Looking for Eros in the Long Hard Rain of Climate Collapse

More frequent and intense fires, floods, droughts and extreme temperatures point to a progressively de-regulating environment. In so much as this reality is understood as ‘climate collapse’ we are confronted by a processing task that is profoundly difficult. Initially, the conceptual and affective dimensions of this challenge are examined. A second section develops the proposition that as climate collapse accelerates, and as the scale and timelessness of this disruption takes hold, experiences of guilt and loss, anger and despair, will tend to be amplified by pre-existing unconscious tropes, particularly the fantasy of the vengeful, all-powerful mother. Accenting the possibility psychic tumult may be held against, the implications for mental health are reviewed. A final section considers the prospects for Eros – for play and creativity, innocence and companionship – in the long hard rain of climate collapse