With forest fires burning across Europe and another heatwave on the horizon, how much are you personally willing to change your lifestyle for future generations?

[Chocolatefreak]

Genuine question for discussion purposes. Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that you believe tackling climate change and environmental degradation is a shared responsibility, involving not only governments and corporations but also individuals.

With that in mind, how much would you personally be willing to change your lifestyle if it meant giving future generations, including your children and grandchildren, a better chance of living on a stable, healthy planet?

For example, would you be willing to:

a) Dramatically reduce your consumption of meat and dairy, so that more agricultural land could be used to grow food directly for people rather than feed livestock?
b) Restrict air travel and most car journeys to occasions where they are genuinely necessary?
c) Stop buying more than you need, only getting clothing, gadgets, and other consumables only when they are genuinely necessary rather than for convenience or entertainment?

If not, where would you draw the line? What changes would you consider reasonable, and which would you consider asking too much?

This might have been done to death already I'm afraid OP. There are several threads on it already.

I couldn't find any posts that directly asked people if they would change those aspects.

I’ve already done (a) and (c) (not completely for environmental reasons, a variety of reasons in both cases) and I would be willing to limit/reduce (b).

I'm already doing most of the above. I wish other people would, so we could collectively make a difference.
a) have been a vegetarian for 30 years, and I'm raising my kids vegetarian
b) had one holiday by plane in the last 7 years. Car is not used regularly, and we always use public transport where possible. I appreciate this isn't possible for everyone. We have access to good public transport.
c) consume very little "stuff". My phone is around 4 years old. I only replaced my previous one when it died. Same with tablet. I've never replaced any household item, electronic device etc unless it's broken or become unusable.

But having a second child has undermined my efforts.

I’m already vegan and no longer travel by plane.

In all honesty, I wouldn’t be prepared to use public transport regularly or cut back much on stuff like clothing and tech. I don’t buy loads and I try to buy quality to last, but like many, I buy more than I strictly need.

I also use the tumble dryer a lot when I could line dry more. I’m sure there is lots I could do but I’m not prepared to make life harder.

I suppose when people who really can make a difference, choose to, I’ll be more on board. Until then, I’m going to live my life how it suits me.

The only things I'll do are things I need to do to save money..I'm a veggie but DS absolutely loves his meat and kebabs and chicken.. we love going on holiday and won't stop flying.

Thank you for your honesty. Being vegan and not flying is already a lot, anyway.
Do you vote?

Vegetarian, haven't been on a plane in 10 years, ride my bike or walk mostly and car only for essential trips, buy everything I need second hand/charity shop. The only thing I buy new are my glasses, shoes and underwear.

I don't have children or grandchildren but I don't want the world to go to hell in a hand cart.

We drive when we need to (2 SUVs) and we have 3 kids as well

What about you OP? What are your answers to the questions?

If you knew with absolute certainty that acting now could make the difference between making life relatively comfortable for your children in the future, or absolutely hellish, would you change your mind?

I’m not changing anything. I’m as eco friendly as I’m going to be because I’m poor, so I can’t afford to fly, or drive a big guzzling car, or eat meat every day or have a big house, or buy stuff as the fancy takes me. I’m not buying anything second hand; I don’t care how poor I get.

Earth is fucked. Governments and corporations aren’t on board in any meaningful way. Things would have to change beyond recognition for anything to be saved now.

I'll do my bit where it makes sense.

Frankly though, what I'm utterly sick and tired of is the implication that the future of the planet depends mainly on whether ordinary people have the occasional burger or holiday, while those with the greatest influence escape the same level of scrutiny.

You asked for honesty.

If efforts have a neutral effect on my time and energy ok I'll do it, e.g. taking public transport if the destination is easy to get to and quick on the bus/tram/train, otherwise no.

If by doing one thing, I am wasting another I won't. E.g. washing out recyclables by wasting water in the process. I bin them for landfill instead. Yogurt pots are the culprit here.

I eat very little meat, but will not go veggie or vegan. Too much time would be spent reading labels and failing miserably to be a proper adherent. Dairy, no I like it too much.

Flying is restricted to twice a year now, a few years ago it was much much more. But that has more to do with the stress and sheer unpleasantness of airports and queues and long walks and delays etc. Hard work nowadays.

I only replace items that are beyond use anymore, that includes items of clothing, shoes, kitchen equipment, phones, tablets and so on.

I'm sure I do other positive things, and many other negative things, but at least I am making a little effort and not ignoring it altogether. Life is tough enough without making it harder for the sake of an hour's bus journey compared with ten minutes by car for example, or getting soaked on a bike in bad weather.

I changed loads. I got myself genuinely stressed over it. We switched to only buying local, seasonal produce and avoiding plastic packaging wherever possible. I quit meat entirely and DH severely cut back on his. Cut down on dairy. Avoided flying for years. Cycled wherever possible. Bought an electric car. Switched as many products as possible over to things we could get at zero waste stores. Tried things like making my own soap nuts and stopping using shampoo to reduce both plastic waste and also avoid pollutants in the water. Used cloth nappies on my children, second hand clothes and toys from charity shops or marketplace bundles. Stopped using wrapping paper for Christmas and birthdays. I did loads, and mostly it sucked the joy and ease out of both my life and that of my family.

We were hemmorarging money because the eco options are all extortionate (the best example is when I took my washing powder box which had initially cost £7 at the supermarket to a refill store and it cost £35 to refill!). I was losing sleep from trying to keep on top of everything (visiting 3-4 shops instead of one supermarket as one example, or keeping track of when eco brands were bought by some huge corporation and no longer had the credentials they had initially professed). Plus I was increasingly looking at my friends with their non reusable coffee cups, buying plastic bottles of drink or getting the 3 pack of wrapped peppers from the supermarket rather than loose organic from the greengrocer and I was basically becoming a bitter, judgemental shrew.

In a nutshell I've largely returned to how I used to be. Have come to the conclusion one person can't make enough of a difference to make it worth being perpetually broke and stressed. I'm still veggie, we only eat meat as a household maybe once a week, we cycle more than drive, shop local and seasonal to a point, avoid flights more than I used to but not entirely, still shop on vinted rather than buying new wherever I can and I don't impulse buy. Feels more manageable and better for my mental health this way. I'd quite like to enjoy my life rather than personally carrying the weight of climate change.

A and B no. C we’ve never bought more than needed, that’s financial madness in my book.

I already do all of those things and more but my aim here isn't to preach, just interested in how far people are willing to make sacrifices now for their children's futures!

Thank you for your honesty. I know it needs more than a few individuals.

I’m in existential crisis over here. We eat little meat and little diary - but tbh I’m more concerned about ultra processed food and it’s impact. And the fact I’m a single mother and struggling to make ends meet. I’m insanely irritated by how low consumption our lifestyle is by necessity, and how others are spunking carbon and generally consumption up the wall because they can in ways I can’t possibly imagine, go on holidays and buy ready to eat food and buy shit etc and we’re on the edge and can’t escape anything and I just have to sit here and worry and feel powerless. So yeah. Probably over thinking and also what a state we’re in ….

As long as politicians (and rich people) fly private jets for meetings or fun around the world why should ordinary people be shamed?

Vegetarian
Don't have a car
Do fly but not often
Buy v little, mostly in charity shops.

Not doing any more!

People who haven't been on a plane in years. Okay you take the train to Paris, Amsterdam or Brussels. Perhaps you take a ferry to Ireland? But what if you want to go further into Europe? What if you want to go Cyprus?

I think my carbon footprint is pretty low. I do what I can / should but me washing out a jam jar is nothing compared to 100 private jets parked at a Montana airport (or any other luxury destination).

Yes, collectively lots of people doing lots of little things can make a difference but it’s negligible compared to large industry, coal fired power stations in China and acre upon acre of deforestation in South America.

"Dramatically reduce your consumption of meat and dairy, so that more agricultural land could be used to grow food directly for people rather than feed livestock?"

Except it's not.

i live in a largely agricultural county and so much previous agricultural land is now being built on as solar farms. Nearest to me is the size of 18 football.pitches and there are many more planned.

I try to do those things already. I am not vegetarian, but I don't eat meat very often. I have only flown twice, and have managed to visit several countries without doing so. I do drive to work, unfortunately. We don't buy much "stuff" at all. I do think I could do loads more though.