Climate change anxiety

[SuperNappyBaby]

Is it reasonable to be so worried about climate change that its on your mind every day and you worry your children won’t have a normal life? I find it surreal that most people around me are happy going about their lives not dwelling on this.

The headline on the Guardian a few days ago was about how insects are being wiped out and that threatens the collapse of nature.

www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/10/plummeting-insect-numbers-threaten-collapse-of-nature

Climate change to bring rising sea levels, fires, more animals dying out, coral reefs gone etc.

Its so overwhelming, like we’re living at the end of the world.

@HayHoe

Seconded. The damage caused by everyone on the planet becoming vegan would be immense (in fact it wouldn't be sustainable). Hypothetical as it's not going to happen.

I agree but if people stuck to grass fed meat and dairy that would be a huge boon.

A small amount of locally sourced meat is not a bad thing.

Street i think it is an exaggeration but not as implausible as you suggest. the actual numbers of insects are plummeting. Anecdotally I notice this in my middle England suburbia and this is supported by surveys. I don’t think insects will be extinct in thirty years, but I do believe we are in the middle of a mass extinction. I have been to several beaches lately-rockpoolonv revealed very little life compared to same beaches thirty years ago. Same in birds, small mammals, etc etc.

Not many laughs on this thread, considering all the hot air you lot are worried about.

I’d be interested to know what vested interests are making money out of raising the alarm about man made climate change. I don’t see any evidence for that, but happy to proven wrong.

A few years ago we had the “global warming” scare. Then when they realised we’d werent falling for it they’re trying again to scare us. All about controlling us with fear.

Global warming scare?! Is this the global warming that is having very real and measureable effects you mean?

With you, OP :(

For the people crying conspiracy by vested interests - you really think it’s the climate scientists making out here, pulling the wool over the eyes of those poor folk in oil, coal, mass manufacturing shite that is being shipped around the globe, industrial agriculture etc?!

@PatchworkElmer has good ideas and @ankleface is right - giving up meat and all other animal products is the best, most effective thing any individual can do for our planet. Go vegan, what's stopping you?

It's the small things that I notice. Do you remember, not so many years ago, if you drove on a dark summers night there would be hundreds of moths illuminated by your lights and fluttering about? I haven't seen that for many summers now. The lack of moths means we get far fewer bats swirling round now on summer nights.
I feed birds all winter from feeders. This year, for the first time ever, I have only had to re-fill infrequently, like monthly. Previously it was weekly. Of course, this might just be a local anomaly, but I find it strange and sad. There is far less variety of species in our garden too.
Re insects, last May I never saw a single cock chafer. All previous years they have driven us mad by bashing into the patio doors after dark.
I really do fear for the future of the planet.

It's rational to be worried and overwhelmed. It's irrational not to be treating climate change as an emergency.
But a lot of people are being like children, sticking their fingers in their ears and going lalala, refusing to change.

Do what you can do. Join extinction rebellion, change your lifestyle, choose renewable electricity, lobby politicians, talk to people, disinvest from fossil fuels.

I remember how often you had to clean your windscreen when driving through the countryside when I was a child (and this was Berkshire not the African veldt) - it used to get covered in smooshed insects.

Last year we drove from Leeds to Scarsborough in June. Nothing.

And the big one - politics. Ultimately it all comes down to it. Lobby your MP, join a party and push for this to be put at the top of the agenda / mainstreamed into everything, vote accordingly.

And encourage everyone to join in. People should not be embarrassed to be environmentalists - they should be embarrassed not to!