AIBU to be terrified by what David Attenborough has said?

[ArcheryAnnie]

He's just said about climate change ""if we don't take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon." He's not the only one saying this - it's now common currency amongst scientists, and indeed anyone paying attention.

www.theage.com.au/world/europe/civilisation-may-collapse-if-climate-change-ignored-attenborough-20181204-p50jzs.html?platform=hootsuite

There's no time left for pissing about. We've got to take radical action now. It isn't something that any of us can ignore.

Spoonblender
Why if you haven’t got kids would you be on a mumsnet thread????

We’re fucked aren’t we? No government is going to bring in the changes that are needed. Not enough people will make the changes voluntarily

I think you are right - but most people actually can't do what we'd need to do, even if they wanted. The whole basis of our consumer society and economies would need to change totally. That won't happen.

I’ve realised that a capitalist society is totally unsustainable. As a PP said, you can’t go on increasing growth indefinitely on a planet with limited resources. It’s just impossible. But unless it entirely collapses, it won’t go away. Eventually it will, but because we’ve left it too late to change anything.

Interesting website here showing ‘real time’ population growth, and the 20 biggest countries by population. Many of whom are actively expanding their economies with a long way to go to reach full growth.
www.worldometers.info/world-population/

Then it’s a case of stop voting for corporatist greedy arseholes. Simples...

The majority won’t though. And so it continues...

We need to recycle plastic. That would make a huge difference or demand companies stop producing such huge amounts in packaging. Unless they are FORCED to do this they won't as they will always go for the cheaper option.

I ordered some jewellery from Stella and dot. Two tiny boxes arrived inside the most gigantic box full with plastic packaging. I couldn't believe how unethical these companies are.

To the person who said they don't care as long as it doesn't happen in my lifetime. Do you have children? I am guessing you don't as I think you're attitude would be very different if you did. It's that me, me, me attitude that is part of the problem.

The sheep farmer's market is vanishing, while industrial chicken and veg thrives. We really need to stop hating on beef and lamb.

Hmmm. But then it's 2018 and people are vastly more conscious of the animal welfare side of things too. I live in Cornwall surrounded by sheep fields and it's upsetting. They limp around with their wool hanging off, their rear ends covered in mess. It's not uncommon to find dead ones, as they suffer from the exposure in our wet climate and they aren't 'worth' vet treatment when they're diseased. Their lives are a misery.

I think rationing needs to be re-introduced. It would massively benefit the nation's health, the environmental impact of farming/food production/food transportation would be reduced and all that unnecessary food waste would become a thing of the past.

David Attenborough is the patron of Population Matters and advocates a reversal of population growth: “All of our environmental problems become easier to solve with fewer people, and harder – and ultimately impossible – to solve with ever more people.”

Oh and I’ll never stop ‘hating on beef and lamb‘

Research from the University of Oxford on the environmental impact of food
www.ox.ac.uk/news/2018-06-01-new-estimates-environmental-cost-food

There's no point recycling plastic. Plastic is as cheap as chips or cheaper. Plastic comes from fractions of oil that are unusable for refining petroleum. The world is awash with oil so the raw materials to make plastic are already hyper-abundant. It makes little sense practically and economically to recycle it.

Energy recovery by incineration would be a much better idea... along the lines of the plants in Scandinavia that go to municipal heating systems. They're high tech and high temperature so low risk of dioxins.

Best thing is to reduce our use of oil based products and energy across the board. But people need to drive to work to pay the mortgage, and are stressed and knackered coming home they have to chuck a plastic container of processed food in the microwave for dinner. So the convenience of plastic wins out. In a busy and fast paced economy people won't voluntarily walk to the health food store on their day off and refilling their existing bottles of shampoo and washing up liquid from the refill station. They won't voluntarily cycle the two miles to work. They squeal when asked to rinse out their recycling, never mind when it's suggested they cut back on consuming per se.

I agree that rationing should be reintroduced. We eat far, far more than is necessary & it would do us good to eat in a more restricted & simple manner. The way things are going with climate change it seems we're going to struggle for food in years to come anyway, so we should start getting used to it now.
I'm not a worrier, but I've been really anxious about climate change over the past few months (I was ignorant to the issue until recently). Nobody I know is talking about it or taking it seriously, lots of people don't know or don't care & I find that very scary. The problem is so massive that it's overwhelming to think about, but I'm definitely going to try & make personal changes in my lifestyle, & will urge others to do the same. Sitting back & doing nothing isn't an option in my opinion.

Hmmm. But then it's 2018 and people are vastly more conscious of the animal welfare side of things too. I live in Cornwall surrounded by sheep fields and it's upsetting. People on here will read what you wrote and take it as gospel.
They limp around Yes sometimes sheep get lame so we put them through a footbath and trim their hooves
with their wool hanging off Some sheep are bred so that their wool comes off without shearing. Do you know what breed those sheep were?
their rear ends covered in mess Sheep can have messy backsides for many different reasons. Even new grass will do it. Our sheep are regularly treated against parasites
It's not uncommon to find dead ones Yes sheep die even of old age just like humans.
as they suffer from the exposure in our wet climate You're saying that the UK has an unsuitable climate for rearing sheep?
and they aren't 'worth' vet treatment when they're diseased Believe me we call out the vet when necessary
Their lives are a misery. Did they tell you that?

I agree that rationing should be reintroduced. We eat far, far more than is necessary & it would do us good to eat in a more restricted & simple manner

That wouldn't create a massive amount of organised crime or a black market would it?

I live in Cumbria and see sheep in the fields all the time. Limping is unusual. In the spring there's rather more gambolling. Rarely see wool hanging off, and when I have they did seem to be a different breed. Rear ends a bit messy? Gosh, it's almost like they don't use toilet paper. Suffering from exposure? Yeah, it's not as though the UK has been prime sheep keeping land for well over a thousand years, is it.

Hmmmm.

Zzz - nuclear power is actually a possible solution to climate change, not part of the problem. It does not put carbon into the atmosphere. It’s good to separate out the different ‘green’ issues people care about and not just lump them together.

I think the biggest culprit of what he's on about is the USA and big business. Unless they start to clean up their act, anything we do in this country is pretty much useless.

Errr, have I missed someone mentioning Extinction Rebellion?

rebellion.earth

Positive Money?
positivemoney.org

There are lots of different organisations already working on being a positive change. It is easy to feel helpless and overwhelmed, but there are ways everyone can help.
Be that positive influence with your friends, family.
I am hopeful more people will take a stand on wider issues to get our government to act.

There used to be a chap who walked up and down Oxford Street with a placard saying pretty much the same thing.

I genuinely think it’s going to be too little, too late. I sincerely hope to be proved wrong, but I think the wheels have been set in motion.

And I’ve lived through the 80s Cold War, the Y2K debacle, countless ‘end of the world’ scenarios. All seemed either not based on fact, or that there was some hope.
The climate situation sadly seems both evidentially true and happening, and hopeless.

i just hope he stays alive and keeps saying so the powers that be take note
but easy tho with the spectre of trump and china etc al

This thread has made me feel more despondent sadly

Just reading some of the suggestions makes me feel they won’t happen

If you’re close to this stuff (academia etc) what would you do?

People would drive less if we didn't have to work so much. Oh yes I will just walk to nursery to pick DD up and add another hour onto my long day..

Public transport is too expensive and crowded.

Just a few examples of where the problems actually stem from other issues.

There really isn't any conclusive proof that Human activity is the cause of climate change. One should look at who is funding some of these studies. The Earth's climate has changed when there weren't any people. But to say People shouldn't have children or allow people to have employment to make money to feed themselves or their family sounds like some kind of socialistic lunacy. I don't think buying an over priced carrot just because it Dow have pesticides on it is going to cure the world's ills.