Reducing burnout in those fighting global heating: the impact of ENGO employees’ experiences on climate policy process

This project seeks to address a paradox that exists at the heart of the climate policy process: on the one hand, as the scale and spread of environmental devastation grows, the more humanity needs rapid and effective responses. On the other hand, as the severity of climate catastrophe becomes more apparent, the more that the possibility of burnout and emotional exhaustion may increase for those who work in this area, reducing individuals’ capacities for pursuing long-term action. The threat of burnout is particularly acute for those who dedicate their professional lives to climate action, such as employees within ENGOs. ENGOs are of paramount importance to the climate policy process, through agenda-setting, negotiation of higher goals, and implementation of policies. However, due to the complexity of climate change, ENGO employees are unlikely to see direct victories and improvements locally or in real-time, worsening a sense of futility. And, if employees leave the sector, we face a skills and networking shortage that may take years to replace. Yet, in the climate governance literature, ENGOs are commonly depicted as monolithic, unitary actors, rather than organisations comprising many individuals who each possess their own needs and priorities. There has been limited scholarship on the extent of burnout within the ENGO sector, its impacts on the policy process, and how it can be mitigated. This project asks: to what extent does employee burnout affect ENGOs’ influence in the climate policy process, and how can this be mitigated? Drawing from over 30 interviews with ENGO employees in the UK, we contribute to the literatures on Policy Studies, Environmental Politics, and Work Psychology. In contrast to much research in Policy Studies that treats organisations as monolithic actors, our findings emphasise the importance of individuals within ENGOs actors. Our findings also contribute to the field of Work Psychology, by learning from individuals’ experiences within organisations, to assess how these impact the wider policy process. In sum, our multidisciplinary project makes conceptual advances, provides original empirical data, and gleans policy insights of benefit for scholars and practitioners alike.