Staying up-to-date with climate news without getting too depressed/anxious

amrosnik·Jan 02, 2020

How do you stay up-to-date with climate news -- related to energy, policy, etc. -- while also maintaining some degree of mental wellness, if not hope? Although climate change is a very important issue to me, I sometimes find it downright demoralizing to read the news on what's going on, or to even read summaries of the latest reports. In particular, any tips for: 1. Frequency of checking climate news?2. News sources?3. Balancing your social media feeds? 4. Anything else helpful? Thanks :)

RebeccaStevenson·Jan 02, 2020

This is definitely a big challenge. For staying up to date, I'm on the ClimateAction.tech Slack, and a few Reddit channels (though I often just skim them) mostly geared toward sustainability and other non-despair viewpoints. I also subscribe to Heated, which is great and has a free (weekly) option or a paid (daily) article. As far as frequency, I keep an eye on my mood. I have a pretty low tolerance for social media anyway, and if I find it's distressing me, I shut the tab.

amrosnik·Jan 03, 2020

Thanks for letting me know about your subscriptions! I recently subscribed to Heated (for free), and have yet to really experience much of that. I'll look into ClimateAction.tech!As to frequency: three cheers for self-awareness. Your approach is more or less similar to mine, though currently I am still troubleshooting how to deal with guilt for not reading things immediately that sound quite important.

RebeccaStevenson·Jan 03, 2020

I know the feeling, but there's only so much we can process and still be effective. It's a very anxiety-inducing time, these days.Also I just found this - positive news can help: https://flipboard.com/@boxabirds/hope-not-complacency-for-our-future-climate-nbtn85vqz?from=share

rachelmmurray·Jan 03, 2020

Going to in person meetups might also help keep the media consumption bearable. I think Extinction Rebellion might be onto something; I find overdoing consuming news and social media can leave me feeling paralyzed, which makes anything to help move towards action vital.

amrosnik·Jan 05, 2020

I hear you. There's something *missing* when everything is online -- and frankly there's so much going on that even trying to read news can make even educating oneself overwhelming. What types of meetups have you found helpful? It doesn't look like we're in the same geographic area, so we might not have the exact same groups available, but I'm sure similar groups exist here.

ara206·Jan 06, 2020

Absolutely agree that finding a community in-person is hugely important. As is reading books instead of articles (as suggested above) and finding ways you can help, through donations, volunteering, bringing down your own footprint, etc.

rachelmmurray·Sep 19, 2021

I think it depends on what you're looking to do - direct action/activism like Extinction Rebellion, or any meetups that have social innovation, social justice (including but not limited to climate justice) and understanding how climate will affect your industry/area you work in. If you're uncertain, you can always post locally about meetups; since climate will have an adverse effect on so many communities, doing outreach and action to help people prepare and cope in any way can have an effect on climate justice. If people feel food insecurity, for example, is an issue that is important in their area - for example, like in the US, where food deserts occur - you can make the case that improving food security can help people respond on some level to the downstream effects of climate change.

amrosnik·Sep 20, 2021

Thanks for reaching out, Rachel -- not sure if you saw the date, but this post is over a year old! I've certainly grown in my climate action and activism since then. I really like your approach to think about local groups and about specific ways to mitigate climate effects in very realistic aspects of people's lives. I actually wrote a post about finding one's climate niche as a featured Elpha post: https://elpha.com/posts/eis65gtc/finding-your-place-in-the-climate-movement?hid=pcezo9up#eis65gtc Nowadays I am contemplating joining a group like Climate Changemakers (https://www.climatechangemakers.org/) for political action, and maybe doing some irl local work, too.

RebeccaStevenson·Jan 06, 2020

There are national organizations like Citizens Climate Lobby that have local groups. You might also check with local government and see what's going on at that level. Even my little town has a climate change working group, so I imagine SF has ways to get involved. (I feel like there's a lot of room for work on this topic in the schools, but I haven't figured out how to approach that....)

amrosnik·Jan 08, 2020

All good leads -- thanks, Rebecca! I'll take a look at what's offered here. Unfortunately I have no idea how to help you look into similar efforts in schools.

lyndall·Jan 03, 2020

My strategy is:1) focus on the science and hard facts used to build arguments rather than disaster news - this leads me more to books and scientific reports and makes me better able to have good discussions on the topic2) focus on the areas I can change - I keep up to date with California climate news more than world because I’m involved in climate activism here I hope that helps and I’m always happy to talk more!

amrosnik·Jan 05, 2020

1. Good strategies here. In my last year of grad school I was in an energy-themed book club, and that's given me the bug for reading more on topics related to energy, biodiversity, etc. 2. Keeping it local is a great way to maintain scope. Unfortunately we have a lot to think about even just in California... Thanks!