What should be done about climate change?

[Rfthyhuj]

There are many people on another thread salivating at the idea of the five climate change protestors going to jail. I’m not an expert, but I know enough to understand that global warming is already having catastrophic effects on the world’s poorest.

What can the world do? What can the UK government do? I believe that we should up aid funding to allow developing countries to invest in green technology. I’ve never thought about it in huge detail, but am really shocked at the vitriol shown to the protestors for attempting to raise awareness of how serious the situation is. I don’t want another debate about the protest or the prison sentence, but am really interested in hearing about what people believe should happen to create change and avoid disaster?

They are only rich off the back of other peoples work.
When there are no people to do work, they will no longer be rich. Maybe they should do their bit to help others keep their houses safer.

If you really want to do something about climate change, go harangue all those countries that pollute way way more than the UK.

I've seen over and over, the UK makes less than 2% of carbon emissions worldwide. Not sure what else the UK can do. Its down to all those other countries making the other 98% to do something.

Enjoy it. I’m all in favour of milder winters & hotter summers in the U.K. Fewer mornings defrosting the car. More Mediterranean evenings sat outside eating in the sunshine. Bring it on!

@Graymalkin

So to answer the question

Nothing

But it is making a massive difference to "the days" of millions, whose lives are impacted by drought, flooding, rising sea levels, extreme heat, wild fires (have you checked in on Canada lately?) and famine. You're being disingenuous and... shockingly dismissive of the suffering of mainly poor brown and black people in the global South.

Something has to be done, but vandalising works of art & ancient monuments or gluing yourself to the M25 ain't it.

It was ever thus. Long before climate change began accelerating.

what can we do?

Insulate houses better - this helps with keeping them cool in summer as well as warm in winter - make new laws on minimum standards of insulation.

Only use renewable or nuclear power - invest massively in renewable energy sources - especially tidal turbines in the UK - we have a powerful and predictable source of energy there that we are largely ignoring.

Protect natural environments on a local level all over the country

Improve bus and train services outside of London - make cities car free as far as possible, and ban cars on the school run!

Recycle everything, but that doesn't help at all, if everything that is recycled is unused. So BUY recycled products, to pull recycling, rather than just pushing it!

Eat less meat

These are my first thoughts off the top of my head

The number of climate change deniers on here is shocking. As to what should be done, I'd like to see the UK take and run with the advice given by a citizen's council, which was done 4 years ago: https://www.climateassembly.uk/

@Bodeganights , that figure has been debunked as the UK outsources its manufacturing to counties like China. If we took responsibility for making our own stuff, our emissions would soon reflect this.

@Rfthyhuj, I'm sorry your thread has been hijacked by bad-faith posters. It was a good idea. But it seems to be going the way of the other JSO threads where the toxicity and wilful inertia is quite scary.

Hard question. I don't think political parties have the gumption to do what is needed as it will piss everyone off (particularly the climate change deniers such as found on this thread) and they will subsequently lose power. I'm not sure what is needed but I have some thoughts on what might be a good starting point. And while I agree we really need to get the biggest polluters to change, I doubt we will have much luck with that if we're going to just continue as we are.

Severe limits on flights, particularly private jets... maybe some sort of annual limit per person, which could be traded (no, I know this would probably never work, but I'm not an expert!)

Significant investment in local public transport systems so that those living in cities, towns and well connected villages can rely more on buses and trains and less on cars.

A total rethink on incentives and taxes for cars. Right now i think the incentives are there to scrap small, efficient petrol or diesel cars and replace them with large, heavy electric or hybrid cars (which need a lot of energy and resource to construct). Should be moving more to small efficient cars, not electric SUVs, and aiming to maximize the life of existing vehicles.

Stop licensing for new oil and gas exploration. Increase investment in green energy.

I actually think the whole economic model is wrong and always has been, we need to move away from consumer culture... but I'll stop with my pie in the sky before getting into that!

Like I said, I'm no expert, no idea if these ideas would even be helpful in reality.

Ban pet ownership
Ban large gas guzzling cars
Invest in energy station with ultra fast chargers (less than 10min)
Improve recycling
Prosecute industry bosses for excess pollution.

The climate will change whether we're here or not, but we do need to stop polluting the earth.
That summer of 2020 was glorious, plants flourished and why? Because there were no cars, planes etc (or at least a lot fewer), belcjingout pollutants into the air.
Plants are quite good at cleaning the air if left to get on with it. So why on earth we continue to build over things and on flood plains, I really have no idea.
I think we need more plants, especially trees, we need to create not destroy.

Insulate houses better - this helps with keeping them cool in summer as well as warm in winter - make new laws on minimum standards of insulation.

Its all a con! Just a way for companies to make a quick buck. Cavity wall insulation does more harm than good. So does loft insulation if not fitted correctly. Domestic solar panels will be obsolete in a few years and need replacement at high cost. Biomass boilers are unreliable. Air source heat pumps the same.

A neighbour, recently back from New York , and going to the Far East in a few months (both holidays), has been lecturing us on the world being on fire. If those who believe it carry on as normal, doing nothing is probably the answer.

Brilliant post.

Millions of years? It’s affecting humans now - health problems in Bangladesh, crop failures in India,villages in Wales being relocated due to floods etc.

If things continue as they are, it’s predicted that the global temperature will have risen four degrees by the 2060s. This is how part of the UK would look -under water. This isn’t something millions of years away.

I don't deny that climate change is a thing. What I do deny is the notion that we can stop it. We can't, it's a natural phenomenon.

I genuinely didn’t think people who were so poorly educated about climate change existed in real life.

Just cos it matters to you doesnt mean that everyone else cares. There's always some climate disaster that people like to get behind. We've had the hole in the ozone layer, greenhouse gases, global warming. It's no wonder people are either cynical or just get bored of hearing about it.

Thanks. I knew there were climate change deniers but consider them similar to flat earthers. It’s shocking to actually see people freely admitting they don’t believe in science and don’t seem to be grasping what is to come.

There is an element of natural climate change which has occurred over millennia, causing imperceptible changes, most of which we're not necessarily aware of. What is so damaging is when this is being deliberately conflated with the anthropogenic ('caused by Man') climate change, which is a much more recent phenomenon, responsible for the harm seen in many parts of the world and which we still can do something about; reducing our dependency on fossil fuels, transitioning to renewable energy and reducing general consumption being sensible starting points.

The ozone layer was fixed by direct action. We haven’t ‘had’ greenhouses gassed and global warming, the greenhouse gasses are causing the current global warming.

And if you don’t care it seems strange to need to take part in this debate.

What annoys me is the lack if joined up thinking

The constant concreting of green fields to build more housing say on a flood plain - why

Building on floodplains is one of the most cynical things. Developers pocket the money and are long gone by the time it becomes a problem.

I can't believe some of these denial answers. I wish I could believe it wasn't real! Just shows the effect of poor quality news and corrrupt media.