The Data Was Clear. I Wasn't Ready.

I spent months prepping for this release—running models, checking code, staring at satellite feeds until my eyes blurred. NASA’s numbers came in, and for a second, I thought maybe I’d missed something. The extremes weren’t just up—they’d doubled. I should have felt vindicated. Instead, I felt sick. We used to talk about climate change like it was a storm on the horizon. Now, it’s just here. The graphs look like panic attacks: sharp, sudden, impossible to predict. I keep thinking about the rural communities in the data—people who don’t even know they’re a datapoint, let alone a warning. My PI called it a breakthrough. I just felt tired. How do you sound the alarm when everyone’s already numb? #ScienceFatigue #ClimateAnxiety #DataDread #Science