There are no longer any debates about whether there is any climate change — we know that over recent years the climate has been changing at the fastest rate in the last 2000 years. Changes are and will be happening, and not only in nature and ecosystems; we will also experience them in our daily lives. Hence, people are increasingly more often experiencing psychological phenomena caused by climate change: sadness, anxiety, uncertainty about the future. These feelings are especially common among young people. The great uncertainty about the future casts doubt on many choices today, such as can we allow ourselves to have children? What will climate change take away, how will it affect the future? And finally, how do we live a decent life in the shadow of climate change? Climate change, the sadness and other emotions it causes, and how to live on - this is what the debate is about.

The discussion “Youth and Climate Sadness: How do you cool down your mind and live on?” will involve the participation of a researcher and lecturer of the University of Latvia, the head of the Latvian Permaculture Society Elgars Felcis, doctor-psychotherapist, the head doctor of the RSU Psychosomatics Clinic and RSU Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy lecturer Artūrs Miksons, as well as climate activist and influencer Edgars Fresh, aka Edgars Feščenko. The conversation will be moderated by Sandra Kropa, Latvian Radio and Latvian TV programme manager, science journalist, and programme producer.

The discussion will be available both remotely and face-to-face. To watch it online, go to https://festivalslampa.lv/lv/programma/pasakumi/1342 and choose the option live here (šeit būs tiešraide). The discussion will also be available on the Facebook social network profile of the Latvian Fund for Nature. The event will take place in the main auditory of the Splendid Palace cinema (61 Elizabetes Street, Riga) and can be attended in person. Please follow the information on the festival LAMPA website, as well as on the Facebook profile of the Latvian Fund for Nature, on whether to register for face-to-face participation and how.

The discussion will take place both online and onsite on 4 September, from 13:00 to 14:00. The conversation will take place in Latvian. The discussion “Youth and Climate Sadness: How do you cool down your mind and live on?” is organised by the Latvian Fund for Nature within the framework of the project “Game On! Don’t let climate change end the game!”. The project “Game On: Don’t let climate change end the game!” is a joint initiative of environmental organisations in 8 European countries, which aims to raise young people's awareness of climate change and how individual actions can contribute to sustainable and climate-friendly development, and encourage young people to get involved in the 'climate game' - to become climate activists. It is co-financed by the EU's DEAR (Development Education and Awareness Raising) programme and the Ministry of Culture.

This is the first time that the Latvian Fund for Nature within the project “Game On! Don’t let climate change end the game!” participates in the LAMPA conversation festival. The LAMPA (“Lamp”, in Latvian) conversation festival is a large-scale initiative; an open platform comprised of more than 300 organisations and active individuals that are working together to create a place to exchange opinions in a free, relaxed atmosphere and to discuss issues relevant to society in a respectful manner. Conversation means discussing, listening and, importantly, to accepting that every opinion has a right to exist, whether or not one can agree to it. The LAMPA festival is an environment for direct communication between various members of the public. The discussion “Youth and Climate Sadness: How do you cool down your mind and live on?” at the conversation festival LAMPA, will raise the issue of climate change and will try to come to an understanding of how to feel and live on in the world of the consequences of climate change.

See more information about the event.

Also, visit the Latvian Fund for Nature Facebook platform.