The danger of endless bad news is we
shut down. We flick over to the new season
of Derry Girls. We eat a whole cake.
“There’s only so much negative reporting
that people can take before a large
percentage will just switch off,” says Dr
Deppeler. “It creates a sense of helplessness
that either leads to ambivalence or complete
despair. I’ve had plenty of people ask me,
‘What’s the point of trying if the world is
already doomed?’ But that’s not the case.”
It’s a double-edged sword. Dr Deppeler
says sensationalised images have helped
drive home the urgency of climate change to
the world, but now the public is exhausted
by fatalistic reporting. So scientists have
started taking their work directly to the
people – and that’s one place we can be
focusing our attention. “Most organisations
now have social media accounts that
provide snapshots of the great work being
done by the scientists who work there,” she
says. “Engaging with the general public
about our scientific research has become
a key focus as of late. As scientists, this is a
different way of communicating than we’re
used to, so that means we need to rethink
how we present our knowledge to the
public. We understand that in order for us to
truly connect the work we’re doing with someone’s day-to-day
life, we need to meet them face-to-face, let them know that we’re
here to help, and work on finding solutions to local issues that
they can really engage with. I think we’ve reached a point now
where we, as scientists, need to show the public that we haven’t
given up and we’re working really hard to both understand and
mitigate climate change as best we can.”
Yet our efforts to defend future generations might still be
outweighed by the damage we’ve already done. It’s one thing
to be a fully-grown adult who had childhoods full of
bearably hot Christmases and cool winters, and
rode bikes on spring afternoons when having four
seasons was still a thing. The next generations don’t
have the luxury of short-term thinking. For them, the
impact of climate change isn’t a hypothetical. The
planet they inherit might be uninhabitable before
they’ve had a chance to really live in it. They’re 15
years old and asking questions we never did –
should I go to uni or should I learn how to stay alive
when it’s 50 degrees in the shade?
CSIRO’s Director of Land and Water,
Jane Coram, knows that as well as
anyone. “Last summer was horrendous,”
she says. “All of a sudden it’s taken the
prediction of climate-change scientists out
of the science domain and put it in
people’s real lives. We’re at the point
now where it’s not just business
as usual. We shouldn’t underestimate
the challenge that it’s causing. Anxiety
and depression are a response to
feeling powerless.”
But only one response. While some of
us react by isolating ourselves in dark
rooms (me), others are taking back
control. An uprising of determined, clever
and loud young people is sweeping the
globe. In March of this year, under
threat of “punishment” from schools
and politicians alike, nearly 150,000
Australian students went on strike to
march for climate action. They had signs
(“When I said I’d rather die than
go to chemistry, that was hyperbole,
assholes!”). They had chants. They had
spokespeople. It was passionate, furious
and organised. They’re feeling the same
ecological grief as the rest of us, but
they’re using it for good.
Zoe Whitaker is 21 and studying environmental science at
the University of Technology Sydney. “At times I feel very
overwhelmed that we don’t have enough time to make the
changes we need to make,” she says. “I definitely feel that those
in charge don’t have the same sense of urgency or don’t actually
understand how dire the situation is.” She claims we all need
a shift in mindset if we’re hoping for a future with breathable air
and usable land, and we need it now. “Environmental destruction
is not a hypothetical future problem.”BRIGHTER
FUTURE
LIVING WITH ECO-GRIEF
(LIKE LIVING WITH AN
ECO-CRISIS) ISN’T EASY – BUT
HERE ARE A FEW TIPS
Environmentalist Bill McKibben
has been dealing with climate
grief for more than 30 years – he
wrote the first mainstream book on
climate change, The End Of
Nature, in 1989. “We need to join
together and be a movement,” he
has said. “It makes you less
grief-stricken. The best antidote to
feeling powerless is activism. It
doesn’t make you less sad, but
adds hope, solidarity and love.”OTHER TIPS*:
*^ Acknowledge the severity
of the problem
* Accept you’re part of the
problem — and the solution
*Practise gratitude
*Take breaks and rest
as needed
*Take meaningful action“AS SCIENTISTS, WE
NEED TO SHOW
THE PUBLIC THAT WE
HAVEN’T GIVEN UP “
*Information from goodgriefgroup.org