia's 2019–2020 bushfires, many Australians faced a markedly different natural environment: one, for example, charred by fire and void of the animals that once lived there. We examined experiences of solastalgia through individual, semi-structured interviews (N = 22) and a quantitative survey (N = 592) with members of bushfire-affected communities in Australia. In interviews, bushfire survivors described using environmental cues to understand and prepare for fire risk, and how environmental change led to emotions of sadness and frustration as well as personal and environmental regrowth and resilience. We also identified temporal aspects of solastalgia, including an anticipatory form distinguished by fears about future fires and environmental loss. Survey data showed that participants experiencing greater solastalgia reported higher symptoms of post-traumatic stress and anxiety, and feeling more anger and loss of control. Arid areas around the globe will be affected by bushfires of increasing intensity and frequency as the climate changes. Our findings provide timely insights into the likely psychological effects of such environmental change. Show more