I Dont Know Much About Global Warming But Its Stressing Me Out And I Dont Know What To Do!

“I don’t know much about global warming but it’s stressing me out and I don’t know what to do!”

My post about how “12 years to save the planet” is an oversimplification has taken off a little bit, and a few people have messaged me expressing sentiments similar to the above. First and foremost: you are not alone! Feelings of worry, stress, and/or helplessness are totally normal reactions to a problem this big and unprecedented, and there are a lot of people around the world who are in exactly the same boat. Let’s dig in!

First of all, who am I? I’m an earth science student who does environmental research, writes and edits for a student earth science publication, and intends to continue doing research and teaching for her career. I spend a lot of time talking about climate change in class, at work, and with my peers. It’s something that I’ve had to learn how to face head-on, and something that I am reasonably knowledgeable about. That being said, I’m not infallible or all-knowing, and I definitely recommend that you check out these sources for yourself and form your own opinions. This is me posting in an informal capacity with some things that have helped me and might help you.

Resources for learning about climate change:

This Crash Course Kids playlist is a very accessible introduction to earth science. It covers such topics as the difference between weather and climate, global air circulation, extreme weather events, and more, all in videos under five minutes long. If you want to start a conversation with your family or in your classroom—or just watch them for yourself as a good primer for more complicated subjects—they’re a great resource!

Bill Nye did a Climate Change 101 video for National Geographic that’s also under five minutes. From the video description: “In this video Bill Nye, the Science Guy, explains what causes climate change, how it affects our planet, why we need to act promptly to mitigate its effects, and how each of us can contribute to a solution.”

An introduction to climate change in 60 seconds by the Royal Society and the National Academy of Sciences (two prestigious scientific organizations from Britain and the US, respectively). Learn about how the greenhouse effect works, rising emissions, sea level rise, and more.

If you want something a bit more substantial, have specific scientific questions you want answered, or are curious about different models for the future based on different emissions paths, check out the IPCC reports. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is the UN’s climate change branch, and their reports are considered the absolute gold standard for synthesizing the best research worldwide and presenting it to policymakers and the public.

Related to the above, this video from NASA shows how climate models work! It also walks through some of the expected changes in global temperature and precipitation.

You can also follow climate scientists, communicators, and educators on social media. For example, you can find Dr. Michael E. Mann on Facebook and Twitter, Dr. Katie Wedemeyer-Strombel on Twitter, and many more. It might also help to see people having serious conversations about this issue if you’re frustrated that no one around you seems to take it seriously.

When you’re looking for information on climate change, be careful of what sources you’re reading. Information from universities, NASA, the EPA, the UN/IPCC, and similar are often the most accurate. When you read news coverage of climate change, keep in mind that the journalist who wrote the article may or may not be interpreting the original research in the most accurate way, so it never hurts to click through to the research paper they’re discussing and at least read the abstract to get a summary of their findings from the researchers themselves. Some journalists and educators are trained for reporting on climate issues and do a really wonderful, nuanced job.

Resources for getting involved

If you don’t think that just one person can make a difference, let me introduce you to activist Greta Thunberg. She’s a 16-year-old Swedish activist who started the School Strike for Climate movement (“an international movement of school students who are deciding not to attend classes and instead take part in demonstrations to demand action to prevent further global warming and climate change”) by striking every Friday outside she Swedish parliament every Friday. The movement eventually led to a 1.4-million person climate strike in March 2019. She’s spoken at the UN and participated in protests all over the world, and as of August 2019 she still protests in front of parliament every Friday! She’s almost singlehandedly responsible for so much climate action across Europe and the world.

That being said, not everyone needs to be a Greta Thunberg. The wonderful news is that there’s a whole bunch of us on this lovely dang planet, and we’re strongest together! Here are a few organizations you should consider learning about, following on social media, donating to, and getting involved with:

School Strike for Climate “are school students from cities and towns across Australia [and the world]. Most of us have never met in person before but are united by our concern about our planet. We are striking from school to tell our politicians to take our futures seriously and treat climate change for what it is - a crisis.”

“Extinction Rebellion is an international movement that uses non-violent civil disobedience in an attempt to halt mass extinction and minimise the risk of social collapse.”

The Sunrise Movement is “building an army of young people to make climate change an urgent priority across America, end the corrupting influence of fossil fuel executives on our politics, and elect leaders who stand up for the health and wellbeing of all people. We are ordinary young people who are scared about what the climate crisis means for the people and places we love. We are gathering in classrooms, living rooms, and worship halls across the country. Everyone has a role to play. Public opinion is already with us - if we unite by the millions we can turn this into political power and reclaim our democracy.”

350 is “an international movement of ordinary people working to end the age of fossil fuels and build a world of community-led renewable energy for all.”

“The Union of Concerned Scientists is a national nonprofit organization founded 50 years ago by scientists and students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who sought to use the power of science to address global problems and improve people’s lives. The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet’s most pressing problems. Joining with people across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.”

From the Environmental Defense Fund site: “In our strategic plan, we look ahead to 2025. Working together, we can move to stabilize the global climate, build defenses against extreme weather, ensure food security and abundant oceans, and reduce exposure to air pollution and toxic chemicals.”

You can also find groups that are more local to you! I recommend turning to your hometown universities, zoos, aquariums, parks, agricultural organizations, and local government to find people who need support (in the form of volunteer time/signal boosting/donations) for their research and activism.

Sign this pledge to talk about climate change with your peers and get sent some resources to help you! One of the biggest things we can do is be an example for other people by caring and talking about the environment.

“But individual behavior changes are just a drop in the ocean! They don’t make any real difference!” Look, me eating less meat to be eco-friendlier isn’t going to solve climate change, and my own health problems probably mean that I have to go back to my previous diet after a year and a half anyway, but you know what did make a difference? Me talking to my family and friends about carbon footprints every time I explained why I wasn’t eating beef. They’ve started to adjust their diets in response and be more aware of their carbon impacts in general. I didn’t switch to a reusable coffee cup until my friend talked to me about how much she loved hers. The action may be small, but the ripples can be big! You never know who you’ll reach!

That being said, PLEASE don’t hound strangers about their individual dietary choices or accessibility needs (cough cough plastic straw ban). Climate change is a big issue, which means that we need to focus on the big picture—and a safe, sustainable future MUST be an inclusive one, where people are able to pursue their own health and accessibility needs.

Talk about climate change on social media! You don’t just have the ears of your family and friends; you can also @ businesses, politicians, schools, etc. and make them hear just how important this issue is.

Resources for dealing with the emotional weight of climate change

If my posts about climate change read as peppy and optimistic, it’s only because I know that just showing the scared, helpless-feeling part of me isn’t productive. We all have days when climate change feels so big, scary, and unavoidable that we feel paralyzed and panicked. But this is a marathon, not a sprint, and to make the biggest difference you can make, you need to make sure you’re taking care of your own emotional needs. (This section has the fewest links and the most personal advice, from this anxiety-ridden scientist to you.)

Climate grief is a recognized phenomenon. From this blog post by Dr. Lorna Gold on how she deals with such heavy emotions, “Fear is a double edged sword. Manufactured fear can drive propaganda, mis-information and manipulation of the masses. It can lead to diminished freedoms and ‘emergency measures’. Dialling up the fear is currently drives many political regimes, leading to what Naomi Klein has called the ‘shock doctrine’ politics. Disaster capitalism thrives on fear. Collective fear can spill over readily to mass panic. Fear very often spills over into blame, anger and even conflict. It is the most potent of human emotions, being a powerful flip side of love. For deep fear is intimately connected to losing what we cherish most. Yet pretending there is no fear and denying it the space it needs, burying it deep down, is the worst of all possible worlds.” We need constructive spaces to talk about the emotional impacts of climate change; you can help by starting that conversation.

Please talk to other people about how you feel. Cannot emphasize this one enough. Conversations with your peers can be cathartic, and you can also bring this issue up with your therapist.

“Look, I don’t want any of this fluffy hope stuff, I just want a totally matter-of-fact assessment of exactly how screwed we are.” Okay! If that’s what you find helpful, here’s the case for pessimism and for optimism, laid out quite well. (A note from me—the more optimistic you are, and the more you use that optimism to drive action, the more cause for optimism there is! It’s self-fulfilling!)

Something that helps me: if there was really no hope for humanity on earth, wouldn’t people be leaving the environmental science profession as soon as they got into it? Wouldn’t they learn the situation, realize nothing could be done, and immediately go blow their life savings on an expensive vacation? But that’s not what’s happening. The people who study our environment and our planet (myself included) are almost always more invested the more we find out. The people who know the science best are some of the ones making the most noise, both because they know how bad things are, and because they know how much of a positive difference can be made by speaking up!

No one can deal with an issue as big and upsetting as climate change all the time. We all will have different strategies that work best to keep us productive and focused but mentally healthy. Since my “day job” is geoscience, I try not to let climate change stress distract me from my friends and other hobbies when I’m “off the clock.” Conversely, if you feel stressed because you feel like you’re not doing enough, you may find it helpful and fulfilling to get involved with some climate action on your down time. Whatever works for you, make sure you’re taking breaks and allowing yourself to look away from time to time. If you’re burned out, depressed, hopeless, and overwhelmed, you’re not going to see and take the opportunities around you to make change.

Keep telling stories and making art and singing songs of hope! That’s not just fluff! That’s helping! That’s important! I’m still plugging away because I love my fellow humans and this little blue planet we call home, and because I know that together we are loud, strong, and determined to make collective change.

Here is an ultimate funny cats compilation as a tool for your well-being and to thank you for your attention.