JULY / AUGUST 2019 | MOTHER JONES 25“more therapeutic than a therapy ses-
sion,” she talks about climate change
to people who are not scientists. For
Sarah Myhre, talk therapy has been
useful—and she has found consola-
tion as a science communicator: “I
don’t wonder what to do with my life.
There is a lot of clarity. My job is not to
peddle hope. I talk about anger, cour-
age, joy, and grief.” Faith Kearns has
turned to yoga and nature-related ac-
tivities for respites. “I grew up in an
alcoholic family,” she says. “You have
to learn you’re not in control of ev-
erything...That can come handy when
dealing with climate change.”
Peter Kalmus meditates often. “I’ve
trained my brain to not torture myself
about things that are outside my con-
trol,” he says. He also founded No Fly
Climate Sci, a group of earth scientists,
academics, and members of the public
who have pledged not to fly or to fly
less often. He too has become an out-
spoken advocate about emissions. But
when it comes to emotions, he says, “I
still haven’t figured out a good venue
for talking about this. Scientists are not
trained to discuss how data makes us
feel. They are trained to quantify and
evaluate and communicate it with clar-
ity to our colleagues.” Perhaps scientists
discussing their distress is a good first
step: “Once we figure out how to talk
about this with each other, maybe we
can figure out how best to talk to the
public. To pretend we are Vulcans with-
out emotions and are perfect machines
makes the problem worse.”
Are these scientists experiencing the
Cassandra Dilemma: seeing the poten-
tial calamity ahead yet not being heeded
by much of society? That could certainly
throw anyone into a psychological tail-
spin and cause them to wonder, what’s
the damn point? Yet Cobb notes the goal
is to avoid such despair: “The way I see
it, my role is to provide hope...And right before folks decide
whether they’re going to care or not, whether it’s worth the
fight...they will likely look to those of us who were proven
correct, who have always had their facts straight.”
But the despair experienced by some scientists might have
a benefit. “More scientists are bringing their emotions and
hearts to the forefront of their work—getting bolder, more
impassioned, more provocative,” says Christine Arena, the
producer of the docuseries on climate change. “In a way,
this collective grief is making their outreach more effective.”
Katharine Wilkinson points out, “Right now, we pri-
oritize 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. “And it’s only going to get more intense—the
emotional nature of this work—as climate change hap-
pens and the necessary actions become more urgent.” nMAYBE I’VE BECOME
BETTER AT SUPPRESSING
MY FEELINGS...
BUT MY DOMINANT
STRATEGY IS TO
INTELLECTUALIZE IT AND
SAY, ‘WHAT A CRAZY
SPECIES WE ARE.’—KEN CALDEIRA