Denial

The first phase is denial. Denial serves as a temporary defence mechanism and it acts as a barrier against negative emotions. Denial of ecological losses leads an individual to want to take action and he or she is determined to find possible solutions to minimise their losses.

Anger

After denial, anger may occur. The individual may feel a sense of bitterness towards others and the world. Anger may be felt especially against authorities and society, where lack of concern and sustained inaction led to the destruction of the environment.

Bargaining

Bargaining occurs when the individual tries to prolong the imminent loss by considering trade-offs for their desired outcome. As it is not feasible to attain the pristine conditions that the environment was in the past, one will attempt to look for alternatives. For instance, pleading with God or protecting a species at the expense of another species.

Depression

Depression arises when the individual acknowledges what is currently happening and/ or acknowledges the inevitable ecological losses. This pushes them to think about the severity of the issues that are in store for them.

Acceptance

Acceptance is the final acknowledgement of the unavoidable ecological losses. In acceptance, the individual realises that regardless of the losses, much of the environment is still intact and they should aim to protect what is left or try to bring back what was lost. Acceptance does not mean one accepts the current conditions and gives up all attempts to restore the environment. Instead, the person simply lives with the losses and takes them as lessons as to what actions should and should not be carried out in future.