Report: Some Climate Change Activists Facing Mental Health Issues

Taxpayer-funded National Public Radio (NPR) reports the non-stop drumbeat of propaganda on how only a few years remain for the planet and its inhabitants if climate change isn’t stopped is now causing mental health problems for some activists.

“The environmental movement is doing more to address the psychological toll on activists and volunteers, encouraging resilience and self-care to counteract anxiety and grief over planetary damage,” the report on Weekend Edition Saturday begins.

The report includes details on an activist who committed suicide. Alex Smith of a public radio station in Kansas City reported on the death:

“When I was growing up in the Kansas City suburbs, I had a friend named Kevin Aaron, who was a dedicated environmentalist,” Smith said. “What I loved about Kevin was that he believed in the better angels of our nature. Instead of shouting down opponents, he tried to convince them to be part of the solution.”

“In the early 2000s, Kevin went to Oakland to study environmental law and start his career, but he became overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness about the climate. This added to the depression he was already struggling with,”  Smith said. “In 2003, Kevin died by suicide. He was 27 years old. His death was a shock and remains painful for those who loved him.”

Smith said Kevin’s mother “said the more deeply her son became involved in environmental activism, the more his thinking was taken over by pessimism, just like an invasive species.” – READ MORE