Scientists ‘must be allowed to cry about climate change’

SCIENTISTS who study climate change say they should be ‘allowed to cry’ to cope with the trauma of seeing the destruction of the planet.

In a letter to a leading academic journal, three researchers say there are ‘strong grief responses’ to the environmental crisis, as animal species and ecosystems disappear.

They call on academic institutions to provide similar support to that offered to professions where distressing events are common, such as emergency workers and those in the Armed Forces.

The letter in Science says: ‘The pervasive illusion that scientists must be dispassionate observers is dangerously misguided.

‘To understand and find solutions for our increasingly damaged natural ecosystems, environmental scientists must be allowed to cry and be supported as they move forward.’

Tim Gordon, co-author of the letter and a marine biologist at Exeter University, said: ‘We’re documenting the destruction of the world’s most beautiful and valuable ecosystems, and it’s impossible to remain emotionally detached.

‘When you spend your life studying places like the Great Barrier Reef or the Arctic ice caps, and then watch them bleach into rubble fields or melt into the sea, it hits you really hard.’

Co-author Professor Andy Radford, of Bristol University, added: ‘The emotional burden of this kind of research should not be underestimated. Grief, when unaddressed, can cloud judgment, inhibit creativity and engender a sense that there is no way forward.’

The letter’s third author Dr Steve Simpson, also of Exeter University, said: ‘Instead of ignoring or suppressing our grief, environmental scientists should be acknowledging, accepting and working through it.’

Growing numbers of people are seeking help from mental health professionals over ‘ecoanxiety’. It is defined as feelings of grief and powerlessness over what is happening to the world, with the young particularly vulnerable.