A Greener Way to Go: Climate Adaptation Imperatives for Western Deathcare

Abstract: Death is a universal human experience, yet the ecological impact of the care and disposition of dead bodies is rarely considered, due in part to cultural taboos surrounding the physical reality of death and decomposition. If negative environmental consequences are to be limited, deathcare will need to adapt. Utilizing interviews with funeral directors from the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, this research project traces how modern burial and cremation came to dominate Western deathcare, including what types of cultural narratives they reflect. The ecological consequences of these practices are examined and alternative options, both the novel and the reclaimed, are explored. Interviewees shared perspectives on many topics, including the potential emotional insufficiency of standard funeral services, the risk for greenwashing in emerging alternatives and the likelihood that cremation will continue to rise in popularity. Finally, factors of change and larger implications of moving towards more sustainable deathcare options are considered. Practitioners spoke of their hopes and expectations about what might change in deathcare in the next decade. Factors of change discussed include: the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting demography and the entrance of more women to the deathcare industry. Additionally, this research explores how novel and reclaimed ways of thinking about and caring for the dead may inspire a more ecologically balanced way of living.