Climate change vs Covid

[Sarahlou63]

Heard an interesting piece on James O'Brien's LBC show this morning.

He was talking about how quickly people changed their behaviour when faced with a direct threat to their health - they (in the main) accepted social distancing, face masks, lockdowns, a huge change in the way they work, etc in a direct response to the virus.

The question was, what will it take to generate the same mass response to climate change? What long, long term sacrifices are viewed as acceptable - no foreign travel, public transport/walking/cycling whenever possible, only eating locally produced food in season?

Covid has been a short(ish) sharp shock. Climate change is going to take decades to reverse, even if it's possible. Do you think people will respond unless they are personally affected?

It’s a very interesting question. I think that people reacted to Covid things with such alacrity because it affected themselves, right now - plus they assumed it wouldn’t be a long term change.
For people to change their lives and habits forever, is a very different prospect. This goes hand in hand with absolutely knowing that the changes people make on an individual basis mean very little unless big business also make fundamental change, especially in places over which we have very little control (like China).

I also think Covid shows us that when a few people start doing the “wrong” thing, or pushing the rules, other people often start to follow suit. So you would need everyone to equally follow the rules, whcih I can’t see happening.
Individuals, quite understandably see people like Prince Harry et al preaching about climate change and then holidaying widely and living in a mansion and think “ok mate, I don’t think so” - to really make change, we need people not to be hypocritical and the problem is, a lot of the things that would really make a difference would also make our lives worse in the short and long term.
I just don’t think humans can get their head around the idea of living a “worse” life so that future generations don’t have to.
I know it sounds bleak but I just can’t see people giving up on travel and convenience, and when you have the super rush blowing money on vanity projects like space travel whcih pump co2 into the atmosphere at a crazy rate, ordinary people think “yeah I think I’ll just have my week in Greece thanks”

Super “rich” not “rush”