About the IPA Climate Committee

Brings psychoanalytic understanding into dialogue with the environmental and broader civilisational crisis.

It explores how individuals and societies experience and respond to this reality — consciously and unconsciously — and seeks to support meaningful engagement with its psychological dimensions

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has identified growing instability in the Earth’s climate system, driven largely by fossil fuel emissions, and has warned that rapid reductions in carbon emissions are essential for future survival.

Despite the strength of scientific evidence, global responses remain uneven. In many cases, action is delayed or avoided, while in others the reality of the crisis is dismissed.

From a psychoanalytic perspective, such responses can be understood as forms of disavowal — ways of managing anxiety and the difficulty of engaging with overwhelming realities. At the same time, increasing numbers of people, including younger generations, are experiencing profound concern about the future.

In this context, psychoanalysis offers a framework for understanding how human beings process, deny, and engage with the realities of the crisis, both internally and collectively.

The Committee was established by the International Psychoanalytical Association to contribute psychoanalytic insight to the understanding of the climate crisis and its psychological impact.

Its work focuses on fostering dialogue, supporting the development of psychoanalytic thinking on this issue, and encouraging collaboration across disciplines.

The Committee is mandated to:

• Explore the level of understanding, interest, and engagement with climate issues among IPA members
• Collaborate with other IPA committees and relevant external organisations
• Advise the IPA Board and committees on the implications of climate change for psychoanalytic work
• Encourage the development of psychoanalytic thinking through articles, reports, and research
• Support the sharing of best practice in responding to climate-related anxiety, including clinical and public contexts
• Organise events, panels, and educational initiatives (in-person and virtual)
• Promote awareness of the mental health impacts of climate change among professionals and the wider community

The Committee works at the intersection of psychoanalysis, environmental science, and public discourse.

It recognises that the climate crisis is not only a material and political issue, but also a psychological one — involving processes such as denial, disavowal, anxiety, and difficulty in sustaining thought under conditions of uncertainty and threat.

By bringing psychoanalytic perspectives into this field, the Committee seeks to support deeper understanding and more sustained engagement with the realities of the crisis.

The International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA) established its Climate Committee in 2021. This initiative was launched in response to a petition recommending that Sally Weintrobe receive the “IPA in the Community” prize for her work on climate change. Upon realizing the lack of a dedicated body to address this issue, the IPA formed the committee and invited Sally to serve as its first chair. The founding members included Sally Weintrobe, Lynne Zeavin, Delaram Habibi-Kohlen, Pushpa Misra, Maria Luiza Gastal, and Davide Rosso, as IPSO representative.

Since its inception, the committee has made significant progress, most notably through the recent publication of With Climate in Mind: Psychoanalysis and Climate Breakdown, edited by Sally Weintrobe and Lynne Zeavin as part of the “IPA in the Community” series. Between 2021 and 2025, the committee successfully integrated climate seminars into the curricula of several local societies.

Concurrently, there has been a rapid growth in climate awareness among analysts worldwide, with local societies showing keen interest in the committee’s work. Furthermore, committee members have forged valuable links with other healthcare professionals and public groups, such as the Climate Psychology Alliance in both the UK and the USA. Another significant achievement was the establishment, in 2025, of the Commission on Psychoanalysis, Climate, and Life within the Brazilian Psychoanalytic Federation, with representatives from 22 affiliated Brazilian societies.

The Committee operates primarily through virtual collaboration, using digital communication platforms provided by the IPA.

Where appropriate, meetings may take place alongside existing psychoanalytic events in order to minimise additional travel and environmental impact.

The Committee reports annually to the IPA Board on its activities and the impact of its work.

IPA’s 55th Congress, from 25 - 29 July 2027, in Vancouver

Theme of the congress “The Human Condition in the Digital World”

Edital to be opened

The Committee aims to contribute to an evolving understanding of the psychological dimensions of the climate crisis and to support the capacity for reflection, dialogue, and engagement in the face of ongoing uncertainty.

It seeks to work collaboratively with others across disciplines and contexts who are addressing related questions.