From the “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” Dept., there comes a point where even ludicrous reaches its limit: The National Wildlife Federation has released a research report titled, “The Psychological Effects of Global Warming on the United States: And Why the U.S. Mental Health Care System Is Not Adequately Prepared”
This isn’t funny. It isn’t sad. It’s disturbed:
This report aims both to fill in the gap in our awareness of the psychological impacts of climate change, and by exposing the emotional side of the issue, to find the place in our hearts that mobilizes us to fly into action, forewarned, determined, relentless. It also is a call for professionals in the mental health fields to focus on this, the social justice issue of all times, with their capacity to work through denial and apathy, to bring insight and commitment before it is too late.
Yup. The National Wildlife Federation wants to mobilize you into relentless, determined action, focused on the social issue of our times, while working through deniers and the apathetic. Orwell Lives!
You know, come to think of it, they’re probably right about mental illness. If I lived much of my life believing the lie of impending climate doom (and making an ass out of myself doing it), I’d probably need counseling too. There’s a lot of disgruntled alarmists about to become very disillusioned when the Great Disaster doesn’t happen. Maybe I can go back to school and pick up that Psych degree?