I am a practitioner who has worked professional in the environment field in both Australia and Canada for nearly 30 years. For the last 13 years I have had a focus on climate change. In 2016 I was working with the State Government in Victoria Australia in a high profile pilot program working with local government on climate change. After reading the book “Flourish” by Martin Seligman, I said that there is something in this that could be important for climate change. My two colleagues looked at me a bit bemused. I persevered, found the Masters of Applied Positive Psychology course at Melbourne University and was accepted into the course, graduating in 2019. My Capstone looked at climate change and Hope Theory, and also picked up the possibilities around Appreciative Inquiry. I have since made presentations to Rotary groups and other community groups, and obtained a very positive response.
This paper describes the lessons learnt and discusses the potential for using aspects of Positive Psychology in helping people gain control. Through understanding about climate change, setting goals and taking actions people can increase Hope and create a virtuous positive circle of actions. Increasing hope through action can lead to reduced emissions, people making different decisions that can both reduce the impacts of climate change, and adapt to the current impacts of climate change.