AIBU for worrying about my DC futures bc of climate change?

Spot on!!! Nobody wants change enough if it impacts their standard of living. Flying is bad, cruise ships are worse, but people want to travel. Why shouldn’t they when billionaires have private jets!!! If private jets ceased to exist would anyone give up flying?

During Covid when the planes and cruise ships stopped, the environment temporarily improved. Since Covid, significantly more people travel abroad. Everyday there are over 1000,000 commercial flight!!!

And that over consumption and the demand is the result of….having kids. PP is absolutely correct, the driving force behind human induced climate change is the rapid population growth of the last couple hundred years, and population growth is, I’m pretty sure, linked to having children. You might not like it but the single biggest thing anyone person can do to limit climate change is not having children. And that vein of hypocrisy is the uncomfortable truth behind all these virtual signalling, “I’m so worried about the future” posts. I’m “so worried”, “what can we do?” (as long as it doesn’t materially impact me or my family’s lifestyle).

Yesterday I went to a local library to watch a screening of this film presented by Chris Packham.
In it, a collection of well regarded experts in health, economics, security, science and food production present their response to the climate crisis in the UK, and point to what can be done if we start now. A discussion was held after the film.
There are lots of small screenings of this film being arranged by ordinary members of the public. The hope is to initiate interest and discussion so that it can ultimately be seen on national TV.
It really is a ‘Must Watch’ as they say.
Here is the link Www.nebriefing.org

It’s amazing isn’t it!!! We’ve know about climate change for a very long time, and the damage caused by humans is unequivocally WORSE!!!

So in the last 2 years since planning your third child you’ve just realised climate change is an issue? It wasn’t on your radar at all 2 years ago?

OP, humans can still do a lot to mitigate climate change. Maybe one of your DCs will be a ground-breaking regenerative farming scientists or find a way to eliminate micro plastics from the environment or be the politician that finally knocks industry into line. The next generation don't have to be helpless victims to the absolute mess we're leaving them - they have free education, the wealth of all human knowledge at their finger tips, the universal right to vote (in the UK) and they'll be able to see the change in climate that some of previous generations have refused to believe was coming. If humanity is to be saved, it will be them that does it - all we can do is to give them the tools to use whatever power they have to try and make things better.

This!!! Overconsumption and the demand is high!!!!

Having kids is not the thing that contributes most towards climate change. Over-consumption is.

Which is why most of the African countries where population growth is still strong produce a tiny fraction of the emissions of wealthy western countries with flatlining or falling native birth rates.

In the UK we haven’t built any completed reservoirs since 1992, but our population has significantly increased.

Climate change is a global issue. You basically won't make any difference at all by not having children, because the rest of humanity will continue to have theirs.

OP- focus on what you can control. Think about simple changes to diet, walking rather than using the car, not ordering from Shein, buying second hand etc etc Lots of us doing this will be making a huge difference.

Surely the answer is capturing more of what comes down? It is inconceivable to me that we can talk hose pipe bans right now with the amount of rain we have had over the cooler months. It never stopped where I live!

I don't think you're being unreasonable, but perhaps a perspective change would help if you can pull it off.

I personally think it's not just climate change steering humanity towards a pretty horrific future. Maybe focus on all we (and your children) still have to be grateful for and appreciate - just try to give them the best experience you can. Life itself should be something to cherish.

I suspect historically we're all descended from people who endured hardships beyond our modern comprehension. We're still reaping the benefits of modern society, even as the long-term consequences become clear.

Exactly!!! If we keep have warmer, drier summers, there’s a huge risk we’ll run out of usable drinking water.

🤦‍♀️

and this is why it won’t be

If you're worried about man-made climate change then don't have children.

But what you shouldn't do is the thing that most contributes towards climate change - having kids - and then worry about it.

It's like pouring petrol all over your house and then worrying that your house will burn down if someone throws a cigarette at it.

Make your kids resilient. Get them to embrace change, and understand some survival skills.

The planet will be fine. The animals, plants and people are in danger!!!

Eat less meat and don't have any more kids and you'll be fine.

Jesus Christ, did I actually just read that? 😖

Of course YANBU. We've completely fucked the world and are unable to unfuck it. I have children too - it's devastating.

I think it is undeniable that there are going to be real shifts globally, and civilisation is going to change, and not for the better.

However, it makes me feel better to think that generally, civilisation don't collapse overnight. Things shift gradually, over hundreds of years. Problems feel local, not part of a global pattern, and historians are the ones to document a fall, not the people in the middle of it.

We will face problems, populations will move, people will have less children and life expectancy will reduce. But people will continue to live the best lives they can in the circumstances they are given, and will build back up.

YANBU, it's pretty scary. Especially since so much of it is out of our control.

I find it helps to do what I can, even in a small way: insulate the house, eat vegetarian or vegan, drive and fly as little as possible, get your electricity from a renewable source, buy secondhand and buy less overall.

You will get people on here saying no one is allowed to say they are doing anything about sustainability unless they live in an off-grid yurt, but that's not true. Small choices can make a difference.

And maybe subscribe to a positive news feed? There's some amazing work for the environment happening in the world - rewilding stories give me a bit of much-needed hope.

You're sort of over worrying. Some of your worries are valid but we already pay too much for water (profits to shareholders) and we pay for food.

You can get help for your anxiety. The world will be just fine.