This article explores the role of constructive anger in motivating and sustaining climate action. It considers relevant research in climate psychology with special attention to the dynamic between climate-related anger, action, and hope. The psychological research is then applied to a reconstruction of the concept of anger and hope in philosophical and theological approaches. Developing the concept of constructive anger, this article suggests that such constructive anger can be a factor in moving through apathy, fear, and depression and mobilizing toward collective climate action. Climate-related anger can be relieved through collective forms of climate action and the sense of collective efficacy that can emerge in becoming active. These can become a means to generating resistant, active, constructive forms of hope that can be distinguished from deceptive forms of hope.

This article explores the role of constructive anger in motivating and sustaining climate action. It considers relevant research in climate psychology with special attention to the dynamic between climate-related anger, action, and hope. The psychological research is then applied to a reconstruction of the concept of anger and hope in philosophical and theological approaches. Developing the concept of constructive anger, this article suggests that such constructive anger can be a factor in moving through apathy, fear, and depression and mobilizing toward collective climate action. Climate-related anger can be relieved through collective forms of climate action and the sense of collective efficacy that can emerge in becoming active. These can become a means to generating resistant, active, constructive forms of hope that can be distinguished from deceptive forms of hope.