The Lived Experience of Traveling Environmental Workers Studying Climate Change

Abstract

This interpretive phenomenological analysis research study examined the lived experience of Traveling Environmental Workers (TEW) in light of their attachments to home and place. Four participants were asked a series of open-ended questions regarding their experiences and were encouraged to share their thoughts and feelings about their occupation. The findings included stories of emotional encounters with nature and animals. Participants’ responses offered insight into the meaning making processes of those whose occupations lead them to have encounters with nature and nuanced experiences of climate change. TEW described an inter-generational aspect of closeness to nature as significant to their identity and concept of home. Participants described psychological splitting around the concept of nature as home, and nature as occupation. Further, participants discussed occupational issues such as gender and sexuality, substance abuse, travel-related stress, occupational calling, thoughts on public perception of climate change and political opinions of climate change. Participants discussed the role that psychology has in the current environmental crisis as well as their personal thoughts and feelings about psychologists. Finally, participants also discussed their perspectives on potential solutions to climate change.