To feel like it’s too late to stop environmental disaster?

[greatandpowerfulozma]

Just that really. I feel like people won’t change in time to stop it. Meh.

I include myself in that btw. There is
loads I could and should change to have less impact but I don’t feel any urgency about it, but I should. Sorry this is just a random train of thought.

People have been campaigning for decades and have been written off as extremists. I wonder how late it will get before everyone starts complaining 'why didn't you tell us'.
Theres really not much more the individual can do, change is needed more at the level of industry and government.

I feel like I could do more though. I could use reusable nappies. I could get solar panels on my house, use shampoo bars instead of shampoo in plastic bottles. I could stop eating dairy and beef. I’m trying but not in a “if I don’t the world will end” way.

I ordered everything organic (as much as possible) on my last Tesco shop and it barely made a difference to the price. That made me feel ashamed I hadn’t tried to before.

I guess I just feel my efforts would be pointless as I’m so tiny and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. I imagine everyone feels this way. That’s why we don’t change. But what needs to happen to make us change?? Probably something so awful the change will be pointless.

I can't stand stuff like this.

The result of all this anti environmental protests would be a return to subsistence agrarian lifestyles, and I am sure you don't want that. Just consider yourself lucky to be able to protest.

What they could do is ration petrol, prevent you travelling abroad on holidays. Require everyone to carry identity papers, and control people's freedom of movement. No I thought not.

I’m little miss sunshine tonight

I can't stand stuff like this.

@Gth1234 Eh? Stuff like what? People trying to stop humans destroying the planet before it's too late? I'd happily have restrictions on petrol and travel abroad to help that.

This self-serving post above is the perfect example OP of why it most likely IS too late, sadly.

For every person who is massively reducing their consumption, not flying, trying to buy local food and cutting out animal products there are probably 100 who think "I'm alright Jack" as they continue to fly 10 times a year, buy the latest tech, use single use plastics without even thinking and eat meat and dairy daily.

It can feel futile but if you make what changes you can (and it's easy to find out what the most impactful ones) at least you'll have a clean conscience.

Having said that, the pp who said change needs to happen from the top down is absolutely right. We all need to put pressure on govt and key manufacturing and farming organisations to sort their shit out.

According to climate scientists global warming will reach a point of no return in 12 years if nothing changes.
The population of the earth will reach 10 billion within 40 years.
So we don't have long to wait to hear everyone say they dident realise things were that bad.

It’s bloody terrifying though when you really think about it isn’t it? Nothing will change in 12 years. Nothing. Or not enough I don’t think. So then we witness a slow apocalypse? Or would it be quick? It’s just odd to think about the world as we know it ending while we all (me included) bury our heads in the sand. But what else can we do?

Thousands of years ago England was covered by a thick layer of ice. It's obviously gone now I've no idea why but whatever it was that made it go it wasn't anything to do with humans ,we were still hunter gathers hadn't built anything more than tent type dwellings.
I know that people are using lots of the earth's resources but things change without our input

We're all going to die anyway. What does it matter?

If It doesent matter because we're all going to die anyway, why bother with anything, why vaccinate, why have hospitals, why bother to brush youth teeth?

The climate has changed dramatically over the life of the earth, and there have been mass extinctions, but none of it has been done for profit.

Due to the Earth's orbit we should be heading towards an Ice Age,not getting warmer. We're already noticing the effects of climate change. Unless big businesses start to take this seriously I think we're sunk.

Well yes, we're all going to die, but I kinda worry for my children and their future, and that of any children they may have (and yes, I know I've added to the problem by having children but nowt I can do about it now, and if I knew then what I know now about what's likely to lie ahead I wouldn't have had them which is an awful thing to think).

For every person who is massively reducing their consumption, not flying, trying to buy local food and cutting out animal products there are probably 100 who think "I'm alright Jack" as they continue to fly 10 times a year, buy the latest tech, use single use plastics without even thinking and eat meat and dairy daily.

Why have you not included having four or more children in the list of things the people who think "I'm all right Jack" do?

Think we're already past that point. The birth of superbugs has likely seen to that. The thought of antibiotics being worthless in our children's lifetimes is very scary and very real.

so what about those of us who have partners abroad? we're supposed to just never see them?

I AM one of those people who flies 10 times a year so I can visit the person I love, and will continue to do so

One of the best things we could do is make sure that everyone has good heathcare and education. It's shown that people who have this tend to have far fewer children than those without. If every couple had no more than 2 children then there would be a natural decrease in population as not everyone will/will be able to breed and replace themselves.

This thread just shows how people are so either selfish or feel completely hopeless. We are such a cancer on the earth god knows what can be done but after 40 years of being very environmentally aware it is quite extraordinary to suddenly see so much coverage which is a good thing. Population though, that is the massive problem..

The governments are the ones who can do the most - until they change their policies and force big industries to follow suit, nothing we do on an individual scale will make enough difference.

Families with numerous children are becoming more common, multiple cars on the road per household due to poor transport links (especially in rural areas), people are time-poor so they drive because it's convenient and quick (and often necessary if they finish work at 5.30 and need to be at nursery at 6).

We buy food covered in plastic that's imported from the other side of the world. We want things now so place next day orders from Amazon. We expect stuff we ordered from overseas to be here within 48 hours. Foreign travel is the norm and people think nothing of hopping on a plane for the weekend.

We need to change our entire lifestyles and it won't happen until the government implements change. Too many people are happy because life is easy and convenient and they won't give that up without a fight.

It is not too late. These are easy changes to make that have huge impact if we all do it:

1. Stop flying
2. Change to green energy supplier (takes less than 10 mins to switch and usually cheaper)
3. Drive less
4. Shop for organic and local produce
5. Buy everything that you can second hand.

If you do all of these you will end up spending less overall so saying it is too expensive is no excuse.

That’s basically it there needs to be less people really. It’s an uncomfortable thing to face. As David Attenborough says when you educate people and lift them from poverty then they have less children. I sort of feel like it’s gone too far though already.

All the other videos on the our planet website are pretty scary this one is a bit more hopeful

www.ourplanet.com/en/video/a-reason-for-hope

I’m not sure we’ll manage balance before we go past the point of no return.
Btw I’m not having a go at everyone for existing and living their lives. My family on mums side are dairy farmers and she flies to see them regularly. We all want to live our lives as fully as we can. It’s very uncomfortable to face the fact there are too many of us and we’re ruining the world.

I agree that population is a huge issue. I see people say they're cutting their plastic use, using reusable nappies, etc then announcing their pregnancy with their 4th/5th child, making no connection that the best thing they could do long term is to not contribute to the overpopulation and therefore overuse of resources.

I would actually be fine with all that Gth. Better then feeling hopeless.

The planet will be fine

Humans may cause their own extinction, lots of other species will be extinct, but the planet will continue to turn, and new species will develop, and nature will grow back over the ravages left by human destruction.

Well, that was what my dad used to say back in the 70s. We had an allotment, never ate out if season veg/fruit, never flew anywhere, cycled most places, never used single-use plastic, mended clothes instead of buying new, bricks in the toilet cistern, etc.... he is 83 now but his carbon footprint will be tiny compared to lots of us.

Ahead of his time? In the 70s quite a lot of people lived like this. I grew up with it, it's second nature.

But the really big issue is the growing population, and that is not in the UK.

And micro changes in individual households in the UK will indeed not change the fate of mankind.

I think we are already past the point of no return.

Solitude totally agree that we're past the point of no return. I always think the same as your Dad that the planet will still exist, whether we manage to heat it up so much that life is completely unsustainable is another matter though. Humans on a large scale are like locusts