Switzerland’s climate researchers reveal the emotional side of science

Illustration: Kai Reusser / SWI swissinfo.ch

Series 10 years Paris Agreement, Episode 4:

Climate change not only has visible effects on ecosystems and human activities. It also has an emotional and psychological impact on those who study it, according to our survey of climate researchers in Switzerland.

It’s called eco-anxiety, a persistent concern about climate change’s effect on the planet and its living beings. It can reach a level of emotional distress that disrupts everyday life.

Young generations are particularly affectedExternal link: they fear for the future, even as they hold on to the hope that there is time to prevent worst-case scenarios. While it doesn’t necessarily reach pathological levels, this anxiety and mix of feelings also affects those who study climate professionally.

In the series “10 Years of the Paris Agreement”, we highlight what has been done in terms of emissions, renewable energy, climate policies and climate research in Switzerland and around the world since 2015.

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of the 80 climate researchers in Switzerland who took part in our survey say they feel emotionally affected by their work or by the evolution of the climate. Among them, 41% feel this way “occasionally,” and 31% “several times a week.” Only 6% say they don’t experience any particular emotional response.

“I’m very concerned about the medium-term consequences of climate change. I have a daughter, and I wonder what kind of world she will live in,” says Pierre Vollenweider, a forest ecology researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research. However, Vollenweider says he has hope in younger generations because “they want to find solutions for the climate.”

Most of the scientific community believes that it will not be possible to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, as foreseen by the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement. Exceeding this critical threshold significantly increases the risks of deep changes in ecosystems, biodiversity, and food security.

The lack of concrete action – both at the political level and in the society – is driving many scientists’ frustration, especially since, as they point out, the solutions for a low-emission planet are within reach.

>>Most climate researchers in Switzerland believe that the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C will not be achieved. Read this article to find out more:

Climate scientists between optimism and pessimism

Some studiesExternal link on the emotional suffering caused by climate change shows that scientists are a unique group. They are constantly exposed to the reality and consequences of global warming. Access to forecasts and future scenarios can lead to anxiety, depression, and a sense of helplessness.

“I’ve developed strategies to deal with emotions,” says Reto Knutti, a climate physicist at federal technology institute ETH Zurich, who has been teaching and researching for nearly 30 years.

“Discouragement and sadness prevail when I consider what has been done politically”

Sonia Seneviratne, climate scientist, ETH Zurich

He explains that his scientific work focuses on understanding climate systems, their interactions, and statistical aspects. “I’m a father of two children, and it saddens me to think that everything we’re predicting today, they will live through,” he says.

Knutti says he doesn’t feel anxious, unlike some of his students. However, he does feel a mixture of “fear and sadness” when observing recent developments. “Climate change is progressing rapidly, and political and societal responses are increasingly inadequate,” he says.

He laments that climate change is no longer a priority on the global political agenda, which is now centred on trade tariffs, wars, and immigration. “We have all the tools to tackle the climate crisis – from electric cars to heat pumps – and that’s a source of optimism. But pessimism prevails when I consider the political will to act,” he says.

Paris climate agreement

The agreement, adopted on December 12, 2015, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, is the first international and legally binding climate agreement. It commits all countries to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The goal of the agreement is to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, aiming for a maximum increase of 1.5°C. To achieve this, net-zero emissions (climate neutrality) must be reached by 2050. 

The agreement was signed by 196 countries. Switzerland ratified it in 2017. 

Climate crisis, ignoring a solvable problem

Philippe Thalmann, professor of environmental economics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), shares that view. “I’ve been working on climate issues for a long time, and for just as long I’ve realised that we’re not capable of facing this threat,” he says.

Many countries and companies that had committed to reducing their climate impact are now backtracking, notes Thalmann. The same applies to the financial sector. “I feel a certain unease because action is constantly postponed, with the thought that [the climate crisis] isn’t that important,” he says.

Sandro Vattioni, a climatologist at ETH Zurich, reports feeling “very frustrated” by the continued rise in greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. “We know how to use renewable sources for energy production and mobility, but implementation is still too slow. It’s frustrating to see that ten years after the Paris Agreement, the transition to a sustainable future is still so slow,” he says.

According to a recent reportExternal link from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels reached a new record in 2024. The increase in CO₂ concentration compared to 2023 was the largest since modern measurements started in 1957.

For Vattioni, who studies the possibility of modifying solar radiation (SRM) to reduce the impacts of climate change, even the subject of his research can be a source of frustration. “It’s an ambivalent feeling: I believe it’s important to learn more about SRM because we might need it one day, but I’m aware that it’s not a solution – it doesn’t address the root causes of the climate crisis.”

“I was more pessimistic 20 years ago”

When asked about their emotional outlook on the future of the climate, a third of researchers (36%) who participated in our survey said they feel “alarmed but determined” to continue their work. Another third (35%) answered they feel “cautiously optimistic”. In contrast, 27% reported feeling “deeply pessimistic” or “disengaged or emotionally fatigued.”

“Discouragement and sadness prevail when I consider what has been done politically. I think, for example, of the United States’ decision to reduce support for renewables and encourage fossil fuels,” says Sonia Seneviratne, one of the world’s leading climate scientistsExternal link, investigating climate extremes and land-climate interactions.

However, Seneviratne is convinced that the path is now set and sooner or later there will be a global realisation that will lead to rapid decisions to protect the climate. “I was more pessimistic 20 years ago because we didn’t have solutions. Today we do, even though it’s frustrating to see how difficult it is to make decisions that would be entirely rational,” she says.

Mylène Jacquemart of ETH Zurich, who studies the impact of climate change on natural hazards in Alpine and polar regions, also feels uneasy. “Sometimes I feel like many people, not just in politics, don’t care about what’s happening,” she says, voicing concern about the rapid transformation of mountain environments.

Rising temperatures are reducing snowfall, melting glaciers, and making slopes more unstable. Activities such as mountaineering or skiing may no longer be possible in many parts of the Alps. “It saddens me to think that our children may no longer be able to experience the mountains the way we do today,” she says.

But this also motivates Jacquemart – she hopes her work can protect the places she holds dear. “Better understanding how natural hazards are evolving allows us to prepare and adapt,” she says.

And there are some trends moving in the right direction, she adds, such as the global growth of renewable energy.

>>Today, almost one third of the world’s electricity comes from sun, wind and water, and investments in renewables exceed those in gas. Read this story to find out more.

Trust in science

The scientific community still has reasons to remain positive. According to the 2025 Science BarometerExternal link, the majority of the Swiss population has strong trust in science and believes that political decisions should be based on scientific knowledge.

“As a climatologist, I am pleased that the topic of ‘climate and energy’ continues to be regarded as particularly important,” Seneviratne says.

What is your opinion? Join the debate:

Edited by Gabe Bullard/ds

Series 10 years Paris Agreement

• Episode 1: 1. Climate experts in Switzerland: 1.5°C target is out of reach
• Episode 2: 2. Swissinfo climate scientist survey 2025
• Episode 3: 3. Will the sun still shine on renewable energy tomorrow? 
• Episode 4: 4. Switzerland’s climate researchers reveal the emotional side of science