To ask how drivers of massive SUVs square it with themselves in terms of climate change?

[Bleepingtons]

Same goes for those who go long haul on the regular? Buy loads of cheap, disposable fashion? Etc etc? Do you just not worry about climate change?

I know I sound sanctimonious but I am genuinely baffled by people driving massive diesel SUVs like there isn't a major issue.

Reading these posts it does all come down to people needing to make the right choices regarding how many children they have, if any, what car they buy, where they fly, what food they eat etc etc
It’s so frustrating as relying on individuals to make the right choices obviously isn’t enough.

The media could help by refusing to glamourise long haul flights, new cars, fast fashion, avocados 😂 etc and the Government need to impose taxes/restrictions on all of the above.

People don't care OP.
By the way my family live in the countryside. The people who have lived there for generations are more likely to drive battered old smaller cars. Its the well of newcomers who buy SUVs and then won't move over to the side of the verge on single track roads. It is a status symbol.
And cars with a low centre of gravity are far safer on icy or muddy roads than SUVs.

the Government need to impose taxes/restrictions on all of the above

The Government could do meetings via Zoom for starters

Well I haven't been on a plane since I was 15. So when people stop going on holidays abroad, I'll get rid of my 7 seater SUV (I actually do need a 7 seater for my work).

@CatsArePeople that's the silly thing isn't it, COP26 so many attendees came over. Whyyyyyy

My husband is a coal miner….but all good we don’t have a SUV

@julieca depends on where you are, where I live everyone has a diesel 4x4 pretty much the same brand but of varying ages.

I don’t think being able to take as many long haul flights as you want or having steak everyday are actual human rights 🙄

@teenytinydoor yep incomers always do. And they still don't know how to bloody drive in the countryside.

@MsTSwift the farming industry in Britain is expected to be carbon neutral by 2040 and we need cows and sheep for arable farming. Without them you won’t be eating much of anything at all.

@julieca I was actually thinking of the farmers I live next to and the game shoot the other side! They've been here decades as a family and all have the dirtiest 4x4 going. Some cars admittedly look like they've driven straight out the 80's

We have what some might consider a large car.

But it’s got a couple of beds in it, cooker, fridge, pull out toilet, lift up roof. It celebrates its 12th birthday soon. Not used that much in winter.

Despite its apparent size its smaller, lighter and uses less fuel than many SUVs available on the market today.

The growth in the size of some types of car is unjustifiable.

I’m sure there’s a connection between the size of car and the dourness on the face of the driver.

The media could help by refusing to glamourise long haul flights, new cars, fast fashion, avocados 😂 etc and the Government need to impose taxes/restrictions on all of the above.

Taxing or restricting children might be a tad controversial.

I don't see why I should make loads of changes to my lifestyle when billionaires are jetting off into space on jaunts , have huge mansions and private jets!!

"I am not going to try and bail out this sinking lifeboat because that rich person sitting in the prow is busy pissing into the bilges." Yeah, well, I still don't want to drown, so while you sit there being petty, I'm still going to get busy with a bucket.

Honestly, the short-sightedness of some people on this thread is astonishing.

I damn near died six years ago, won't bore you with the back story but I was in bed for six months, my muscles wasted, I have some sort of normality now, but I can not get in and out of normal cars without being either very determined, or helped. I am 57 FFS

We were due a car change anyway ( we run them into the ground and only replace when absolutely required) #green and bought a midrange SUV, we already have plans to buy another one (petrol) before this model disappears into a fug of hybrids.

So when you are hoisting your judgy knickers be aware there are many permutations as to why someone arrived at that decision.

FFS threads like this do my head in. Climate change is down to capitalism, posts about SUVs and long haul flights just perpetuate the idea that it’s down to the individual to prevent the incoming climate catastrophe. Look up the stats on who is responsible for the majority of global emissions then start posting about what major corporations and billionaires are going to do to prevent this crisis getting worse.

@FinallyFluid

I damn near died six years ago, won't bore you with the back story but I was in bed for six months, my muscles wasted, I have some sort of normality now, but I can not get in and out of normal cars without being either very determined, or helped. I am 57 FFS

We were due a car change anyway ( we run them into the ground and only replace when absolutely required) #green and bought a midrange SUV, we already have plans to buy another one (petrol) before this model disappears into a fug of hybrids.

So when you are hoisting your judgy knickers be aware there are many permutations as to why someone arrived at that decision.

Any reason why you don't want a hybrid?

Can’t beat them so might as well join them I say.
Why should I live a little miserly life when there’s people out there contributing 100x more to climate change than I do and they won’t stop. I don’t have children which is the biggest contributor.

Decades of consumerist propaganda has programmed us not to.

^ this 100%.

I know I sound sanctimonious but I am genuinely baffled by people driving massive diesel SUVs like there isn't a major issue

Not RTFT because I know there were be loads of posts from people saying they live rurally down a country track (we're not talking about you) and from people saying "but we need that size car to fit in all the car seats and the dog" (you don't, and we are talking about you).

Unless it's an electric SUV they pump out massive emissions (especially when parent is sat outside school waiting for offspring for 45 minutes before pick-up with the engine running . But it's not just that, they also cause more congestion. As an example, if I come to the end of a road and want to turn left, if there's eg a Fiesta waiting to run right, I can squeeze past them and go. If it's a gas guzzling SUV, I can't. So they are emitting more pollution and causing other cars to, as well (admittedly I have a hybrid so it often cuts out the petrol engine when waiting at junctions).

Also take up too much room in car parks (which isn't an eco thing, but is still annoying).

If you can afford an SUV you can afford something like a hybrid Corolla. Or an electric car. When you next replace your car, please make one of those your status symbol, instead.

@Bleepingtons are your children also vegan? Or do they eat meat and dairy? Do you source all their clothes and toys from the U.K. and ensure they are plastic free and sustainable produced - or are you buying plastic toys and clothes from China/Bangladesh - major contributors to climate change. What about your household goods? Where are they all purchased from?

I find posters like you zone in on things like ‘owning a SUV’ ignoring the massive contributions you’re making to climate change in your own life. It’s so hypocritical.

So when you are hoisting your judgy knickers be aware there are many permutations as to why someone arrived at that decision

Na come on, most people get one because it's the done thing, I really don't think many people much thought into it until challenged and all of sudden it's their icy back road, safety etc etc. Not saying that's the case for you, but most.

@ColinTheKoala yep agree you don't need an SUV in the country. I drove an ancient ford escort around fields, often carrying lambs. It was fine. SUVs are a status symbol, nothing more.

So when you are hoisting your judgy knickers be aware there are many permutations as to why someone arrived at that decision

you don't need an SUV because of mobility issues. For example, a Honda Jazz is easy to get in and out of and has great visibility when driving too. And very comfortable seats. But it doesn't have the status symbol factor...people think it's a granny car.

Climate change is down to capitalism, posts about SUVs and long haul flights just perpetuate the idea that it’s down to the individual to prevent the incoming climate catastrophe

It's not just about climate change though, it's about local air pollution. And that's where individuals can make a difference.

@GaryLurcher19

"I weep every time I see an avocado or bunch of asparagus in a trolley. 😭"

Why asparagus? Genuine question. Is it usually imported? Because it grows perfectly well in the UK. I've grown it for years.

Asparagus has a very short season, basically May/June. So if you're buying outside those months it's imported.
Often from outside Europe too.

Non UK asparagus isn't very nice anyway, so personally I only buy it in season from the UK, preferably locally at farms etc.

But I'm not sure why it's such a focus of climate issues, green beans always seem to be imported, and pineapples, etc