Climate scientists in Switzerland report rising eco-anxiety as hope in 1.5C goal fades: Survey

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - Climate change is not only reshaping ecosystems and human activity, but it is also taking an emotional toll on those who study it, according to a new Swissinfo survey of climate researchers in Switzerland.

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of the 80 climate researchers who took part in the survey, which was published on Friday, said they feel emotionally affected by their work or by the evolution of the climate. Among them, 41% feel this way "occasionally," and 31% "several times a week."

Only 6% say they do not experience any particular emotional response.

"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," Pierre Vollenweider, a forest ecology researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, told Swissinfo.

Most of the scientific community believes it will not be possible to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, as foreseen by the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement.

"Discouragement and sadness prevail when I consider what has been done politically," Sonia Seneviratne, a climate scientist at ETH Zurich, said.

Still, she added, "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."