Climate scientists in Switzerland undergo growing anxiety
(MENAFN) Climate change is not only altering the planet’s environment but also deeply affecting the emotional well-being of the scientists who study it, according to a recent survey of climate researchers in Switzerland.
The poll, conducted among 80 climate scientists, revealed that nearly three-quarters (72%) feel emotionally impacted by their work or by the progression of climate change. Of those, 41% said these feelings occur “occasionally,” while 31% reported experiencing them “several times a week.” Only 6% said they do not have any particular emotional reaction.
"I'm very concerned about the medium-term consequences of climate change. I have a daughter, and I wonder what kind of world she will live in," said Pierre Vollenweider, a forest ecology expert at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research.
Many researchers now believe that keeping global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels — the most ambitious target of the Paris Agreement — is increasingly out of reach.
“Discouragement and sadness prevail when I consider what has been done politically,” said Sonia Seneviratne, a climate scientist at ETH Zurich. Still, she noted that there are reasons for cautious optimism: “I was more pessimistic 20 years ago because we didn't have solutions. Today, we do, even though it’s frustrating to see how difficult it is to make decisions that would be entirely rational.”
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