Coined by philosopher Glenn Albrecht, “solastalgia” describes the distress caused by environmental changes to one’s home environment. Unlike nostalgia, which is longing for a place from the past, solastalgia occurs when home itself becomes unfamiliar or degraded while one is still living there. It’s an increasingly common emotional response to climate change, as people witness their neighborhoods, landscapes, and weather patterns transform in unsettling ways.
Solastalgia can manifest as sadness, anger, helplessness, and a profound sense of loss. For example, residents who grew up near lush forests now decimated by wildfires or farmers whose once-fertile land has turned to dust may feel a constant mourning for the place they once knew. These changes disrupt the psychological security that comes from feeling at home, leading to heightened anxiety and depression.
Indigenous peoples and rural communities often experience solastalgia most acutely, as their cultural and spiritual identities are deeply intertwined with the land. Urban populations are not immune, however—coastal erosion, extreme heat, and increasing natural disasters affect city dwellers too, challenging their sense of stability and belonging. Yet because solastalgia is a relatively new concept, it is often unrecognized by mental health practitioners and policymakers alike.
Recognizing solastalgia as a legitimate emotional response is critical for crafting supportive interventions. Therapy models that incorporate environmental grief and place attachment are being developed to help individuals process their experiences. Community engagement in restoration projects—such as tree planting, habitat conservation, and local clean-up efforts—can also help people reconnect to their changing environments in positive ways. Healing the land and the psyche must go hand in hand.
Kanishka