A Journey Through Solastalgia

Solastalgia: The pain or distress caused by the loss of, or the inability to derive solace connected to the negatively perceived state of one’s home environment (Glenn Albrecht, 2007).

For this episode of the Post Growth Australia Podcast (PGAP) co-hosts Mark Allen and Michael Bayliss explore the emotional impact of becoming disconnected from home and place, an experience that can too often be a downstream consequence of the rapid pace of our growth-based culture. Michael and Mark share their own experiences and are joined by two special guests. Ron Birch is a long-time activist based in the Forest of Dean, UK, who among many achievements coordinated the Stratford Park Trees protest in Stroud in the late 1980’s. Jeannie Steed, a current resident of Albany who was born in the UK, shares her experience of feeling disconnected from her home country during a recent visit.

If you would like to watch footage of the Stratford Park Trees protest and one of the confrontations that they faced, a video is available on YouTube below. We warn that some scenes may be confronting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj_cZ87duoM&t=569s

Shifting baseline syndrome describes how each new generation accepts a degraded natural environment as the normal baseline. Coined by fisheries scientist Daniel Pauly in 1995, it explains why people do not notice long-term ecological loss, leading to lowered expectations and less pushbacks against environmental damage.

Michael and Mark discuss the challenges of discussing solastalgia, particularly when the sense of loss associated with time and place is deeply personal, difficult to put into words, and hard for others to relate to. This can be especially true for younger generations who do not have the same long-term connection to a particular place. This is concerning during this era of late-stage capitalism, when the rapid pace of change too often results in a deterioration of the natural world.

Michael shares his poem, Past, Present and Future, inspired by his experiences of solastalgia and shifting baseline syndrome. The poem can be read in full on the PGAP BLOG

This episode also references an article that Michael wrote for “The Overpopulation Project: The Planet Cannot Hold the Weight of 8.2 billion Narratives. Here’s Why…”

Mark reads an extract from the sermon that was delivered at the recent Whittington Purse Service, an annual event held as part of the St Briavels Bread and Cheese Scramble at St Briavels Church, on the edge of the Forest of Dean. The sermon explicitly mentions the need to transcend the economic growth-based paradigm. To find out more about this ancient ritual, you can access the link HERE.

NIMBYism (Not In My Back Yard) is a largely derogatory term often used to describe residents who oppose development in their local area. More recently, it has often been used in contrast to YIMBYism (Yes In My Back Yard).

This episode explores NIMBYism as a term and considers how its use can be counterproductive and inflammatory, as it can overlook the emotional connections people have with their neighbourhoods, as well as the social and environmental benefits they provide. Mark and Michael propose that the Retrosuburbia movement, championed by David Holmgren, offers a way to make our suburbs more adaptable while retaining the majority of existing, robust housing. David was interviewed for PGAP’s first season, where he discusses Retrosuburbia in further detail - LINK HERE.

PGAP invites all listeners to share their solastalgia stories/experiences with us. If you would like to share, feel welcome to contact us anytime on our CONTACT FORM.

PGAP is made possible through the kind support of Sustainable Population Australia (SPA). All perspectives, views and legacies of PGAP guests are exclusively theirs and may not necessarily reflect those of PGAP or SPA.

Timestamp

00:00:00 - 00:04:47: Introduction (Michael Bayliss/Mark Allen)
00:05:04 - 00:18:30: First guest, Jeannie Steed
00:18:47 - 00:24:04 Commentary (Michael Bayliss/Mark Allen)
00:24:19 - 00:36:15 Second Guest, Ron Birch
00:36:32 - 00:40:38 Commentary and extract from Whittington Purse Service from Mark Allen
00:40:39 - 00:43:26 Poem - Past, Present and Future from Michael Bayliss
00:43:27 - 00:54:33 Michael's experience of Solastalgia and commentary (Michael Bayliss/Mark Allen)
00:54:34 - 01:00:42 Mark's experience of Solastalgia and outro (Michael Bayliss/Mark Allen)