Hope Matters

A much-needed, evidence-based argument for hope in a world living through planetary crisis.

We are at an inflection point: today, more people than ever before recognize that climate change and biodiversity loss are urgent and existential threats. Yet constant reports of climate doom are fueling an epidemic of eco-anxiety, leaving many of us feeling hopeless and powerless—and hampering our ability to address the very real challenges we face.

Hope Matters boldly breaks through the narrative of doom and gloom that has overtaken conversations about our future to show why hope, not fear, is our most powerful tool for tackling the planetary crisis. Award-winning author, scholar, and educator Elin Kelsey reveals the collateral damage of despair—from young people who honestly believe they have no future to the link between climate anxiety and hyper-consumerism—and argues that the catastrophic environmental news that dominates the media tells only part of the story. She describes effective campaigns to support ocean conservation, species resilience, and rewilding, demonstrating how digital conservation is helping scientists target specific problems with impressive results. And she shows how we can build on these positive trends and harness all our emotions about the changing environment—anger and sadness as well as hope—into effective personal and political action.

Timely, evidence-based, and persuasive, Hope Matters is an argument for the place of hope in our lives and a celebration of the turn toward solutions in the face of the environmental crisis.

Published in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute.

Elin Kelsey, PhD, is a scholar and educator, and an award-winning author of books for children and adults. She is a popular keynote speaker who regularly gives talks and leads environmental workshops across North America and around the world. Kelsey divides her time between Monterey, California, and Victoria, BC.