You Can Do Science That Will Help Save the Planet
The impacts of climate change can be overwhelming. By becoming a citizen scientist, you can make meaningful contributions to important work.
Fire and drought, coastal flooding and hurricanes, ocean acidification, and habitat loss… The impacts of climate change are sweeping and increasingly destructive, and will only worsen in the coming decades. These large-scale problems can affect life on a smaller scale as well — specifically, the mental health of individuals affected by or concerned about climate change. The term “eco-anxiety” has been coined to describe this justified reaction to the current situation; while it is important not to pathologize this feeling, the impact can still be debilitating for the growing number of people overwhelmed by the scientific reality of environmental and ecological breakdown.
Understanding the scale and intensity of this problem leads many people to feel hopeless about improving the situation. But it is the opinion of those who study the effects of climate change on the planet and its people that climate “doomism” can have as negative an impact as climate change denial. While the harm of human impact on the planet and climate will undoubtedly continue regardless of how society tries to mitigate it, a lack of hope for some kind of resolution will inevitably cause a lack of action.
This fear about the future of the planet is a sign of our attachment to it, and a case must be made for people to reframe their fear and use it as fuel for action. A great action to take is to participate in citizen science. By doing so, not only can a person have a meaningful input on the research that helps scientists document and better understand their field, but the participant also can gain a better understanding and deeper connection to science and nature.
Citizen science is increasingly important to a growing variety of fields, for good reason. But what exactly is it, and how do people participate in it? Citizen science is scientific research that is done, in whole or in part, by members of the public who collaborate to expand scientific knowledge. Some examples of what a citizen scientist might do are record the location of plants they see while out on a hike, monitor and sample a waterway nearby, or periodically check their home bird feeder to record the birds present.
Depending on the kind of project, many citizen science initiatives do not require that their participants have any kind of prior experience, and any necessary training is made freely available to anyone with an interest in participating. The scope of possibility for data collection has increased enormously with the availability of smartphones too — many people have a handheld GPS unit with internet access and a high-quality camera in their back pocket. They may not even have to leave the comfort of their home, and their task may be accessed on a computer or phone.
A great example of a highly impactful citizen science program is the U.S. Cooperative Weather Observer Program, or COOP. Volunteers sign up to record observations on current local weather patterns. Formally organized in 1890, the resultant database is the most definitive source of information on U.S. climate trends for temperature and precipitation. It has been called the backbone of critical global climate change knowledge. In the blog post, Caren Cooper acknowledges not only how important the project is, but how central the public has been and will continue to be in learning more about the climate:
“It would be nearly impossible for me to accept the burden of [accelerating climate change] if it weren’t for the one glimmer of hope that I see in all knowledge coproduced via citizen science: the power of the coordinated, collective efforts of curious, dedicated people. The discovery and understanding of global climate change, which has been so hotly debated, was possible because we are not a country of bystanders. We are participators. When the weather service asked for help, people helped. Because of participation, we have an inkling of the threats that we face.”
Even though COOP plays a big role in the current understanding of climate change, not many people have heard about it — myself included! And there are hundreds and hundreds of smaller projects — chances are, a willing volunteer would have no trouble finding a project nearby to contribute to. Here are some examples of citizen science initiatives, both large and small.
Monarch Watch: People east of the Rocky Mountains can sign up to receive tagging kits in the mail, in order to tag monarch butterflies they come across. The website also can connect visitors with free milkweed plants so they can plant their own monarch-friendly garden.
REEF, the Reef Environmental Education Foundation, compiles sea life surveys from member divers and snorkelers into the world’s largest database on marine species, with almost 261,000 surveys since 1993. There’s no minimum number of species that a member needs to be able to identify — as many as they can is enough. These surveys contributed to three important scientific papers on massive declines of Sunflower Sea Stars on the West Coast published in Science Advances, PLOS One, and PeerJ. Volunteers can also participate in removing invasive species; REEF holds lionfish “derbies” in Key Largo to minimize the species’ negative impact there.
Someone interested in contributing to science projects doesn’t need to have their scuba gear at the ready, though. In fact, they don’t even have to leave their couch. A growing number of initiatives are designed to be games that people can play online. For example, a group of researchers and student developers at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies created Citizen Sort, a website that hosts citizen science games like Happy Match (a competitive photo classification game) and Living Links (a game between the player and artificial intelligence). A quick search engine entry can connect a potential citizen scientist with many, many more of these kinds of websites; a good place to start is the Citizen Science Games website.
Enabling research in any field has a ripple effect. Citizens have the power to help scientists understand current conservation efforts, the spread of disease, and the impact of a changing climate. Remote game-type projects give researchers the opportunity to analyze a larger pool of data, leading to better results. And the power of citizen science is accessible to all kinds of organizations, regardless of their level of funding.
Even more, citizen science makes the kind of research needed to discover things more accessible to people who may otherwise not engage with it. This is so important in building public trust in science; it's not magic or lies, it is real people making real progress. It can even inspire younger people to pursue a career in science, while building a network of people who may be able to open that door for them. By participating and contributing to discovery and stewardship, an eco-anxious person can reframe their connection to climate problems, and potentially use their privilege as a way to improve scientific understanding while deepening their connection with nature. And the science does not have to be directly related to climate change for it to be personally useful — engaging with a community to have an impact on a larger project is a part of the rewarding work of building unity.
You are a stakeholder in the health and well-being of the environment, and you can feel empowered by the ability to contribute to an important field of research. While the importance of good funding for scientific research to initiate these types of projects cannot be downplayed, citizen science is a boon to everyone involved. The momentum born from the scientific cooperation with others can be a spark that sets off the larger corporate, industrial, and political change that must happen to secure a more safe and just future for all.
