This feminist climate activist is reframing eco-anxiety as the urgent mental health crisis it is.
FEMINIST sat down with Tori to learn more about her approach to climate storytelling, activism, and mental health:
Tori Tsui
Tori Tsui is a climate justice activist and author from Hong Kong. She is a Senior Advisor for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Climate Justice Lead for Earth Percent. Her debut book It’s Not Just You explores the intersections of the climate and mental health crisis. She was listed as one of Vogue’s 25, featured on Elle’s inaugural Green List and starred on the front cover of Vogue with Billie Eilish. She has spoken on global stages such as the New York Times Climate Hub with Emma Watson and Malala Yousafzai, and the Southbank Centre with Greta Thunberg, Mya-rose Craig and Alice Aedy.
What does feminism mean to you?
As a climate justice activist I often view my advocacy through an eco-feminist lens which understands that the values of the patriarchy - built on hierarchy, domination, exploitation and extraction - are antithetical to a thriving ecosystem and society. We even see these belief systems lionised values of masculinity, to the point that it’s even become synonymous with petro-consumption. Conversely the values of matriarchy - cultivation, care and reciprocity - are devalued in society but yet are essential tenets to a climate just world. Feminism for me is the embodiment of these values and an active choice to dismantle the structures of oppression that have contributed to the climate crisis. It’s no surprise then that advocating for those most marginalised, often women and girls, is essential in this struggle.
You recently spoke about mental health and the climate in Billie Eilish’s ‘Overheated’ documentary. Can you share more about how mental health and the climate crisis intersect?
We live in a world that treats the planet and the beings that inhabit it as disposable. Neoliberal capitalism has forged a reality and way of being that is inherently incongruent with planetary and personal wellness. In this society we are treated as consumers and commodities, and our inherent worth is dependent on the traits deemed desirable in this modern world: competitiveness, success (determined by a false sense of meritocracy), individualism and monopolisation. And it is these values which are built upon the hierarchies conventionally dreamt up by rich, white men, meaning that any deviation from or failure to achieve these archetypes results in struggle. And it’s no surprise that a world built on extraction and competition is also extremely detrimental to planetary health. Not to mention the uncertainty, stress and trauma that comes with living in a time of climate breakdown.
When I was invited to be part of the documentary by the family I wanted to make sure that this discussion was brought to the fore. Billie herself has been vocal about struggling with eco-anxiety, shedding light on the very real threat that the climate crisis poses on young people’s wellbeing. After all, we are inheriting a deeply uncertain and perturbing future. I also wanted to advocate for those whose perspectives often get left out. The climate crisis has been making people unwell for a very long time, it just may not have been seen as a climate-related issue but rather the brutality of the colonial regime. It’s all interconnected.
Music is a powerful vehicle for storytelling. Can you tell us about your work with EarthPercent and how music can help save our planet?
Music is deeply political and I believe that it is fundamentally the role of the artist to be an adept storyteller, especially a time such as now where we are witnessing sheer violence and suffering. I am really fortunate to be working with Brian Eno and the team at Earth Percent who not only redistribute money from the music industry to climate causes, but act as a necessary forum for artists and music industry professionals to act urgently on the climate crisis. They recently launched an incredible campaign called Sounds Right in collaboration with the United Nations and Spotify, crediting nature as an artist where subsequent royalties get redistributed to nature herself. On top of that, we recently hosted a day with the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and a phenomenal Pacific Islander band and storytelling project called ‘This Is Our Home’. While performing, Brian recorded the boys and sent it to Chris Martin, they subsequently opened for Coldplay. There’s some exciting performances coming up for them at New York Climate Week.
Your book It’s Not Just You has been shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize - congratulations! What do you hope readers will take away from It’s Not Just You?
Thank you! It’s a bit of a ‘me, really?’ moment. To have your debut book shortlisted is pretty strange and anomalous. I’m flattered, really, but also feel a responsibility to do right by the global climate community when it comes to faithfully representing these stories. I don’t have expectations to win, so to get this far is still mind boggling.
I encourage readers to go in with an open mind, because it isn’t entirely a book about mental health and climate change. I suppose it’s more about capitalism and how it’s compromising personal and planetary wellbeing. In so far as what I’d like people to take away from it… I guess a sense of duty to do right by the planet. It pains me so often to see how people can bear witness to the injustices of today and feel absolutely no drive to do anything about it. It’s rather dystopian if I’m honest. The book is a difficult read at times, but from what I’ve heard, it certainly lights a fire in you and I’ve heard many tales of people feeling compelled to get organising.
We are so inspired by the work you are doing to support climate storytelling. Can you tell us more about your work with the Climate Fiction Prize and why climate fiction is important to you?
I’m one of the judges for the first ever Climate Fiction Prize which is dedicated to celebrating the most inspiring novels that tackle the climate crisis. Over the last few months I’ve had the ambitious task of reading 25 submissions, which we’re going to whittle down to a long-list, then a short-list and then finally a winner.
I’m a huge believer in the power of radical imagination and its capacity to be a blueprint for how we forge a better reality. This is why climate fiction is an essential part of this era we are ushering in. What’s more is there’s definitely something to be said about the need to make this crisis as accessible as possible, as morbid as that sounds. And for literature of today to be a reflection of the times. It is absurd reflecting on how we are living in a time of catastrophe yet popular culture fails to reflect that. It’s akin to sleepwalking off a cliff.
You are also a passionate advocate for fossil fuel non-proliferation. Why is a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty important for addressing the climate crisis?
The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty came about in the last few years as a means to address the issue of the expansion and extraction of fossil fuels, the leading cause of the climate crisis. Compared to the United Nation’s Paris Agreement, which fails to account for a rapid fossil fuel phase-out, the Treaty is dedicated to a just transition, advocating for those most marginalised across the globe. It is not the adversary of the Paris Agreement but rather a necessary companion to what the Agreement wants to achieve. The momentum for a Fossil Fuel Treaty is gaining traction. We need a very clear framework to keep dirty fossil fuels in the ground and scale up renewables before it’s too late. I’m very fortunate to be working as a Senior Advisor for this phenomenal initiative and it feels, dare I say, exciting to be on the precipice of such radical change in society.
What are some of your favorite self-care practices to manage eco-anxiety?
Cold water swimming has become my respite as of late. I’ve been extremely fortunate to have access to bodies of water when I need, and I really don’t know where I’d be without them. I’ve also taken to cycling a lot lately. Most evenings I’d plug my headphones in and take to the roads when it’s quiet. You’ll often catch me singing aloud on empty streets to The Strokes or slowly swaying (and swerving) to the sultry sounds of Astrud Gilberto and other bossa nova legends. It’s all a bit silly.
Also, I like to dabble in psychedelics. Can I say that here? I procure my own and well, let’s just say, it’s pure escapism and I wouldn’t be nearly as sane without them.
