To be worrying all the time about climate change

[SuperNappyBaby]

I can’t stop worrying about climate change because of recent articles I have read. I think I am being rational as what is predicted seems pretty bad. Most people around me are happy going about their lives. My worrying will make no difference -only make my life less enjoyable.

I often look at objects in my house or in shops and wonder how much carbon was released into the air to produce it or if a river was polluted to make it. Shop after shop filled with a lot of stuff we could live without.

I throw so much plastic food wrapping into the bin everyday.

I think of the millions of cars driving around cities all over the world polluting the air.

The population of the earth is set to double...more cars, more rubbish.

Animals going extinct

Extreme heat in Australia and extreme cold in America.

Polar ice caps to melt and sea levels to rise.

Parts of the earth to become uninhabitable leading to hunger, migration, wars

I have children. I want them to have a good life and have their own children if they want - but I am aware this is only contributing to the problem. I feel sad for my children as their own children, if they have any, will exist when climate change is really taking effect. I can’t picture what day to day life will be like for them - will it be much different to now?

will it be much different to now?
Well It has to be really, but that doesn’t mean it has to be bad different

I was reading a really interesting report a few months ago which was saying global increases in temperature would be good economically for many due to less energy being used in heating etc.
Also, far less carbon footprint as places such as northern europe would be able to produce far more of their own food rather than importing, and also wouldn't use heated polytunnels anywhere near as much.

If you are worried for your children's future (which I understand), I believe climate change should be a long way down the list of concerns.

I'm the same. It's overwhelming at times. I wish more people took it seriously.

Just don't let it drive you mad. Make any positive changes you can but there's little you can do beyond that

There have been a few threads on this recently (one here and one here which you might find helpful). There's also a climate change board. It's not busy compared to some of the other boards but the posters there are less likely to dismiss your concerns.

Climate change is so huge and it seems that all we can do is to make as many individual lifestyle changes as possible and put pressure on politicians. Extinction Rebellion are planning protests for w/c 15 April. I've also been inspired by the young people who have been striking from school in various countries to demand action on climate change. (And dispirited by the parents at my children's school who live 10 minutes' walk away, drive to school, park on the yellow lines and leave their engines running for half an hour).

Pb083 - I challenge you to read this article and then say that climate change should be low down your list of concerns!

@GhostsToMonsoon I wasn't suggesting it shouldn't be a concern but I think other concerns, such as the dramatic increase in knife crime, should be of greater concern and is something we can have a more direct impact on.

As for children 'striking' in schools, this is a HUGE no from me. I agree that children should be educated about recycling, plastic waste and other factors on which they have an impact. However, scaremongering children isn't right and using them for leverage to a cause in just wrong.

When I was a child at school we had one teacher who was a keen environmentalist and member of Greenpeace. Nothing wrong with that in itself, however, she pretty much force-fed us with her views, so much so that I used to tell my parents they were being 'bad' for using the car (to get to work, to pay for the roof over our heads and, ironically, to pay tax to fund the schools).

I believe in educating children but many of them I have seen 'protesting' are too young to fully grasp the facts (and nor should they). They are kids, not political pawns and, on a practical note, what does a 'strike' achieve?

You're not alone OP
The recent news about weather in Australia is very worrying. Only a few weeks ago temperatures near 50 degrees yet over the past week places have received 1m of rain... In a week !! 1 million fish dead in a river! Massive deaths in the bat population.
Very worrying

If you've not watched it, I highly recommend the documentary on Netflix regarding "fast fashion".i don't follow fashion or trends but I'm as guilty as everyone else in the western world in that I want things as cheap as possible, never realising that the reason things are so cheap is because human life is cheap in other poorer countries.
It makes me sick to my stomach to realise my actions are causing others to suffer.

We deserve everything that's coming to us. Until the population in the western world realises that money and consumerism is NOT the most important thing in their lives thing will get worse.

I've read harrowing stories online from various climatologists who speculate global warming will rapidly accelerate in the next few years bringing with it death on a biblical scale.

Terrifying....yet we go about our lives in a make believe bubble created by hungry conglomerates desperate to stock pile ever more money...regardless of the facts and implications now widely established as reality by many.

Things are not looking good.

I actually like hearing about the imminent destruction of the planet.....it helps take my mind off my problems.

Pbo83 - does it have to be an either/or? Of course knife crime is important and we should do all we can to end it, but we also need a habitable planet. I think most of the striking children and teenagers have educated themselves about climate change, rather than being pressured into it by adults. I wouldn't get my children to strike, as at 6 and 8 I think they are too young to understand it all and decide for themselves.

Greta Thunberg, the Swedish 16-year-old who started the whole thing off, got the idea from the Parkland students who staged a walk-out after the school shooting there. Some students are only striking for one hour a week, or just planning a one-off strike on 15 February, so they are not missing too much school. How much they will achieve is debatable, and normally I don't condone truancy, but I admire them for taking a stand and getting climate change on the news.