Every autumn, news feeds get flooded with stories about climate change. That’s because around this time each year, global leaders gather to discuss collective efforts to limit our emissions of planet-warming gases, released primarily from oil, gas and coal.

Some of the information coming out of the COP30 conference is bleak. But it’s not just COP. Climate stories can be difficult to consume year-round, whether it’s about natural disasters, victims of heat waves or sea level rise or new studies about global warming impacts.

“When you throw a ton of scary facts and information at people, their nervous system shuts down. It’s a coping mechanism,” said Sarah Newman, founder and executive director of the Climate Mental Health Network.

That sense of dread, doom, fear or hopelessness gets lump

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