If it’s that bad, why aren’t we panicking more??

[Nightgardenisodd]

Climate change.
I keep reading posts about it and it’s scaring the crap out of me for my DD’s future.
How bad is it? Anyone have any positivity about it?

It is extremely bad unfortunately. In several cases the climate is changing even sooner than scientists predicted. Things you can do are eat less meat, fly less, see if you can switch to green energy, switch to local, organic foods. Think about whether you need to buy new stuff. But ultimately these are relatively small impacts. The most useful thing is to pressure your MP.

@whenwillthemadnessend

We have the tools and brains to do this

Essentially it's up to governments to enforce the change

1.Amazon and the rainforest destruction needs to stop NOW

1. We need to step away from fast fashion
2. We need to step away from overseas food
3. We need to grow Sea grass to absorb co2
4. We need to build wind farms. Huge ones. Fuck the look of them. They need to happen
5. We need to use more solar power
6. Electric cars and bicycles
7. State funded cheap and reliable public transport
8. Other countries will have there own free energy. Sea wind solar. 3rd world countries need to be encouraged and supported to use it.

10. I would go as far as a one child family but no more than two. 11. We need to accept some uncomfortable changes until We get used to it we did it for covid. This is the hardest part

Ultimately the earth will
Move on and be fine if we do or if we don't

It's up to the government to enforce the change but it's up to us to put pressure on them to do so.

Yes, the planet will be fine. Mother Nature will regain her strength in one form of another.

Which means this is a human emergency, not a planet one.

We're fighting for the survival of our species here, but more immediately, a life for our children that is actually worth living.

Nicked from elsewhere ...

I think that the effect of humans on this planet is vastly overimagined, when you consider how long the planet has been here.

Age of planet: 4,500,000,000 years ago.

Life on earth: 3,800,000,000 years ago (apprx).

Mankinds industrial age: 300 years ago.

So you are asking me to believe that one species, can lay waste to a planet in 3,800,000,000 / 300 years ? I certainly believe that one species can lay waste to itself in that time, but that's not "climate change".

The climate changes all the time. 2,000 years ago the Romans grew white grapes in Yorkshire. Try doing that now. 300 years ago the Thames froze over every winter. 10,000 years ago you could walk from Spain to Scotland - and we know people did. Try that now.

Even the experts admit climate change is truly chaotic. Which means you can't factor in or out anything mankind does.

Incidentally, there is NOTHING wrong with wanting to live in a more sustainable way. It's something we should be putting all our effort into. Not because of climate change though. Just because it's more sensible in the long run.

One day, someone will write a book, or make a film. It will start with the idealism and hope after the second world war. It will chart how well meaning, sincere folk started to realise that we can't just rape the planet and not pay. These evolved into the counterculture of the 60s, which were derided, mocked and ridiculed by mainstream society.

Then, somewhere between the 60s, and the 90s, a sort of critical mass was reached - maybe the 1984/5 Band-Aid/Live-Aid phenomenon ? Either way, somehow, people in suits with wire-rimmed glasses and red braces had an epiphany. They realised you could actually SELL being green. You could slap the word "organic" on a food and double the price. So they did.

What was brilliant about this, was that it was the environmentalists that were effectively paying for the marketing. Every Greenpeace ad about the environment would see a jump in sales of "Eco" this, and "Green" that.

And our lords and masters looked upon this, and they saw it was good.

And thus it came to pass that the 1980s misbred young executives that were heavily advertised became the advisers and policy consultants of the 90s.

And lo verily, did the notion of "Green taxes" be dreamt up. For they did see, that whilst Joe Public might be narked about an extra penny on income tax, the same Joe Public would queue up to "save the planet".

I'm sorry, but personally I think the worlds public have been hoodwinked on a massive scale. "Green energy" is a good example. It's doing fuck all for the planet (in fact it's a net carbon contributor) but it's doing wonders for the firms that build the kit, and wonders for the upper-middle classes who actually get paid up to 40p/unit for the electricity that they put into the grid which is charged at 10p/unit.

Everyday I see many small things that could save a shed load of energy. Very simple things. But guess what ? There's no money in it for anyone, so it's ignored. Which leads me to my view of life. "If it really mattered ..."

If reducing emissions really mattered, you'd have a planning and tax system which encouraged work from home, and staggered working hours. That would cost very little, but - guess what ? No money in it. In fact you'll find behind the scenes the road and rail lobby would HATE any idea like that. So it's left alone.

When the government acts like it matters, then I will.

What I find particularly depressing, is people who are a victim of bad science in one area, appear to be willing to fall for it in another.

I manage to avoid long debates on climate change now, by just saying: "Define climate. Define change".

FWIW I have a more Gaian view of things. We live in a symbiosis with everything on earth, including the Earth. And just like a body with an infection, if we start to make the Earth poorly, then it's immune system will start to kick in to eradicate us. Or, alternatively, like a cell about to divide, we somehow manage to become 2 cells. But that requires interplanetary travel on a scale way beyond out capabilities. Especially if our offspring are more content to watch Celebrity Big Brother rather than design a better mousetrap.

Here endeth the rant for today :)

@NCwhatsmynameagain

It is that bad. Why are the world’s governments doing next to nothing is the bit I don’t understand.

Oh, but they are. I am sure I read that once again, world leaders and their huge entourages will be flying all over the place for yet another Climate Change Conference……….. Which, no doubt, will achieve very little (but will make them look virtuous).

The hypocrisy from the rich and famous, not forgetting politicians, is astounding.

If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that a huge amount of business meetings, conferences etc can quite easily be accomplished without the need to be face to face. A massive reduction in business travel is certainly bad news for the airlines, but tremendously good news for the planet.

When the government acts like it matters, then I will.

@buccanarab thank you. I find it extremely worrying that so many people are so ignorant about basic climate science.

@dgrossetti unfortunately it doesn’t work like that. The government only acts when they realise the public want change. Otherwise they only worry about the next election. Not the next 100 years.

Hmm. I think burning billions of years’ worth of fossil fuels derived from the accumulation of billions of years worth of organic life on this planet in just a few hundred years is enough for humans to have had a colossal and catastrophic effect on the planet. Seems weird that anyone would think it wouldn’t or couldn’t cause rapid changes unrelated to changes that would occur with or without human stupidity.

[quote Simpleisntit]@dgrossetti unfortunately it doesn’t work like that. The government only acts when they realise the public want change. Otherwise they only worry about the next election. Not the next 100 years.[/quote]
It does for me. I do what the priest does, not what they say. After all, why should there be a difference ?

I'm going to email my MP and the environment minister to say I hope for big changes and results from Cop26 - it's the least we can do and takes minutes.

@DGRossetti you got in before before me. I totally agree.

If world leaders made as much effort in to tackling climate change as they have trying to deal with covid etc… we’d maybe have half a chance.

switch to local, organic foods.

Definitely switch to local and certainly British but not organic. Its a completely different issue but organic food production is far less efficient and worse from a climate change CO2e point of view

if we start to make the Earth poorly, then it's immune system will start to kick in to eradicate us.

We have, and it is.

So we may not be able to control the outcome now... not saying we shouldn't try.

We try our best, recycle, haven’t been abroad on holidays as I don’t like flying, have meat free nights and the farm in our village is setting up a milk vending machine so will be getting our milk from there once it’s up and running.

Unfortunately I do rely on my car a lot with being rural the school, shops, doctors etc is not nearby. I also work in community nursing covering that wide rural area so it’s not a case of cutting working days/working from home/using public transport or a bike etc. I have a new 1.2 car so not a big gas guzzler. I won’t be changing to electric at the moment as I don’t have a drive and have to park out on the street which is set far off my house so would only be able to charge by running cables out on to the pavement which is a hazard, in my opinion I also think electric cars will be the next diesel

Organic is important. Non organic foods require the use of fertilizers. Fertilizer runoff flows into the sea & contributes to biodiversity loss. The sea produces approximately 50% (at least) of the earth's oxygen.

Hope your houses are decently insulated. Much of Scotland & northern England is on the same latitude as the southern tip of Alaska & the Aleutian Islands. We are only as warm as we are because of the Gulf Stream. It appears to be weakening. The last time the Gulf stream turned off, due to ice melt, there was an ice age that geologists believe only took about 10 years to get going.

There are hundreds of things we can all do. Some cheap and easy, some more expensive and time consuming. For those with gardens, growing food is a massive help.

We certainly need to prepare for far more temperature variation. I was worried by the number of people a few weeks ago talking about installing air con. That will quickly add to the problem. Better solution is external window shutter and brise soleils.

I don’t know why building regulations don’t include more things like this, for all developments, large, small even extensions.
Plug points for cars, green roofs or solar panels only, hedges not fences, better landscaping to help slow the flow of water. Rainwater tanks for toilets (using clean water to flush toilets is mental).

@EvilPea

I don’t know why building regulations don’t include more things like this, for all developments, large, small even extensions. Plug points for cars, green roofs or solar panels only, hedges not fences, better landscaping to help slow the flow of water. Rainwater tanks for toilets (using clean water to flush toilets is mental).

I've often wondered this too! Also wonder why artificial grass is allowed in gardens - caused even more flooding issues when there were heavy rains recently, not to mention the impact on birds etc.

It's terrifying and depressing. I worry so much for my much wanted and loved children who will grow up in a world that will be poorer, sicker, with more conflict ...and it could have been prevented or at least not as bad.

I blame our stupid politics. I look at the braying idiots in power who are so busy point scoring and using bread and circus to shore up their 'popularity. Nobody likes them it's just who is the least odious for the next few years. We're in no way close to the mindset that is needed for meaningful action and international cooperation.

It's bad now. But we carry on. I can hardly claim to be doing all I could. Sometimes I do what I can and others it's just easier to take a 20 min drive to childcare than it is to take a bus for 50 mins or cycle a not particularly safe route. Or I can't justify thousands of dollars to upgrade my house from fossil fuels to a battery etc.

I honestly can't enjoy thinking about the future anymore. It's like watching someone take a knife to the mona lisa. But to talk to anyone in real life they'd think you were the one who was insane and not the situation we're in.

People really do panic over anything. I can't believe people tell their children to not reproduce.

I think that those posting on this thread are a self selecting group. You are right, humans are a great risk of extinction over the next centuries.

But in the real world, most people barely give climate change a passing thought. The vast majority are driven to make consumption choices on price versus utility basis.

The only way to achieve behaviour change is to incentivise it economically.

This is what government needs to do (and strategy is already published on it).... They need to create green jobs, well distributed around the whole country at all SES levels. Demonstrate a green economy is going to pay and life households out of poverty/ hand to mouth living.

You lot are just preaching to the converted middle classes, which is the whole problem with climate change activism. You’ve hit peak critical mass now and you’d be better off putting your energy into something else.

There’s no point writing to my MP. The environment is all he ever talks about anyway. Which in itself is alienating to a lot of people who have far more pressing concerns than climate change effects in future.

*lift households out of poverty