Does anyone else feel paralysed by climate change?

[onebeauplace]

Just that really. Having seen all the covid induced panic (most of which was justifiable IMO), I can't really understand why there isn't the same panic and associated action over climate change. Do people think it just won't happen, or if it does happen that it won't happen in our lifetime, or do they feel like nothing they do will make a difference anyway, or is it that the changes we would need to make are too big and overwhelming to think about?

This is not a judgy post BTW as I really only started learning more about climate change a couple of years ago and I am not perfectly eco friendly in any way shape or form. Often I do just feel totally paralysed by it myself, feel like anything I do is pointless and wonder why more people aren't freaking out because there are real things to freak out about here. This is going to hit in most of our lifetimes - by as early as 2040 we could be seeing extreme changes that will cause a huge drop in living standards. Our children will definitely be affected.

How do others deal with this? I'm going through a complete existential despair thing at the moment where I feel there isn't really any point to anything as the future I sort of believed I had as a child isn't there, and certainly isn't there for my young DD.

No. We do our bit as far as possible, recycling, not wasting food, ditching plastic as far as poss, using the car a lot less, etc., but although it’s worrying, I certainly don’t feel paralysed.

I suggest you stop watching/reading the news for a bit. Lose yourself in a good book, or a feel good film or box set.

As long as you’re doing what you can, it’s not healthy to let it affect you to this extent.

I wonder whether the fires in America and Canada will put a rocket under the arses of people in government to do something. Granted, there will always be a proportion of people who don't agree/believe, but I like to think this might galvanise some change.

Flash flooding in China this afternoon doesn't look good either does it.

I do think anyone that's left in 2121 is going to look back and think 'wtf were they doing, burning all that oil and generating all that plastic crap'.

Let's treat climate change like Covid-19.

You all went along with lockdown for the greater good.

New laws

Banning non essential car journeys.

One TV per household.

Ditto tablets and laptops.

Ditto tumble driers.

For a start. All with the threat of fines and imprisonment otherwise.

You'd all agree and support it right for the greater good?

It's way more structural than that though - it's about our agricultural policy, land use, building standards, river catchment management, transport infrastructure, energy infrastructure. All that needs sorting too whilst I'm thinking about whether we have one or four laptops.

I saw somewhere the other day that London has more tree cover than Yorkshire.

That's framing the debate about climate change in the same way as we have Covid, with an emphasis on personal responsibility, when arguably a far better response from the government would have been to look at sick pay for everyone that genuinely have people the ability to isolate, or to look again at the gig economy, or to seriously fund built environment ventilation strategies.

Or maybe we can start with banning outside heaters, balloon releases, tax the airline industry, stop flying in the unseasonal produce, tax red meat, reassess the need for buiding new housing by taking a note of all the empty flats in developments everywhere, stop overseas investors buying off plan, tax long haul holidays and single use plastic.

I remember a thread here where OP asked for recommendation for 80 presents for an 80th birthday. How is that socially acceptable? Because life is short and no one can possibly have fun without buying crap?

We definitely need better building standards

reassess the need for buiding new housing by taking a note of all the empty flats in developments everywhere, stop overseas investors buying off plan

Yes! There are so many high rise buildings going up in London and how many lower income people - or indeed anyone at all - will get to live in them?

But it's something I never think about and don't really care what happens when I am gone.

If you are 50 or less, it won't be when you're gone.

Look in your own homes before you criticise anyone else

This is such a straw man argument, that unless you live in a hut made from recycled wood with a compost toilet, wearing and mending the same clothes since 1970, on a smallholding, and scorn all aspects of modern life, you have no right to be concerned about climate change.

This thread wasn't started to have a go at people for not doing enough. I said very, very clearly I am not perfect, far from it. It was started to ask if others feel as worried as I do. Clearly they do!

I live in California and in the years I've lived here it has got demonstrably worse. Fire season is longer, fires are more destructive, and now we have a megadrought which means this is likely to be the worst fire season yet. That's not even to mention the catastrophic temperatures in Canada and the Pacific North West which are completely unprecedented.

I'm seeing more news outlets referring to the the 'climate crisis' and 'climate emergency' rather than climate change, but I do worry that it's too little, too late.

God I agree op the shooting down of anyone voicing a concern because unless you live in a hedge you have no right to comment.

Also the people saying it will happen after their lifetimes - it’s happening now!

Recently read The High House by Jessie Greengrass. Everyone should read it.

What will actually happen in our lifetimes?

I am concerned but don't feel properly informed. I understand that areas will become uninhabitable leading to mass migration. Probably international tensions over food and water at some point.

Stuff is happening now, but it's swept under the carpet in the media.

When will those of us in rich countries feel the impact and not be able to ignore it anymore?

When will those of us in rich countries feel the impact and not be able to ignore it anymore?

Predictions of an extremely sharp drop in living standards by 2040

www.indy100.com/science-tech/report-predicts-societal-collapse-2040-b1885263

We'll be getting some pretty scary weather sooner than that, is my guess. Take a look at Germany. And the hailstorms in Knibworth today.

Argh, I meant Kibworth.

I read an article recently that stated that 23 of the 25 cities responsible for almost all greenhouse gasses were located in China.

It honestly feels like swapping straws to paper and bringing our own bags for life is putting a sticking plaster on a decapitated neck.

The book I mentioned it was floods. Sea waters rose coastal cities destroyed people fled them but nowhere to flee to the structures that support us (food water heat) all ground to a halt. Only a hardy few of preppers survived but for how long and they didn’t want to as everyone else and basic amenities gone.

This heatwave was a normal summer back in the 70's

Utter crap, willful ignorance right there

But la la la it’s all fine. I do hope the it’s all fine brigade ie my mother are right..

There's no point talking to history deniers.

OP I feel like you one minute then very hopeful the next. I've been really concerned about climate change for over 40 years, I have books going back to the 1980's - for decades no one took any notice but it's on the news constantly now, this gives me hope. I feel like we're teetering on the edge of a precipice and if we're lucky we'll be able to salvage ourselves but only just.

@CrouchEndTiger12

Let's treat climate change like Covid-19.

You all went along with lockdown for the greater good.

New laws

Banning non essential car journeys.

One TV per household.

Ditto tablets and laptops.

Ditto tumble driers.

For a start. All with the threat of fines and imprisonment otherwise.

You'd all agree and support it right for the greater good?

Yes. We do all of those things already. No car, or passports, or tumble dryer. 1 TV, 1 working laptop, 1 child. DH & I have a tablet each but they're both several years old. 2nd hand phones, always. I used to be vegetarian but my dietary choices dwindled to an unacceptable level due to health problems; once I've got that under control I'm reducing/stopping eating meat. It's everybody's responsibility. If we all say but there's no point in me trying then no-one will do anything. And society accepts it. And attitudes like thinking your neighbours are poor because they hang their washing outside, become the norm.

I feel like we're teetering on the edge of a precipice and if we're lucky we'll be able to salvage ourselves but only just.

But isn't it already too late for a huge chunk of people, if there is a likelihood of societal collapse by 2040 as OP has linekd above?

I include myself in that group BTW, I'm not just speaking carelessly about people in poverty in poor countries. I'm chronically ill and depend on medications and medical procedures to keep me alive so am well aware that they won't be manufactured anymore/ will be cut if the shit hits the fan beyond a certain point.

Maybe the rich, healthy and lucky will be able to avoid falling off the edge of the precipice. Not sure about the rest of us.

It never even crosses my mind

But isn't it already too late for a huge chunk of people, if there is a likelihood of societal collapse by 2040 as OP has linekd above?

It's never too late to start doing stuff to help.