Lavin Exclusive Speaker
How does climate change affect our mental health? Millions around the world are suffering from anxiety and grief directly related to environmental challenges. Expanding on her hit TED Talk with almost 2 million views, BRITT WRAY covers everything from the post traumatic stress that comes with the rise of extreme weather events, to the 12 strategies for coping with pandemics and anxiety—giving us the tools and strategies we all need to face the world’s biggest challenges.
Pandemics and biodiversity collapse are no longer the stuff of science fiction. As a science storyteller, broadcaster, and author, Wray’s work lies at the forefront of science and ethics surrounding environmentalism. From the coronavirus to the climate crisis, Wray helps us understand how the world is changing and what that means for us mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Her forthcoming book Generation Dread (Knopf-Random House 2021) will explore the mental health and psychological impacts of the climate and wider eco-crisis.
Currently a host on CBC Radio 1’s flagship science show Quirks and Quarks, Wray is also developing a documentary with CBC’s legendary science program The Nature of Things. The New Yorker named her first book Rise of the Necrofauna: The Science, Ethics, and Risks of De-Extinction a “book we loved” and The Sunday Times called it a “must-read.” By making science accessible and illuminating its possible consequences, Wray’s writing, broadcasting, and talks help us understand how the world is changing, creating a rich space for conversation about how each of us can respond to those changes.
As co-host of the BBC podcast Tomorrow’s World, Wray answers big questions about the future on a biweekly basis, discussing new technological developments and trends. A 2019 TED Resident, she is also directing a documentary series with the National Film Board of Canada about personal genomics. Wray is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Human and Planetary Health at Stanford University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Her research investigates climate change’s impact on young people’s mental health and the design of interventions to support young people with these challenges.
Wray holds a PhD in Science Communication and Synthetic Biology from the University of Copenhagen in the Department of Media, Cognition and Communication, as well as a BSc (Hon) in Biology from Queen’s University and an Interdisciplinary MA from OCAD University. She has been a Visiting Scholar at the NYU Arthur L. Carter Institute for Journalism.