We invite you to explore these projects examining the emotional dimensions of climate change, created by students at the University of Washington (Bothell & Seattle campuses). This work includes academic research, interviews with Hollywood filmmakers, creative productions, and curriculum development/lesson plans for climate educators.

K-pop & the Climate Crisis

Priya Rasal, Data Visualization, class of 2026

This video project begins with detailing my personal thoughts and journey when it comes to climate anxiety affecting the way I was enjoying one of my hobbies. I walk the viewer through what I felt, why I was feeling this way, and some of the resources I ended up finding through BIS 456 and my outside research. I also conducted an informal survey of people’s feelings surrounding this topic, and further resources for people to check out.

Humor & the Climate Crisis

Lawrence Joshua Georger, Law, Economics, & Public Policy, class of 2025

My project was a fun video explaining the place of humor in relation to the climate crisis. I argue that it is both a means to cope with climate trauma, but also a method of spreading information in a palatable manner. 

Short Story, Poetry, Collage

Anne Brooks, Environmental Studies, class of 2025

This project includes creative writing (a short story titled “Tales of Trevor: The Prequel”), poetry (titled “Pis-Aller”), and a set of collages (“Emotionally Respond, 1&2”). As Brooks writes: “In a series of three pieces, I created art in different mediums to be used to inspire a variety of feelings about climate change, directly and indirectly.”

Climate Anxiety and Brainrot

Malik Benisa, Psychology, class of 2026

This research-based video explores how social media trends reflect and amplify climate anxiety and fear, especially among younger generations. I also examine how these trends can either encourage action or deepen feelings of helplessness. My goal is to appear on Fox News, just like my Professor. 

Identity, Injustice, and the Power of Collective Response in Addressing Climate Anxiety Among Young Adults

Amal Deria, Psychology, class of 2025

This research project explores how climate anxiety in young adults is shaped by identity, culture, and systemic injustice, and argues that collective responses provide more meaningful support than individual coping strategies.

Comedy and Climate Change: Laughing at Danger

Thomas Ong, Society, Ethics, and Human Behavior, class of 2024
This video investigates how effective comedy is in communicating the ideas of climate change to an audience.  It explores why climate change has been a stigmatized issue within the public and how the popular American adult cartoon, South Park, addresses the subject.

Garbage Turtle (artwork)

Justice Craft, Interdisciplinary Arts, class of 2025

This sculpture was made out of trash collected from various places, including my place of work and recent trip to Japan. I created the piece as a mourning ritual for the loss of endangered species. The purpose of the ritual is to help myself and others mourn the loss of these species and more directly engage with the emotions around extinction.

Eco-grief handbook

Olivia Kenderdine, Media & Communication Studies, class of 2024

This self-help handbook analyzes climate grief as a motivator and demotivator of action, combining academic and personal findings with the aim to understand grief as a prerequisite that can enhance society's individual and communal emotional resilience. I argue acknowledging grief is vital to taking action which should be included in the topic of climate change as it is inherently biased against the presence of emotion.
 

Climate Change, Anxiety, and Young Adults

Thien Nguyen Do, Psychology Major, class of 2025
This research project is an educational YouTube video aimed towards a Gen Z audience to provide information about climate change and climate anxiety in young adults. With the ever changing landscape of climate change it's imperative to stay informed.

Eco Anxiety Crash Course

Maryam Youseff, Psychology, class of 2024

This research project is a poetic crash course video on eco-anxiety, designed to educate viewers about the psychological impacts of climate change and provide practical tools to cope with environmental fears. By harnessing the power of poetry and integrating research findings with visual and auditory elements, the video aims to transform eco-anxiety into a force for positive change, fostering a more productive and resilient world. 

The Coping Crisis Podcast

Sofia Escobar, Megan Yniguez, and Shea Bray, Psychology and Sociology majors, class of 2024 & 2025

This podcast was meant to serve audiences such as researchers, activists, fellow students, and people who suffer with climate anxiety. The students conducted multiple structured interviews by using convenience sampling. They conducted preliminary research by looking at research studies and articles. They discuss emotional and mental health responses to wildfire season in Washington and climate change in general.

Climate, Social Media, and Youth

Lucas Stoltman (Psychology, Class of 2023); Rileigh Thompson (Conservation and Restoration Science, Class of 2024); Alyssa Lara (Psychology and Neuroscience, Class of 2025); Kate Johnson (Society, Ethics & Human Behavior, Class of 2024); Brendan Amort (Management Information Systems, Class of 2023)

Our group collaborated with Dr. McKenna Parnes from UW Medicine Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences to study how engagement with climate-related content on social media affects young people’s mental health, knowledge, and behaviors. Using qualitative data collected from a series of interviews, we identified patterns relating to emotional links, behavioral changes, and differences in social media platform usage.

The Place Journal

Julia Bellia (M.Ed. Science Instruction class of 2023)

As a teacher, I needed a tool for myself and my students to contextualize climate change in loved, local environments, emotions, and lived experiences to foster agency - a sense of choice and capacity to influence the future - in the face of climate change. This journal is intentionally designed to invite place attachment, student expertise, and emotion into the science classroom to shape effective climate education.  See the cover letter, rationale, and research/resources for this project here.

A Comparison of Coral Reef Restoration/Mitigation Efforts and the Associated  Ecological Grief at Two Major Reef Systems

Dietrich Truman, Environmental Studies, class of 2023

This paper details interactions between a variety of stakeholders who work or live near the Mesoamerican and Great Barrier reefs. Coral bleaching is occurring rapidly and the effects manifest as grief, loss of livelihood and loss of identity. My aim was to identify commonalities among the affected communities of Utila and Australia that resulted in successful protection and mitigation techniques; such efforts include mental health support and creating community.

Burning Book

3 (Eco-)Anxious Literature Students: Aeriel Rae Asirot (Culture, Literature & the Arts '23), Joe Lollo (Culture, Literature & the Arts + Media & Communication Studies, '22), and Abby Roth (Culture, Literature & the Arts '22)

Based on Mean Girls' "Burn Book," the Burning Book is an 11-page zine addressing the disparity between people's feelings in extreme heat events and the lack of acknowledgement in mainstream climate discourse and communication, especially surrounding the Seattle "heat dome" in Summer 2021. The creators are hoping to bridge the gap between the natural world and human feelings and nature in contemporary environmental scholarship using our art, because they believe that art reveals how we understand and respond to environmental issues in places where science falls short.

Broken Promises

Written, Directed and Performed by Bee Guzman-Elliott

MFA in Climate & Society at Columbia University (2022)

Village of Spiders

Bee Guzman-Elliott

B.A. Environmental Studies, class of 2020

Interview with Joshua Fox, director of “How to Let Go of the World”.

Diana Dannoun (Society, Ethics, & Human Behavior, and Law, Economics, & Public Policy, class of 2021)

These interviews and essay focus on the importance of optimism in facing the climate crisis. Featuring interviews with prominent frontline members, this project probes the tensions between radical hope and despair. Strengthening adaptive capacity requires a combination of hope and action.

Climate Change Mental Health Impacts on Children & Young Adults

Daisy Sotelo Fernandez (Environmental Studies, class of 2024)

This infographic aims to summarize mental health impacts of climate change among children and young adults. The data visualizations draw on findings from a 2021 study on the topic, and highlight aspects like defining climate change and different forms it takes, climate impacts and affects on different groups, and resilience strategies/solutions. Click here for interactive versions of these graphs.

Witnessing Climate Trauma: An Investigation of Emotional Distress Caused by Indirect Exposure to Climate-Related Catastrophes

Emily Gollihugh (Psychology, class of 2023)

This project explores habitat loss across the world as a result of climate change and the grief/fear that many feel surrounding this topic. I argue that personally witnessing the impacts of climate change, such as habitat loss and wildfires, causes emotional distress in the witnesses that culminate as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression.

Psychological Effects on Pakistanis due to Climate Crisis

Vaneeza F. Malik (Law, Economics & Public Policy, Class of 2022)

This research project shines a light on struggles endured by the people of Pakistan. Deadly heat exposures and flooding have resulted in loss of life, mental health issues, and little or no access to food , healthcare, and education. These factors test the limits of human survivability for Pakistanis, leading us to question government roles and the implementation of resources that would improve conditions in this country.

"Reflections: Climate, Youth, Grief, Evolution" (Podcast)

Kyleen Romero (Psychology, Class of 2023)

For this project I created a podcast as a way to reflect on and discuss the dimensions in which we as the youth stand within our personal identities during this climate climate crisis, as well as provide insights to the subject of grief, healing, and evolution within ourselves. 

Mental Health Impacts on Communities Affected by Wildfire

Katie Medalia (Media and Communications Studies, Class of 2022)

For this project, I chose to examine how different communities across the world cope with the ecological loss and trauma caused by wildfires, as well as the emotional and psychological effects that can accompany these events. I argue that psychological diagnoses increase with exposure to wildfire, and that strong community support systems are vital in maintaining healthy coping skills in the wake of climate disasters.

Eco Grief Lesson Plan for High School Students

Elise M. Evans (Environmental Studies, class of 2022)

This lesson plan introduces the concepts of eco-grief and anxiety to high school level students. A particular emphasis is placed on helping both students and instructors understand the importance of emotional inquiry in science, and how to most healthily facilitate it.

Climate Anxiety in the Real World (Podcast)

Austin Guisti (Law, Economics and Public Policy, class of 2021)

This podcast explores the grief that climate change and natural disasters create in affected communities. I also provide solutions for helping deal with climate grief and eco-anxiety.