Climate Fatigue and Burnout

In this episode of Voices for Conservation, Stacey and Philina chat about burnout, fatigue, and how Zoo professionals get a double dose of both from both climate change and zoo work. 

Burnout and Fatigue Resources and Further Reading

Bemister, K. & Tawfik, M. (2023). Record, Recall, Reflect: A Qualitative Examination of Compassion Fatigue in Toronto Zoo Staff. Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens 4(2):413-426. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370671267_Record_Recall_Reflect_A_Qualitative_Examination_of_Compassion_Fatigue_in_Toronto_Zoo_Staff. 

Burned Out on a Burning Planet: https://commonhome.georgetown.edu/topics/climateenergy/burned-out-on-a-burning-planet/ 

Climate Activism Without Burnout: Evidence-Based Practices to Improve Well-Being: https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/news-events/climate-activism-without-burnout-evidence-based-practices-to-improve-well-being/

Climate Burnout Report: https://www.climatecritical.earth/report

Climate Change ‘Burnout’ is Taking Its Toll: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/23112024/climate-change-burnout-taking-its-toll/

Climate Mental Health Network: https://www.climatementalhealth.net/. 

Currin-McCulloch J., Nageotte N., Walker A., McDonald SE., Kogan LR. (2024). Experiences of Animal Loss and Grief among Zoo Professionals and Volunteers: A Qualitative Study. Animals. 14(20). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/384838691_Experiences_of_Animal_Loss_and_Grief_among_Zoo_Professionals_and_Volunteers_A_Qualitative_Study

Currin-McCulloch J., Nageotte N., Walker A., McDonald SE., Kogan LR. (2025). Animal loss and grief in zoos: Qualitative insights to inform organizational support for zoo professionals and volunteers. Human-Animal Interactions 13(1). https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/10.1079/hai.2025.0004#:~:text=Research%20specific%20to%20US%20zoos,et%20al.%2C%202024).

Marino, J. (2023). Measuring Burnout in Zoo and Aquarium Professionals: A Case for Equity and Justice. Animal Keepers’ Forum, 50(4), 103 – 108. https://d197for5662m48.cloudfront.net/documents/publicationstatus/136748/preprint_pdf/268944da4d93e57ebcdaf30f82aee97d.pdf

Steentjes K. & Roberts E. (2024). Raising alarm bells for a struggling sector: taking a new approach to improve the wellbeing of climate change professionals. Front Psychol. 2024 Jul 19;15:1404252. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1404252. PMID: 39100553; PMCID: PMC11295274. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11295274/