When I worked for a climate research facility more than a decade ago, I worked with software but I had to work with most of the scientists and saw much of the mountains of data that the facility organized and made available to scientists around the world. Having an educational background in physical geography I was very interested in the work they were doing. I would often have long talks with the scientists. One thing that stuck out to me was that to many of the scientists the glass was half empty and draining fast. One day while talking to a scientist who studied sea ice extent, I asked him what his magic 8 ball says about the future. He said he thought we had 3 or 4 generations left, at best, and this was before we realized that the impacts of Global Warming are happening faster than we anticipated.
Therein lies a problem, “better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied”? There’s an asteroid coming and scientists are jumping up and down and screaming we know how to stop it, but few people are listening. It’s the Sarah Connor effect, and it’s impacting the psychological health of many climate scientists.
Mother Jones has an article about climate scientists who are suffering depression because of what they know and the lack of concern of the general public.
Kim Cobb, a professor at the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Georgia Tech:
Cobb entered what she now calls “an acute mental health crisis.” Most mornings, she could not get out of bed, despite having four children to tend to. She would sob spontaneously. She obsessed about the notion that the US government would take no action to address climate change and confront its consequences. “I could not see a way forward,” she recalls. “My most resounding thought was, how could my country do this? I had to face the fact that there was a veritable tidal wave of people who don’t care about climate change and who put personal interest above the body of scientific information that I had contributed to.” Her depression persisted for weeks. “I didn’t recognize myself,” she says.
Priya Shukla, a Ph.D. student at the University of California-Davis :
Shukla, 27 years old, realized she was “emotionally exhausted” by the toll of constantly scrutinizing the “huge tragedy” happening in the oceans. “I did not want to experience that fatigue,” she says, “because then I wouldn’t want to do this work anymore.” She decided to see a therapist. And these days she sometimes has to stop reading scientific papers: “I’m tired of processing this incredible and immense decline—and I’m a contributor to the problem. I have to walk away from the papers and don’t want to face myself in the mirror. I feel profound sadness and loss. I feel very angry.”
Put another way, climate scientists often resemble Sarah Connor of the Terminator franchise, who knows of a looming catastrophe but must struggle to function in a world that does not comprehend what is coming and, worse, largely ignores the warnings of those who do. “An accurate representation” of the Connor comparison, one scientist darkly notes, “would have more crying and wine.”
Peter Kalmus, who received his B.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard and Columbia:
Kalmus once called his congressional representative to support a piece of climate change legislation. “I was explaining to the staffer why it was urgent, and I started crying,” he says. “For me, the grief comes up unexpectedly.”
About a year ago, Shukla and her partner decided not to have children out of a concern about contributing to climate change. “I feel uncomfortable discussing this with colleagues,” she says. “It seems nihilistic.” She avoids conversations in which she might have to explain this decision, which further exacerbates her “sense of isolation.”
Katharine Wilkinson points out, “Right now, we prioritize technical training in science and policy. But the tools of the trade will become increasingly emotional and psychological.” At a recent panel discussion, she recalls, she blurted out, “I have no child and I have one dog, and thank god he’ll be dead in 10 years.” Afterward, people asked Wilkinson if she truly believed that. “The truth is, I do,” she says.
The voice of politicians is far louder than any of our individual voices, and if we are to have any chance of stopping this asteroid from hitting the earth, we’ll need to work hard to defeat the fascists that can’t see beyond their bank accounts and make sure we elect fighters who will fight the fascists and use every ounce of their power to save the planet.
RESIST!