David Corn: It's the End of the World as They Know It
It’s the End of the World as They Know It
The distinct burden of being a climate scientist
Story by David Corn; Photos by Devin Yalkin
July 8, 2019
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It’s hardly surprising that researchers who spend their lives exploring the dire effects of climate change might experience emotional consequences from their work. Yet, increasingly, Cobb, Shukla, and others in the field have begun publicly discussing the psychological impact of contending with data pointing to a looming catastrophe, dealing with denialism and attacks on science, and observing government inaction in the face of climate change. “Scientists are talking about an intense mix of emotions right now,” says Christine Arena, executive producer of the docuseries Let Science Speak, which featured climate researchers speaking out against efforts to silence or ignore science. “There’s deep grief and anxiety for what’s being lost, followed by rage at continued political inaction, and finally hope that we can indeed solve this challenge. There are definitely tears and trembling voices. They know this deep truth: They are on the front lines of contending with the fear, anger, and perhaps even panic the rest of us will have to deal with.”
While Americans feel “an increasing alarm” about climate change, according to a survey conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, scientists have been coping with this troubling data for decades—and the grinding emotional effects from that research are another cost of global warming that the public has yet to fully confront. Before you ask, there is no scientific consensus regarding the impact of climate research on the scientists performing it. It hasn’t been studied in a systematic way.
But in a single study, two years ago, Lesley Head and Theresa Harada, two geography scientists in Australia, published a paper examining “emotional management strategies” used by a sample of Australian climate scientists. Head and Harada found that daily immersion in the subject caused anxiety for the scientists, exacerbated by the difficulty of “protecting the psyche from the subject matter of climate change.” The scientists’ thinking was more often “pessimistic than optimistic,” and they tended to use “diverse distancing practices” to “separate themselves from emotions.” They generally said they enjoyed their work, but Head notes that “it’s hard to imagine it’s not something that could cause manifestations down the track. For the most part, these academics are well-established in their jobs and already have demonstrated resilience in a competitive system. But you can’t help but wonder what the burden is doing to people that may or may not be visible.”
Are scientists, then, canaries in a psychological coal mine? Is understanding their grief important because their anxiety could become more widespread within the general population? “That’s why,” Head explains, “I chose them as a research sample.”
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.”
more...
https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2019/07/weight-of-the-world-climate-change-scientist-grief/
= new reply since forum marked as read
Those who spent entire careers trying to control air and water pollution along with millions of scientists concerned with protecting plant and animal species now feel much of our efforts were wasted, as the plutocrats have taken control of virtually everything. And, they don't seem to give a damn. It is very depressing to observe.
Deregulation and defunding of climate and environmental control and research is precisely opposite to what's needed at this crucial time. The right's demeaning, backward 19th century attitude adds insult to injury.
Mankind has built his own self-sustaining suicide machine using the finest tools laissez-faire capitalism can buy.
Let's all remember to ridicule our favorite right-wingers and corporate offenders often.....
Who replied, "Well, there are some things we can control and some things we can't." 
Translation: It's in gawd's hands! I think a lot of people feel that way because of their religious upbringing. "Give me that old time religion." It's God's will or God will save us - "I have no responsibility for this."
As my mother used to say, "How did we cause it?" 
