Starting to panic about climate change

[DorothyL]

I keep reading how climate change is getting really bad and how we're reaching the tipping point/point of no return. It keeps me awake at night and makes me feel so anxious and worried for my children. I struggle to feel happy because I keep thinking that we're literally facing the apocalypse. How can I deal with this?

the temperature the day you were born, as published by the global warming industry, will change day by day

The evidence for that?

And you need to read up on what a global average temperature increase means.
It's quite different from daily temperature fluctuations.
Polar bears easily survive big temperature fluctuations.
The environment in which they live and survive may not be the same, not with 1oC increase - that's already happening, but a bit more.

climate is a cumulative average of the weather over a set period. sometimes set at 30 years

that's my understanding anyway

Lweji
check out nasa giss, for changing graphs over the years.

And I understand that daily fluctuations are not the same as a step change of 1 degree or whatever.
But my point should be obvious, Polar bears survived for millions of years with much higher temperatures. much higher CO2 levels

Evidence for CO2 (and other greenhouse gases) causing the observed global warming detected in the last decades:

scienceblogs.com/illconsidered/2008/10/what-is-the-evidence-that-co2/

It is possible that previous temperature rises caused release of CO2, which then acts on feedback and contributes to further increases.

But we can't really compare natural release of CO2 and artificial release in unprecedented amounts.

Polar Bears Evolved Just 150,000 Years Ago

www.livescience.com/10956-polar-bears-evolved-150-000-years.html

Unprecedented amounts?

CO2 is one of the minor greenhouse gasses
it comprises 0.04% of the atmosphere
human contribution is 4% of that

so 4% of 0.04%

mm ok

why not worry yourself and others to death over the big greenhouse gas
water vapour

artificial release in unprecedented amounts.

God this is depressing. Any debate on climate change some persistent fuckwit comes peddling post-truth factoids and derails it all.

Sigh.

I know albert.
but keep fighting. the truth will prevail

Ha bloody ha.

Look, everyone with any relevant scientific qualifications, the global insurance industry and all the world's governments apart from Trumpland think this is a very big deal.

On the other side you've got Jeremy Corbyn's brother, Americans who don't believe in evolution and anonymous posters.

Americans who don't believe in evolution

Ah yes, they're jolly good sports aren't they? Not. Particularly the ones who believe dinosaurs are a hoax.

Prof Brian Cox debated with a denier once - how he kept his cool I'll never know

Also, there is a key difference between a temperature measurement at a particular location, and an estimate of the average global temperature (which may indeed be different when different methods are used, or different numbers of measurements are included).

www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-how-do-scientists-measure-global-temperature

As for the ice caps, see the graph showing indeed that in the last 4 years Artic ice has increased from a record low in 2012 in relation to the grey area, which is +- 2 standard deviations from the 30 years previous. So, these are extreme values.
The increase in the last four years are part of the natural variation, as is the extreme low, but the trend is that the lowest values are in the last years. The last 10 years are all below the average line.
nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/charctic-interactive-sea-ice-graph/

In this article, it can be seen how Artic ice extent has been slowly decreasing, while Antartic ice extent is actually increasing slightly. They are different systems.

Now, as a scientist, I can tell you that it's perfectly normal to have different models with differences in predictions, and to adjust models according to new observations (rather than make observations fit the models).
Climate models have changed (hopefully improved) with more data and better algorithms, but the key message that climate is quickly changing hasn't changed. Neither has the message that different parts of the world will suffer or benefit from different consequences.

Graph that shows how dramatic the increase in CO2 has been in the last 100 years.

"and as of 2013, its concentration is almost 43% above pre-industrial levels"

To current levels way above the maximums reached in the last 500 000 years and an increase faster than from ice ages to warmer climates.

"Today’s rate of increase is more than 100 times faster than the increase that occurred when the last ice age ended."
www.co2.earth/co2-acceleration

I loved that debate with Brian Cox and the denier!

Lweji I know your intentions are good, but I wouldn't bother - the poster you're debating with will not be able to engage with the kind of data you're posting. You could present them with all the facts in the world but they will choose to believe (and continue to post) misinformation.

This thread just shows how threads on mn can go.
Today I woke up and actually felt relaxed for five minutes, but then it all kicked in again. It makes day to day life very hard.

I know, BroadBeanSlippers.
I just don't want anyone else to think climate change deniers are right.
(Btw, it's climate change rather than global warming because there can be local cooling effects)

OP, there are lots of reasons to fear the future if you are a worrier. If it's affecting your life you should seek professional help.

Climate change won't affect us overnight, like in some films. There are things we can do to help diminish the effects, individually (every little helps) and as a huge global community. It's important that we do them and pressure governments and companies to do them.
We can choose what to buy, where to travel and how to go around, how we heat our houses and what we eat.

I do think CC deniers need to be challenged - for example, some of the stuff Undercrackers has posted is wrong. Blatantly, scientifically wrong.

OP -There are some good resources on this that are not alarmist, not in a "Day after Tomorrow" type way anyway. Are you someone where knowledge on the subject, and positive action in your everyday life will make a difference to you? If so, watch some of these They haven't cluttered up the discussion with deniers (for "balance")- so it's straightforward science and solutions.

If not, then I would suggest GP too - purely because although CC is a massive thing, and action needs to be taken by governments and individuals - it should not be making you this acutely anxious.

Sometimes, I personally, find gaining knowledge on a subject - even if it is scary - can act as a method of systematic desensitisation and relieve anxiety,but this doesn't work for everyone.

Denial of manmade CC, in the face of all scientific consensus, isn't going to help OP.

Those children born from 2015 onward will never see CO2 drop less than 400ppm in their lifetime. This is unprecedented in the evolution of humans on this planet. The last El Nino ended this summer and the expected rebound La Nina is limp at best, because the Pacific has absorbed too much carbon.

CH4, methane emissions, are a worry too because they have a very powerful effect on the atmosphere, albeit with a considerably shorter life span. However, with Tundra melting and sea ice shelves in decline in the Arctic, the outlook for the foreseeable future isn't good.

If temperature rises to 2 degrees C, quite frankly, life on this planet will not be durable for human existence. Climate changes will be more and more extreme. This will give rise to mass migration, famine and wars.

I think the best we can do is assimilate the forthcoming disaster, and then just enjoy what time you have left. It's the only way to cope with this on a psychological level.

Geo engineering, carbon capture and nuclear power might well alleviate the problems, but with the Australian government about to sign off the biggest coal mining structure this world has ever seen, as humans, we are running to catch up.

What do you mean by "assimilate the forthcoming disaster"?

I think she means 'get used to the idea'.

I don't take quite as pessimistic view as Elendon I was actually quite optimistic about the prospect of advances in technology such as this year's giant leap in battery technology (for harnessing solar/wind power) but frankly I am dismayed at Trump's fossil-fuel heavy cabinet selection.

Op I have posted a few times and am worried about you.

Please see your GP. Your anxieties are crippling your life and are having an affect on your family.

Stop reading this thread as it's a climate change debate now and nothing to do with helping you love.

Aibu is not the place for you now you go and get an appointment as soon as you can. Xx

Dorothy did you know that half of Scotland's energy consumption came from renewable resources last year?

I do mean get used to the idea. It may well be that the UK will enjoy a better climate, finger's crossed, but other areas will not be so lucky, especially those parts of the planet that do not have the same infrastructure as we do.

A couple of months ago, I went into my local supermarket. There was hardly anything on the shelves, I'd only been in there three days previously. I asked the manager was there some impending disaster I hadn't known about. He said it was a mix up regarding the order and that a delivery was expected that afternoon. However, I was shocked at how quickly the food off the shelves happened. I always thought it was a local shop and hardly anyone did shopping there! I'd never actually thought about food dependency before. It was a bit of a wake up call.

I'm not pessimistic at all, I am a realist though. No point in worrying, climate change is happening right now. The best you can do is make small changes.

The UK is not great at the moment (less than 9% as of 2015 and bottom group in the EU and EEA), but getting better. The percentage of renewable energy in the UK has doubled in 2015 in relation to only 2011, so there's hope. :) See?

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/547977/Chapter_6_web.pdf (Table 6D, page 168)

More can certainly be done.

This: