Eco-Remorse, Eco-Metanoia, and the Anthropocene

The dire present and future realities of climate change have evoked diverse emotional responses (e.g., eco-anxiety, fear, guilt, despair). This article focuses on eco-remorse, which is distinct from eco-guilt. Relying principally on the work of Giorgio Agamben, it is argued that eco-remorse is a first and necessary step toward eco-metanoia. This sets the stage for a discussion of the attributes of eco-metanoia—namely, acts of care that entail the (1) recognition and respect for the singularities of other species, (2) subordination of instrumental epistemologies to personal epistemologies, and (3) inclusion of other species in justice discourses and in political deliberations.