February 9, 2022
Spotlight: Jennifer Atkinson supports the processing of anxiety from climate change
Channeling environmental anxiety into action to address pressing climate and environmental crises influences Dr. Jennifer Atkinson’s numerous pursuits and achievements. Her career centers on the intersections between mental health and climate science, as she seeks to help others process their anxiety surrounding the constantly evolving environmental crisis the world faces.
Atkinson is an associate teaching professor of environmental humanities at the University of Washington Bothell, where she has taught for the past 12 years. She employs a variety of interdisciplinary approaches to studying the natural world by utilizing literature, film, philosophy and art as a means of analyzing environmental concepts and issues. Service learning and field experiences are also techniques Atkinson uses to carry out this interdisciplinary teaching approach. As an instructor of topics that address climate disruption, Atkinson examines the inequities of the psychological burden different groups experience while providing a space for students to confront their feelings and develop strategies to practice resilience and positively affect the future of climate change.
“I became interested in this topic partly because of my students, and partly through my direct experience of the endless wildfires in California – which is where I grew up and still spend a lot of time with family,” explained Atkinson. “Those fires directly impacted my family and community. Between 2017 – 2019, my parents had to evacuate their home twice, and the area where I grew up turned to ashes. That felt like a death in my family, to see the forests where we used to play as kids turned into a moonscape.”
In 2017, Atkinson created a seminar at UW Bothell on Eco-Grief and Climate Anxiety, dedicated specifically to her goal of helping students process the emotional effects of climate change. As the world continues to descend into climate crisis, an attitude of anxiety and grief has become increasingly common among students and many others around the world.
“Over the past 12 years I’ve watched my students increasingly fall into despair and hopelessness over the climate crisis,” Atkinson remarked. “And I could see how that was going to lead to burnout if we didn’t address that emotional toll very early in their careers. I hear undergraduates in their late teens or early twenties say things in class like they don’t want to have kids because the future is so dark, or they can’t focus on their studies because of intrusive thoughts around social collapse and climate refugees and mass extinction.”
This seminar seeks to help students navigate the process of working through their grief and turning it into positive action. Her seminar has been featured in multiple publications including the New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times. Atkinson’s sustained goal is to address the commonly dismissed emotional impacts of environmental loss through this course by supporting students in their decision to engage in understanding climate issues and participate in climate resilience efforts.
“People’s anxiety and grief become worse when they think they’re the only one experiencing distress,” Atkinson observed. “Feelings of isolation really magnify depression and withdrawal. The oldest wisdom around grief is still most true: healing comes from community and connection.”
In a similar vein, Atkinson hosts a podcast called Facing It that provides tools for guiding environmental anxiety into action. She tackles topics such as overcoming the paralysis of climate grief, the motivating factors of emotions in environmental matters and how to turn uncertainty into empowered thinking.
“Collective action is the best antidote to grief,” said Atkinson. “But action can take so many forms – you don’t have to wait for a protest in the streets. The key is to prioritize two things: identify what you’re good at so you’ll be effective, and what aligns with your passion so you don’t lose motivation.”
Throughout her podcast, she also examines the work of several climate activists, such as Tim DeChristopher and Rachel Carson, who similarly study environmental issues through the lens of the humanities to offer psychology and science-based suggestions for coping and moving forward. This podcast is yet another platform Atkinson uses to reach people in their current emotional state and help them navigate their anxiety by providing tools and explanations for processing their emotional trauma.
Atkinson is also the author of Gardenland: Nature, Fantasy and Everyday Practice. This book explores the history of garden literature and gardening as a means of understanding current social and ecological issues. She is currently working on another book titled An Existential Toolkit for the Climate Crisis, which will contribute to her efforts in helping young people navigate their feelings toward the continued climate breakdown.
“With climate disruption, we’re losing the future that many people had counted on. And you can’t move forward from any of those losses without first recognizing the pain, staying present with your grief, and acknowledging its full impact on your life,” explained Atkinson.
Atkinson’s work ultimately reflects the power of interdisciplinary studies and collaboration. She consistently seeks to combine scientific knowledge with humanities-based research to address pressing environmental issues, citing the value of stories, images and cultural values in working toward actionable solutions. By amplifying the necessity of addressing the mental and emotional toll of climate change, Atkinson continues to support numerous students and people across the Seattle area and beyond in their climate resilience efforts.