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?

Capitalism. That's why we're not panicking. I've gone vegan, we only use green energy suppliers , most of my friends won't have children, we all bike and sold our cars.

We're fucked. Thanks.

Completely agree, the amount of selfish people is frankly heartbreaking, no thought of future just for themselves. Unfortunately this is why this world is in the state it is . I never ever believed I would feel so scared for the future generations it breaks my heart that the state of this world is because of selfish humans 💔

@PickUpAPepper
Twig Some of us have been trying to do our bit for years and been in touch with MPs about it, got any good suggestions as to how to do that now??

I don't have an answer. I too do my bit in terms of letter writing and direct action but here we are still. In the absence of a single way of doing it that is universal and unites us all then I guess everyone has to protest/communicate in the way(s) they feel most comfortable; it's easy to forget that for most people writing to their MP or going on a demo is something completely outside their experience. But if the majority of people could be persuaded to stand on their doorsteps pointlessly clapping for the NHS then there must be some way of getting them to be part of a mass action for the climate emergency?

I do also think it's really important to try and engage with as many different (ie from us) people in our local communities to get a dialogue going and to pass on information to people who may not think about things in the way I do - it's also a really good way of understanding how they think and view the world and what barriers there are to people engaging.

@Sarels humans are not inherently selfish - we will act for the good of the group as that’s how we’re programmed to survive. However, in the modern world, we have been conditioned to live in nuclear families and people are increasingly detached from communities as a result. So yes people are more selfish now, as that’s the environment they’ve grown up in.

@TwigTheWonderKid the big problem with the environmental movement is that it’s not diverse enough. It’s too middle class, too white, too left wing. I know people in the movement who’ve tried to change it from the inside, but the leaders don’t want to know. Diversity is the key to mass movements being successful.

I posted a TED talk earlier about this very issue (Angela Francis who is a mixed race environmental economist). No one on this thread has referenced it or mentioned the problem in the environmental movement.

You will not make a difference unless you bring the masses with you. It doesn’t matter what changes you make at a household level or whether you write to your MP- we’ve hit critical mass with this now.

To really bring the masses with you requires an understanding of people’s circumstances- put yourself in the average family’s shoes and they only care about getting by until the end of the week, not the next decade. They are not selfish, rather many of the people on this thread exist in middle class bubbles with the luxury to make eco decisions.

A friend sent me this OP. It suggests a different approach to climate change. Heretical, but comforting.

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-brendan-oneill-show/id1436524071?i=1000513249799

@Elephantsparade yes there has been an incredible amount of work over the last decade on what’s called ‘climate change adaptation’. All government agencies are required to have a plan and report on progress.

So your local council. The NHS is aiming to go net zero carbon and has a huge team working on it centrally to link up with all the estates teams etc. Loads of people are employed in these roles and there is pan European work ongoing (which we are still involved in).

Yes this entails research on crops and drought resistant plants. An example I can give from my own council is free flood barriers doors to certain streets (private and council). We received a new front and back door free of charge, had all the holes in our masonry filled in too with a flood barrier. The doors look like normal doors but have a special lock. They will have allocated funding from central govt for this kind of work- it’s not competing with schools or social care.

This is the kind of thing that is happening up and down the country on a daily basis, along with decarbonisation actions eg rewilding along public roadsides and active travel improvements.

The work goes on quietly and probably a lot of people don’t notice it! If you google your council name and ‘cc adaptation’ you should be able to access plans and reports to see what’s been happening local to you.

(sorry the NHS team I mentioned is decarbonisation but I’m sure there is CCA work too)

In addition to the CCA work that is ongoing, I think there’s a lot of ignorance on this thread about what the government is doing with regards to decarbonisation.

It might not be visible to you but there is a lot of activity.

Eg

www.gov.uk/government/publications/build-back-better-our-plan-for-growth

www.ukri.org/news/ukri-awards-171m-in-uk-decarbonisation-to-nine-projects/

These are just two examples. The government is committed (in policy) to building a green economy. Now it needs to be delivered. That takes time and the international agreements later this year will be critical to delivering on these ambitions.

They’re not sitting around doing nothing as the replies on here suggest!

Action on higher standards for housing has been woefully lacking in the last ten years.

@wherearemychickens yep, that’ll be because the housing ministers change more frequently than the seasons. No one sticks around in housing long enough. I used to work in this field and it’s a frustration. You are right- the code for sustainable homes was withdrawn, because the focus is on building higher number of units to address the housing crisis. Housing only gets delivered at the pace the large house builders want to build out at. The large housebuilders have a lot of power.

To be fair, I think the volume house builders build pretty consistently. The major difference is the lack of local authority building and housing associations not filling the gap. But we've definitely had a lost decade in terms of what could have been done - it's not like the solutions aren't out there and capable of being built - passive house standards, etc.

And yes, housing ministers changing every 9 months or so definitely hasn't helped - I've lost track and don't even know who we've got right now.

(Code for sustainable homes still exists but it’s voluntary rather than mandatory.. although some LAs do enforce it for certain developments in their local plan. There are 6 levels I think and rarely are homes built to level 6 as that’s like a passivhaus).

Yes, that's the standard the Conservatives scrapped - would have been Level 6 / zero carbon by 2016 otherwise.

Grant is the problem (lack of), it’s just not there for social housing now. Yes it’s available for affordable housing (shared ownership) but still not enough. Some LAs are building but it’s difficult. HAs are taking on huge amounts of debt and over exposing themselves to risk imo.

As for passivhaus it’s not financially viable. It’s also not a good way to invest scarce public resource in a housing crisis.

It’s not all bad. Housing associations and councils have been leading the way on retrofitting schemes. So much investment has been made and it encourages private homeowners to invest in theirs. I think this is where they can make a big difference to the eco efficiency of the housing stock.

It's a load of nonsense, there have always been variations in climate, this is just another one.

A lot of people have been frightened up by it all, you're not alone. But they don't have to be.

For decades the Greens or whatever have been saying we're all gonnna die. Like every other doomsday cult when we dont die when they claimed we were going to, they just push back the date.

A lot of people are making very good careers for themselves off the back of this scaremongering.

The climate change' will come to nothing significant and then they'll claim it's because of stuff we've done to counteract it.

Whatever the outcome it'll be used to prove their theory is true. Like they do now with every type of weather being claimed as evidence of global warming or whatever they've had to rename it..

Being unfalsifiable is the mark of a dodgy theory.

Uk has a bigger climate impact than China when you look at it per capita, which is the sensible way to compare countries.

What do we expect when the majority of people vote for an idiot like Johnson
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58117044
Wake up people...

I think the problem is these are very complex systems. We have thrown it all out of kilter and people do not know how to restore it as a whole.

One of my favourite words is gestalt. And it basically means the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And thats why its all a bit of a mess.

Ie. One very simplified example:
We have PPs proclaiming veganism will save the planet. Its true meat is a horrific carbon emission source, but if we all go vegan then the top soils die, we have to use fertiliser, the water goes out of balance, the sea dies; we have to use pesticides, the insects die and the whole thing is fucked again.

Its all very doom and gloom and I am a bit of a pessimist really. I think we are a parasite of the earth and to think we can live and continue to expand population without harming it is wishful thinking.

But the one saving grace is I think the UK is actually doing really well at biodiversity. Those saying UK is worst of Europe at biodiversity are living in a dream world really. Our gardens are renowned world over for being the most biodiverse in the world. Kew itself is literally the most biodiverse place on the planet. We are incredibly lucky that our native flora is extremely robust and we are rarely threatened by 'non native' invasion. If you look round your garden centre you will see plants from all corners of the globe. Its the one thing I do not worry about from a UK point of view because the solution is there and we have the conditions to implement it without causing detrimental knock on effects.

It is very bad and scary. Our best hope is to persuade other big governments to cut back their emissions. Our government is doing all the wrong things, cutting aid for women’s education, clean water, world health problems at the same time as encouraging new coal and oil extraction. Their plans for achieving their excellent goals to cut carbon are non-existent, and they just cut the warmer homes scheme with barely 10% of it spent insulating houses. If Johnson can persuade other countries well and good at COP26, but his variety of charm seems only to work on some of the English. (Trust issues!). Try and do something about your own carbon footprint, and campaign if you can find the time -anything from greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, To Extinction Rebellion. You will feel better if you do something, and it really is an emergency!

The best thing the opposition parties in this country could do is to form a coalition to fight climate change - so Labour, LibDems, Greens, other small parties. They could then win the next election - which Labour doesn't expect to win on its own - and adopt a radical agenda.

Given the state of the planet, it's indefensible for them NOT to. It would surely be better for them than years of quibbling over policy while the planet burns.

Good Twitter thread from an American climate scientist today:

“The IPCC report is coming out tomorrow. As a climate scientist, I’d like you to know: I don’t have hope.

I have something better: certainty.

We know exactly what’s causing climate change. We can absolutely 1) avoid the worst and 2) build a better world in the process.

Tomorrow, if you live in a democracy, please call your representatives and tell them how much a livable climate matters to you. If you’re in the US, you can call the Senate at (202) 224-3121

I understand the frustration. I get the despair and the anxiety. No one is saying this is going to be easy. But it is possible. The biggest uncertainty by FAR in climate projections is what humans we’ll do. Let’s get to work.

This will be replied to and quote-tweeted with so much cynicism, misanthropy, and negativity. Please remember: giving up helps no one but those invested in delay and denial. I refuse to subscribe to a lie they promote.”

twitter.com/drkatemarvel/status/1424359432578797574?s=12

If you have £££££ you can escape to a new planet with Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson.