Swiping Away from Reality

The impact of climate change has skyrocketed in the last decade. The consequences—which were first observed as off-season cyclones, heat waves, and polluted air—have now become more pronounced. Tormented by the impacts of the constantly changing climate, humans have now begun to show a wide range of ecological emotions such as climate anxiety, grief, anger, and despair. This study explores the way in which dissociation, a process of detachment, works as a coping mechanism for climate anxiety in Katerina Gibson’s The Temperature, which was published in 2024. This research further examines Pierre Janet’s deliberations on dissociation and its associated phenomena. Gibson’s characters are multifaceted, and their relationship with the environment shapes the dissociation they face. They are characterized by a resourcefulness that actively engages with climate politics, reestablishes a sense of equilibrium on the planet, and remakes their own sense of identity. Drawing on the framework of the environmental humanities, this study contributes to the discussion of how dissociation functions as a coping mechanism when individuals are burdened by anxiety, helplessness, and a lack of agency in addressing the environmental crisis.