Texts

In the 2020s, Panu has been working with literature scholars in relation to texts and eco-emotions. A Finnish research project led by Dr. Toni Lahtinen has focused on empirical eco-criticism: the effort to study various actual impacts of reading texts which deal with environmental themes. In Finland, the team studied the effects of reading a famous climate fiction novel, Memory of Water by Emmi Itäranta, on high school students. Most publications of the project are currently available in Finnish, but English articles are forthcoming.

Panu’s earlier books from 2010s focused on Christianity and ecology. Later, his 2017 book on eco-anxiety and hope (Päin helvettiä? Ympäristöahdistus ja toivo) was the first volume on the topic in Finnish, and it gained wide attention in Finnish media. It also brought Panu the National Adult Education Prize in 2018 by Kansanvalistusseura (The Finnish Lifelong Learning Foundation). Panu’s second Finnish monograph on the topic, Mieli maassa? Ympäristötunteet (2019), was a wide-ranging handbook of eco-emotions. The books are regrettably not available in English.

Examples of Panu’s essays in Finnish:

* ”Riekko teki sen: Ilmastoahdistus ja muovikääreen murtuminen.” Suomen Luonnonsuojeluliiton blogi, 12.1.2018. https://www.sll.fi/2018/01/12/riekko-teki-sen-ilmastoahdistus-ja-muovikaareen-murtuminen/

* ”Riekko nimeltä Laura Palmer: Hyvän sään aikana, Twin Peaks ja ympäristöahdistus.” Mustarinda, 6 (2018). https://mustarinda.fi/fi/magazine/psyche/riekko-nimeltae-laura-palmer