"The 'Emotional Decarbonization Act 2055' is a speculative design project aimed at exploring the potential relationship between human negative emotions and the climate crisis within the context of sustainable development dialogue. Based on research from the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Brain Research Lab of Aalto University, negative emotions have been confirmed to indirectly contribute to increased carbon emissions by affecting the human gastrointestinal system and behavior. Collective anxiety (negative emotions) exacerbates the climate crisis in a vicious cycle, forming an undesirable loop.

Therefore, the project envisions a dystopian future scenario: in a future marked by climate degradation, "anxiety value" emerges as a central issue in human society. A global united government formulates the "Emotional Decarbonization" act aimed at global citizens, conducting large-scale real-time monitoring of citizens' emotions. Anxiety value is recognized as part of citizens' social credit (including bank loan credibility, climate responsibility credit, etc.), influencing various aspects of citizens' lives, such as work, diet, transportation, entertainment, and social interactions. Citizens identified by the government as having excessively high anxiety values are required to undergo "dietary control" to offset the carbon emissions caused by negative emotions.

Taking "emotion food" as a starting point, we, based on the Emotion Typology developed by Delft University of Technology, hierarchically classify negative emotions into Anger, Contempt, Desire, Dissatisfaction, Lust, Powerlessness, and Anxiety. Accordingly, we design 7 emotion-neutralizing foods and formulations, categorized as gas for Anger, liquid for Lust, and solids for the remaining five. Negative emotions often result from a chain reaction of events, making the emotional composition complex. Therefore, we provide citizens with therapeutic, multi-emotion food packages to address this complexity. Through this approach, we aim to break the vicious cycle between environmental degradation and the spread of negative emotions in a decarbonized manner.

The project showcases an undesirable future scenario, an extreme societal form evolving for the survival of human society. Through the daily act of eating, it triggers people's attention to sustainable development and prompts reflection on the potential sustainable crises caused by their everyday behavior."

Background

Global Anxiety: In the year 2055, there is still a considerable distance from achieving the carbon-neutral goal. Carbon emissions have not been effectively controlled, resulting in a continuous rise in temperatures. The Earth has entered an era of "boiling," with climate change leading to reduced vegetation and the melting of glaciers. Gradually, the modern human population is experiencing ecological anxiety. Fear and concern about the worsening environment have led to a widespread presence of anxiety emotions. As accumulated and magnified, anxiety triggers various negative emotions in people's daily lives.

Negative Emotions' Negative Impact on the Environment

(1) Physiological Impact: Negative emotions affect the gastrointestinal system. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), negative emotions influence the gastrointestinal system, with the stomach being considered, to some extent, an "emotional organ." Scientists from the Brain Research Lab of Aalto University in Finland, utilizing advanced measuring instruments, captured and categorized human emotions. The research found that the digestive system is involved in almost all negative emotional experiences, such as anger, fear, disgust, and sadness. Therefore, we approach this issue through food, offering citizens specific emotional food packages to neutralize negative emotions and reduce anxiety levels. Initially, based on the Emotion Typology from the Delft Institute of Positive Design, we classified negative emotions into Anger, Contempt, Desire, Dissatisfaction, Lust, Powerlessness, and Anxiety. Subsequently, we designed food shapes and prepared recipes tailored to each emotion's characteristics.

(2) Behavioral Impact: Empirical research from a Danish-Italian joint team suggests that negative emotions can alter human behavior. For example, individuals in high-pressure work environments may engage in smoking and drinking to alleviate stress, causing harm to their bodies and negatively impacting the environment through high-carbon emissions behaviors.

Government Monitoring of Anxiety Levels:

Therefore, controlling people's anxiety levels becomes crucial. The United Nations has established a global standard for "anxiety value" and proposed seven initiatives: Intelligent Measurement, Emotional Harmony, Unconditional Participation, Global Transparency, Government Alliance Leadership, Legal Consensus, Global Collaboration, and Carbon Emission Zero Trace Departure. These initiatives require global adherence to uniform standards for anxiety value monitoring. All citizens must wear smart detection devices, allowing the government to have real-time knowledge of the population's emotions. The "Emotion Decarbonization" act has been introduced for global citizens. Citizens with excessively high anxiety values will be compelled to undergo dietary control to neutralize carbon emissions resulting from negative emotions.

Emotional Food Design:

Food Design: The seven types of emotional food come in three forms: solid, liquid, and gas. Among them, Anger corresponds to gaseous food, Lust to liquid food, and the remaining five to solid food. The shapes and forms are designed based on different therapeutic methods for negative emotions. For instance, individuals experiencing anger have significant emotional fluctuations and rapid breathing, so a therapeutic method involving inhaling gas is employed.

Food Preparation Methods: The preparation methods for these three types of food are as follows: gaseous food is prepared through high-pressure sublimation, liquid food is prepared through distillation and blending, and solid food is prepared through 3D printing. The food recipes include fresh fruits and vegetables such as hawthorn, strawberries, cabbage, as well as food waste like eggshells, pistachio shells, and onion skins. Each ingredient is extracted for its nutritional content and proportionally combined to specifically neutralize different negative emotions.

Food Collection Rules: According to the manifesto anxiety levels have become one of the factors influencing social distribution. All citizens must carry monitoring devices that calculate current anxiety levels based on real-time physiological indicators such as heart rate and body temperature. When anxiety levels reach a certain threshold, citizens receive notifications to visit local food distribution centers and collect specific food packages. According to the food collection rules, citizens with anxiety levels less than or equal to 30 can consume emotion-specific food made from fresh fruits and vegetables. Citizens with anxiety levels above 30 can only consume emotion-specific food made from kitchen waste to supplement essential amino acids and other nutrients.

Food Packages: Negative emotions often result from a series of events rather than a sudden occurrence, and their emotional composition is complex. Therefore, the provided emotional food consists of a therapeutic combination of emotions. Taking Package One as an example, a father who initially had a stable job suddenly learned about his unemployment. His initial reaction was intense anger. After gradually accepting the reality, he felt powerless, and then he chose to escape, indulging in various places to satisfy his desires. This series of behaviors led to an increase in his anxiety level. Once detected by the government, he received a notification to visit the local food distribution center and consume his emotional food package. In this series of events, his emotional progression was: Anger-Powerlessness-Lust. Therefore, his food package and consumption process would be Lust-Powerlessness-Anger.

Result & Reflection:

Despite advocating for climate crisis justice, the government's monitoring of emotions has led citizens to privately question whether this is an excessively extreme measure. "Anxiety value" has become the anchor governing people's lives, determining whether citizens have the right to normal work, socializing, and entertainment. Once notified of elevated anxiety levels, citizens are compelled into "dietary control" to neutralize carbon emissions. Emotion-neutralizing (or inhibitory) food becomes a daily routine for citizens, resembling a form of medication attempting to cure what the government deems harmful negative emotions. We need to reconsider whether, in the face of foreseeable climate collapse, technology continues to be a reliable and hopeful dependency. In the context of climate justice, are freedom, privacy, and morality too high a cost?