I Quit Writing About Environmental Topics, But I Still Care

So I stopped writing for several months, and now I’m announcing I’ll no longer write about environmental topics? What’s going on? Well, here’s the story.

After writing consistently for 2 years, it annoyed me to no end that writing consistently is difficult, but stopping writing was insanely easy. Clearly, it means I’m not cut out for it. Stephen King can’t stop writing if he tried, you know what I mean?

That said, writing is always at the back of my mind. I fantasize about writing in the shower, when I cook, or when I work, but I didn’t try very hard to write.

I have a reason.

Work got in the way

Last October, I found work as a content rater. It was a blessing to gain some form of remote employment during these times, no matter how small. On a typical day, I look at tonnes of posts each day and I make hundreds of little decisions. It’s not complicated, but it requires thinking and discernment.

It can also be emotionally draining, but that’s an entirely different story.

I was still writing when I first took up this assignment, but it got harder as time passed. The constant exposure to content and decision-making pretty used up my cognitive brainpower so I have none leftover for research-based writing. At the end of each day, my brain is just buzzing from all the content, barely remembered but taking up space anyway. 

Doing more research on the internet on environmental topics and writing in my free time or off days became less and less attractive. I want to, but my brain resists. 

Still, the content overload isn’t the sole reason.

I can probably eke out mental capacity to write somehow, especially after getting the hang of the job, except I’ve been “scarred” by what I’ve been rating.

Misinformation is plentiful on the internet

I come across a lot of people who sound like they know their shit when they don’t. You know, those people who did research on Google for hours and think they know as much about a subject as professionally-trained researchers do. I think you know what I’m talking about.

Sometimes, these folks create content based around the subject, usually mingling facts with opinions and invariably, some misinformation. Sometimes, they quickly gain an audience, especially if they’re good at making people feel angry or scared.

They turn me off. I cannot stand the fact that they dare talk about subjects they research for some days on the internet and claim to know better than some experts.

And then it dawned on me.

I’m doing the same thing! My hypocrisy came crashing down on me.

Coming to terms

If you’ve read some of my other posts, you’ll know I’m passionate about fighting the climate crisis. I used to do my own research and write little articles about different environmental topics — plastic pollution, microfiber pollution, the carbon cycle, the phytoplanktons, and etc.

To be honest, I never felt totally comfortable writing about science-y topics because I know my knowledge is lacking, but I wanted to create awareness about these topics since they’re important for understanding the climate crisis. So I try my best to keep everything factual and supported. I read many articles, use multiple reputable sources, and link them in my articles. However, at the end of the day, I am not an expert in climate science (I do make that clear in my posts).

I was a Google researcher trying to write about the climate and the environment – similar to all those folks I judged so self-righteously, just on a different topic. 

Yes, it is possible to research and write about a subject you aren’t trained in — journalists do that all the time. But journalists are trained too.

There are better-qualified writers of environmental science out there than me. So I decided I’ll stop writing about environmental topics. 

A new focus

It hurts a little, but it’s also a relief. The climate crisis is a subject I care deeply about, and I love creating awareness around it. It is precisely because of how much I care that I don’t want to risk presenting less-than-precise information about it. Or not being able to answer someone’s question well-roundedly. 

I’m not quite qualified. Though I tried my hardest to make sure I got everything correct, it doesn’t change the fact that there’s a tonne I don’t know.

Though I bid goodbye to writing about environmental topics, I’ll continue fighting the climate crisis, in my everyday life.

Moving forward, I’ll be tapping into my introspection for content. Maybe I’ll do a product review every now and then, talk about green habits. I’ll stick to writing about things that wouldn’t cause problems if I got them wrong. I’ll definitely still write about minimalism and life! It’s next to impossible for me to churn out one post a week like I used to, especially since I’m still working on my Etsy shop, but I’ll post whenever I can.

Hopefully, there’s enough in my little head to satisfy my restless fingers.

If you’re reading this, thank you very much. I hope to see you around!