📫Letter 8 — To Professor Sally Russell (with reply)

Staying emotionally engaged with the climate emergency

Date: 20 October 2025

Recipient: Professor Sally Russell, Chair of Sustainability and Organisational Behaviour — University of Leeds

Context

The first letter of Week 2 of One Letter a Day turns from local politics to academic voices shaping how we understand and act on climate change.

Professor Sally Russell’s research explores the behavioural, emotional and organisational dimensions of sustainability — how individuals and institutions translate concern into lasting action. Her work connects psychology, workplace culture and environmental responsibility, offering insight into the human side of sustainability transitions.

Letter

Dear Sally,

Thank you for agreeing to be part of One Letter a Day — a year-long public correspondence using letters to reopen grounded conversations about the climate emergency. Each day I write to someone whose work shapes how we think or act on this issue, and publish both letters and replies to invite further discussion. This is the second week of the project, and I am writing to climate-engaged academics and leaders here in Leeds.

Your research on behaviour, emotion and organisational life feels especially relevant to questions I keep returning to. Public concern about climate change has remained remarkably stable — around four in five people in the UK still say they are worried — yet our collective attention keeps being pulled elsewhere. Crises of cost, conflict and culture continually divert focus, even as the need for action grows more urgent.

From your perspective as a scholar of sustainability and organisational behaviour, what practices — individual, organisational or civic — can help societies stay emotionally engaged with the climate emergency without tipping into fatigue or despair?

I ask because the gap now seems less about awareness than about stamina: how we sustain attention and care over the long haul. Your insights on how emotion and structure interact could help chart a more humane way of keeping climate in view.

With thanks for your work and friendship,

– Vivien

📨 Reply from Professor Sally Russell

Dear Vivien,

Thank you so much for your email and for your interest in my research. I’ve been reflecting on your questions for a little while, and just before the Christmas break, I’m finally sitting down to respond properly.

One of the major challenges in addressing the climate crisis, yet one that receives relatively little attention, is the emotional component of climate action. This is an area I care deeply about, one that affects me personally, and a theme that runs through much of my research. Your question about how to stay emotionally engaged is an important one, and there is a real tension around how to remain engaged “enough.” Too much emotion can lead to emotional flooding or burnout, which in turn can result in denial, distancing, or inaction. This is something I have experienced in my own work and observed in my research.

My current approach to investigating this challenge is to explore the concept of sustainability more holistically. We often focus on the effects of climate change at the macro level, but the micro, individual level is equally important. If we rely on individual change agents, activists, or leaders to drive transformation, then those individuals need to be resilient to the emotional demands of working in the climate space. We are seeing this especially among students studying sustainability, many of whom are deeply affected by the climate crisis. Without healthy outlets or skills to manage strong emotions, we risk failing these students. We urgently need ways to accept, process, and perhaps even harness the emotional experience of climate change to support meaningful action. This forms a core part of my ongoing work.

To summarise, the emotional dimensions of climate-related work are unavoidable. By taking a more holistic view of both paid and voluntary climate work, we can better understand how to maintain resilience. My research suggests that people use a diverse range of strategies: from yoga, meditation, activism, connecting with others, and finding meaning in their actions, through to distancing, denial, and containment. There is no single “best” approach; rather, it’s about helping individuals discover which strategies work for them so they can maintain their passion, commitment, and willingness to persist in creating the positive change that is both necessary and urgent.

I wish there were an easy answer to your question. I’m afraid there isn’t. So I will continue to engage in research in this space. For me, this is how I stay engaged: by doing work that I hope has a positive impact. I find meaning in my research and hold on to the hope that it benefits others and contributes to the wellbeing of the planet.

With sincere thanks for your thoughtful questions, your friendship, and your passion and commitment for climate action. I wish you all the best for your project.

Sincerely,

Sally

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Tomorrow’s letter continues Week 2 with Professor Amanda Maycock, asking how scientific warnings about the limits of our climate system can be given a better chance of turning into real political and civic action.