Feeling sad? Coping with anxiety or “literal nightmares?” Blame climate change, claim lefty environmentalists.
“Depressed about climate change? There’s a 9-step program for that,” Fusion writer Caroline Preston wrote on April 4. Grist, which partners with Fusion for the “Climate Desk” program, re-ran the story four days later.
The article focused on recently formed “Good Grief” groups where individuals can open up about their climate change induced anxiety, sadness and bad dreams. “Imagine Alcoholics Anonymous mixed with an environmental humanities course,” Preston encouraged.
Good Grief founder Laura Schmidt sought out “dozens of social-justice activists and environmentalists” including 350.org founder Bill McKibben to ask how they were “personally affected” by climate change. She then wrote nine steps to address climate change stress, including “acknowledge the ways in which we are complicit” and “feel your feelings.”
Grist, Fusion, and other nonprofit and for-profit media are all part of the “Climate Desk” echo chamber -- a group of outlets committed to recycling each other’s climate alarmist reporting.
Climate Desk members collaborate to explore the “human, environmental, economic” and “political” impact of the “changing climate.” It is led by Mother Jones senior news editor Jeremy Schulman who is a former investigative director for Media Matters. Mother Jones senior digital editor James West is Climate Desk’s producer.
Grist is funded by the Schmidt Family Foundation, the Packard Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and various Rockefeller Foundations.
Fusion meanwhile is part of Univision, a Spanish language network owned by billionaire Haim Saban. Saban gave $12.3 million to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, making him her fourth largest donor.
The Guardian, The Huffington Post, The Atlantic, Slate, Mother Jones, The New Republic and Center for Investigative Reporting are also Climate Desk partners.
