To think the environment is fucked and no it won't get better?

[clairemcnam]

I have been an environmental activist pretty much my whole adult life. But in that time nearly everything has got worse. Even individual consumer behaviour is far less environmentally friendly than 30 or even 20 years ago.
I am growing very cynical and I think most people simply don't care enough to do anything that will make a real difference.

Op YANBU. I am in my forties and have always been an environmentalist (have a PhD in the field and work in environmental consultancy).

If you'd asked me 10 years ago I'd have said I'd be dead before environmental catastrophe got really bad, but the changes are so much faster that I'd feared. We're already in it, really, just not yet feeling the full effects in the developed world.

It’s very worrying. I’ve never been very into politics but I’ll keep voting Green Party because I think environmental issues are more important than anything else.

beethebee 'I'd be dead before environmental catastrophe got really bad, but the changes are so much faster that I'd feared. We're already in it, really, just not yet feeling the full effects in the developed world.'

A few years ago I had a neighbor who said that climate change wasn't real and after continued discussion conceded that if it was real then it wouldn't happen in his lifetime so he doesn't care because it doesn't affect him.

Climate change is happening much faster, it will affect us in our lifetime.

Do you think that as the affects of climate change become undeniably noticeable people will have a change of heart and be motivated for change?

And will this be in time to save not just humanity but our beautiful wildlife?

I don't think people will want to change, no. Life today is so so much more comfortable (especially for the biggest consumers) than it ever has been before and people won't want to give that up. They'll fight incredibly hard against sacrificing comfort or convenience until there's really no choice.

Basically until money and consumption can't any longer mitigate the effects on an individual level, this will be largely ignored as a 'poor people problem' that will mostly affect developing nations.

We will definitely lose boatloads of amazing species.

The environment can, and will, heal itself. Whether the human species will be there to see it is a whole different question.

The environment will recover, once humans have become extinct

There is such an imbalance. People know that there is a huge problem with the environment. Some are aware it is acute. But very few are prepared to inconvenience themselves over it.

As said before, the governments are in the pockets of big business and voters who like the idea of being environmentally sustainable but would go crazy if the policies really needed to enforce it were introduced. We live in an insanely consumerist world. Us in the developed world have got used to and don't want to give it up. Those in the developing world want what we have and think it's unfair that we deny them it because of the environment.

I am a science teacher. I try to teach the kids about biodiversity and the sixth mass extinction. But then I see myself and my colleagues who really understand this shit making careless choices. Think transatlantic flights, not recycling, cars the size of houses, etc. We do things sustainably when it fits in to our lives and pat ourselves on the back, but won't give up our luxuries.

We're fucked.

Thinkinghappythoughts you refer to the sixth mass extinction. The first five (pre homo sapiens) were caused by extreme weather conditions, massive volcanic activity and the last one was due in part to a meteorite impact so why assume the sixth will be any different?

I would like to know how many of those who are berating others for not doing all they should, have multiple children? The world is overpopulated which is one of the biggest, if not the biggest problem currently facing the planet.

Climate change is a global problem (obviously) but we have no way of tackling things on a global scale. Treaties are voluntary and there are few penalties if you do sign and then fail to deliver. The developing world want what the developed world have - completely fair enough, but there are not enough resources to achieve this. Governments should be stricter with their targets, but they also have to take into account the welfare of their citizens who want/need jobs to earn to live, so closing down polluting industry won’t help. There’s not enough money to make all the industry less polluting as a lot of U.K. infrastructure is decades old.

I work in sustainability and after my most recent qualification I came to the conclusion that we’re all doomed. There are things that we should all be doing - minimising single use anything, reducing waste and resource use etc, but these are not the things that will turn around the climate change.

And we’re not trying to save the planet, we’re trying to save ourselves. The planet didn’t care when the dinosaurs died out, and will carry on when humans do the same.

No amount of hair-shirt existence can avert the probability of a massive volcanic event or asteroid knocking the earths climate into a tailspin for a few millennia. Which is not a cover for doing nothing, but does call for perspective ?

MatthewBramble

The environment can, and will, heal itself. Whether the human species will be there to see it is a whole different question.

Agreed

The planet didn’t care when the dinosaurs died out

Even then, not all did. Birds are dinosaurs.

YANBU

DGRossetti Sat 01-Jun-19 13:01:24
Even then, not all did. Birds are dinosaurs.

Not forgetting crocodiles and a few others.

Letsnotargue
The planet didn’t care when the dinosaurs died out

No and it won't care when homo sapiens go the same way.

The sixth mass extinction is going on now. Humans caused it and are exacerbating it. The other mass extinction events were caused by natural disasters, but this one wasn't.

I get hit with a sadness when I think of this subject, I can't even comment tbh. But I admire environmentalists. For me myself, I just can only do what I can, maybe the next generations will have better and different views.

Letsnot and other comments, I think are true.

Not forgetting crocodiles and a few others.

The podcast I listened to that said birds were dinosaurs also said that crocodiles were not ...

Agree with Letsnotargue

A global problem needs a global response, and we are far, far from being able to provide that. Governments - in our part of the world anyway - need to win votes to gain power: no political party proposing a return to a standard of living from 50 years or more ago is going to end up in power.

DGRossetti You're right, crocs aren't descended from dinosaurs but they are closely related and both belonging to the the archosaur group.

People are just to darn selfish. You’ve only got to read threads on here “I’m thinking of having a third child....”says op “if you want one go for it.....” says a load of selfish idiots!.

“We need to cut down area travel” “well I need to visit my family in our Mongolia 5 times a year”

We need to heavily penalise having more than 2kids

We need to heavily limit air travel

All new cars need to be hybrid or electric, limited to speeds automatically, number of miles needs to be limited

Heating needs to be limited to 19 degrees by default via smart hubs, only allowed to rise in approved circumstances

Meat needs rationing

Food imports need reducing

“Cheap” good from China etc need heavily taxing

It needs to be illegal to create sealed units in goods which can’t be accessed for repair

We need to be given clothing rationing to stop all the fast fashion

Lifeover, I agree.

I agree with Lifeover....it requires rationing and legislation.

Most wont do what is necessary without it.

I even include myself in that group - I do some things but I still commute for 90 miles a day for work. It needs a wholesale change in society and the current capitalist society won't manage it.

Yes YABU

Is anything really wrong with your life?
Ask your oldest living relative what things were like when they were young. Would you like to go back to that?

@Gth1234

That kind of thinking is the root of the problems.

No, there's nothing wrong with my life. But the planet is being destroyed, the climate is changing very quickly and we're now in a climate crisis...an actual global environmental disaster.

But we all sit here going "Oh well, I have a nice life"