Facing the Storm: Holding Grief, Anxiety, and Deep Emotion during the Climate Crisis
An interactive futures salon to explore the emotional dimensions of climate change, and how we might move from paralysis to action.
In a time of accelerating environmental change, many of us are carrying unspoken burdens—grief for vanishing ecosystems, anxiety for the future, and a sense of helplessness in the face of planetary loss. “Facing the Storm” is a salon-style gathering that brings together voices from diverse disciplines—science, business, futures and foresight, storytelling, mental health, activism, and art—to explore the emotional dimensions of climate change.
Through a series of short, powerful talks, invited speakers will share personal reflections, professional insights, and community-based responses to the emotional toll of climate change. Following the presentations, we’ll open the space for facilitated discussion, offering participants the chance to connect, reflect, and imagine ways to move from paralysis to participation.
This evening is not about solutions in the technical sense—it is about making space for feeling, for shared mourning, and for finding solidarity in uncertainty. Whether you are a climate professional, an artist, an activist, or simply someone who feels deeply, you are welcome here.
Program
7:00-7:25 Sound bath opener and meditation
7:25-7:35 Introduction
7:35-8:05 Facing the Storm Panel
8:05-9:00 Interactive discussion and Networking
Panelists
TBA
Faclitators
Julienne DeVita
Julienne is a designer turned futures practitioner encouraging people to think, feel, and act differently for the long-term. As the founder of Liminal, a design futures agency, she blends strategic foresight, systems thinking, and design methodologies to develop strategies 5+ years into the future. Julienne is an adjunct professor at Parsons School of Design where she teaches courses across AI, design, and strategic foresight. She conducts research with the university at the intersection of creativity, AI, and the future of labor. She is co-founder of the embodied futures collective, and chapter lead of Futures Friends NYC.
Alisha Bhagat
Alisha Bhagat is the Head of Futures at Forum for the Future, a global sustainability organization, where she leads projects focused on climate impacts, equity, and sustainable development. She specializes in participatory foresight methods and is currently developing a wargame on the energy transition. Her partners at Forum include philanthropies, academic institutions, and global companies. Alisha is a frequent speaker on the role of imagination in systems change and through the Diaspora Futures Collective explores how different cultures model and shape the future. She is part-time faculty at the New School and teaches futures and design. When not thinking about the future, Alisha is a sci-fi enthusiast and avid gamer.