The Data Was Urgent. I Was Numb
I used to think the hardest part would be the models—getting the climate data to line up, making sense of the chaos. But it’s the silence that gets me. I rerun the simulations for Antarctic atmospheric rivers, watching the numbers double, the precipitation spike, and all I feel is tired.
We’re supposed to sound alarms. Instead, I’m staring at my screen, wondering if anyone’s listening. My PI says, “Understanding their future patterns is crucial.” I nod, like I still believe my work will change anything.
I read the projections: more water, more melt, more sea-level rise. I email the draft, delete the first sentence, rewrite it again. The world keeps warming. I keep running the same code, hoping the next output will matter more than the last. I can’t remember the last time I slept without dreaming of ice breaking.
#ScienceFatigue #ClimateAnxiety #LabBurnout #Science