Jennifer Atkinson gives keynote talk at CSU Sustainability Conference

IAS faculty member Jennifer Atkinson gave a keynote talk at Chico State University’s This Way to Sustainability Conference where she addressed the rise in fear, anxiety and despair in the face of our climate crisis. Recent research shows that 26% of adults in the U.S. now characterize climate change as “alarming” (Yale Program on Climate Communication, 2020).

Atkinson noted that from 2014 to 2019, the proportion of “Alarmed” and “Very Concerned” Americans nearly tripled, and is now almost four times the number who say the climate isn’t changing at all. And yet while the drop in climate denial is good news, Atkinson explained that we now have a new problem on our hands: the emphasis on apocalyptic outcomes. Research shows that fear-centered messaging and “doom-and-gloom” approaches tend to immobilize the public as opposed to motivating them to take action. They also lead many to assume it’s too late to mount an effective response to global warming.

As Atkinson explained, fear can be an effective “wake-up call” at the outset of a crisis, but when we remain in a place of alarm, panic, and dysregulation, people spiral into states of burnout and hopelessness that Atkinson often sees among her own students.

More dangerously, Atkinson argued, climate alarmism and fear can fuel white-supremacist xenophobia and lead to justification of authoritarianism, nativism, shutting down borders, violating reproductive rights of black and brown women, and other forms of white supremacist eco-fascism currently on the rise.

Finally, Atkinson discussed the danger apocalyptic messaging poses to young people (particularly teens) who experience heightened levels of climate anxiety and helplessness on top of other mental health challenges, including rising depression and suicide rates. She offered a suite of resources and strategies to navigate the despair that often arises in climate education and activism, and laid out several strategies to ensure that our angst is directed toward solidarity with justice movements.

This talk was part of a larger series of public lectures and workshops Atkinson has facilitated in 2021 focusing on climate grief and anxiety, including a scholarly discussion series she coordinates (An Existential Toolkit for Climate Justice Educators) and her podcast Facing It, which explores the existential emotions of our climate crisis.