{"id":275406,"date":"2023-08-24T22:52:40","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T20:52:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=275406"},"modified":"2023-08-24T22:52:57","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T20:52:57","slug":"nasas-running-a-mental-ward-kimberley-miner-im-a-nasa-climate-scientist-heres-how-im-handling-climate-grief-i-already-have","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=275406","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s running a mental ward?! Kimberley Miner: \u2018I\u2019m a NASA climate scientist. Here\u2019s how I\u2019m handling climate grief\u2019 \u2013 \u2018I already have five scientist friends with severe, emergent health challenges\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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From CLIMATE DEPOT<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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NASA climate scientist Kimberly Miner of\u00a0NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory<\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0University of Maine<\/a>: “I am in my mid-thirties, working at NASA as a scientist, and I already have five scientist friends with severe, emergent health challenges. They are all affected by overwork, exhaustion and extreme stress.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The best treatment for climate grief, he says, is knowing you\u2019ve made a contribution to reducing emissions or building resilience.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miner\u00a0advocates political activism on climate<\/a>: “It is now time for action. We must act for future generations of all species and to honor the people who came before.\u200bI support a platform of direct action, outreach to political bodies, and elevating repressed voices. \u00a0Now is the time to listen to the Earth, to truly see and understand its changes.”\u00a0Here she is talking to children<\/a>\u00a0about climate.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NASA has issues:\u00a0Dumpster Diving NASA Scientist Peter Kalmus: \u2018Biden must declare a climate emergency\u2019 \u2013 Admits he has \u2018bottomless grief\u2019 because \u2018we are losing Earth\u2019 & seeks to \u2018end\u2019 fossil fuels<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2020: NASA scientist Dr. Kate Marvel links \u2018climate change\u2019 to \u2018white supremacy\u2019 \u2013 \u2018We\u2019ll never head off climate catastrophe without dismantling white supremacy\u2019 \u2013 Calls for climate & racial \u2018justice\u2019<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By\u00a0Marc Morano<\/strong><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-023-02619-0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By\u00a0Kimberley R. Miner<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By Kimberely R. Miner<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last September, before the rains came, my field team learnt that it was probably too late for half the blue oaks affected by California\u2019s drought in the region in which we were working. Because of years of ongoing drought, many of the trees would not recover from the long-term water loss and would die. The next morning, I sat outside our science team meeting and cried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A friend sat with me and explained that she had just recovered from an episode of extreme climate grief brought about by studying rapidly changing terrestrial ecosystems. She had started taking weekends off (many of us work seven days a week) and encouraged me to do so, as well. After we talked, I walked around the parking area for a while, listening to the birds and watching the midday light filter through the diverse trees in downtown Santa Barbara. I breathed the ocean air and grounded myself in the present, where the air was cool and the birds were singing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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New article out yesterday<\/em>https:\/\/t.co\/3GuwGXJG9h<\/a>\u2014 Dr. Kimberley R. Miner (@DrKimberley)\u00a0<\/em>August 18, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Soon after that, I started taking weekends off to kayak near my home in Southern California and hike on the trails above Pasadena, and built a small bird garden on the porch of my apartment. I also started talking frankly to my colleagues about the emotional turmoil that is often sparked by working as a climate scientist today, and many others had similar stories. I am in my mid-thirties, working at NASA as a scientist, and I already have five scientist friends with severe, emergent health challenges. They are all affected by overwork, exhaustion and extreme stress. The only other thing they all have in common is that they study climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate scientists have advocated for recognition of the destabilization of Earth\u2019s ecosystems for four decades. Even within my lifetime, the climate system has changed noticeably, with hotter summers, longer dry periods and more frequent and severe storms. Some climate scientists have left the field, some have died and some have retired, but even more are just starting their careers. Early-career climate scientists across a range of fields are faced with comprehensive, esoteric challenges as ecosystems begin to cross tipping points. Knowing how to look at these huge changes and still be able to relax at the end of the day can be an ongoing problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even for the most experienced and well-trained field scientists, changing dynamics can introduce sudden risks to health and safety. Whether in the shape of increased glacier flow rates, rainstorms that become atmospheric rivers, or abrupt permafrost thawing that disrupts sections of highway, these unforeseen risks are emerging increasingly. Scientists with decades of experience in one field location might find themselves confronted with a new atmospheric or hydrologic circulation pattern, an unseasonal storm or freeze, or literally shaky ground. Although we have a responsibility to track how certain sites are changing in a climate that\u2019s getting hotter and more extreme, that can put scientists at considerable risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, I spoke to Dave Schimel, one of the scientists who led the work for which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was awarded a Nobel prize in 2007, about how we can address climate grief. After decades of working to convince the public that climate change is real, he said that we need to work on solutions. He thinks that the current generation of climate scientists needs to move on from education and advocacy to providing solutions for mitigation, adaptation and resilience. The best treatment for climate grief, he says, is knowing you\u2019ve made a contribution to reducing emissions or building resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A life-sized statue of @DrKimberley<\/a> Miner now stands at the @smithsonian<\/a>, along with more than 120 IF\/THEN\u00ae #WomenInSTEM<\/a> Ambassadors. For #WomensHistoryMonth<\/a>, we spoke with Kimberley about inspiring future #STEM<\/a> leaders and what she\u2019s working on at NASA: https:\/\/t.co\/EVcjxtRYVc<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/n2o0n8boq6<\/a><\/p>— Switzer Foundation (@switzernetwork) March 17, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote>