How to Be Hopeful: Empowering Practices to Overcome Despair and ACT for Climate Justice

"How to Be Hopeful is a beautifully executed explanation of why hope is so needed in the environmental space."--Leah Thomas, author of The Intersectional Environmentalist

"Kelsey's nourishing work reminds us that being human and managing complex emotions is a part of the process in healing the Earth and sprouting hope around the world."--Isaias Hernandez, @QueerBrownVegan

"Are you hopeful?" That is the question elin kelsey is most often asked when she speaks to young people about the emotions and anxiety wrought by the climate crisis. How to Be Hopeful is kelsey's answer, an inspiring exploration of hope as an active, evidence-based response to climate change and environmental degradation. Hope is not merely a passive feeling but an active choice, a stance that must be nurtured despite the ever-present sense of despair and hopelessness that often accompanies the state of the world.

Through personal reflections, scientific insights, and practical exercises, How to Be Hopeful emphasizes emotional awareness, community collaboration, and the agency of both humans and non-human species. Some of the practices described in the book include:

• Accepting your fears without fatalism
• Sourcing solutions-focused news and tracking positive trends
• Acting from your unique gifts
• Practicing interspecies etiquette
• Gathering strength from your circles of support

A seminal contribution to the field of environmental justice, How to Be Hopeful empowers readers to confront their own emotional landscapes, engage in collective action, envision a sustainable future, and ultimately, cultivate a hopeful and resilient response to the pressing issues of our time.

Published in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute

Author: Elin Kelsey
Publisher: Greystone Books
Published: 10/28/2025
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.97lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.59w x 0.87d
ISBN: 9781778402623

About the Author

elin kelsey, PhD, is an award-winning author, speaker, and thought leader. She regularly leads workshops for environmental organizations, youth climate activists, educators, and community groups on hope and the climate crisis. elin has written numerous bestselling children's books, including You Are Stardust, and is the author of Hope Matters: Why Changing the Way We Think Is Critical for Solving the Environmental Crisis. She has served as a visiting fellow at the Rachel Carson Center for the Environment and Society, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Kone Foundation, the Salish Sea Institute, the Cairns Institute, and Stanford University. kelsey splits her time between Monterey, California and Victoria, British Columbia.