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.

[quote TizerorFizz]@Bythemillpond
I think you will now find that, with the growth of vegan/vegetarian diets, there is a great deal of land being cleared for these crops.Land is not solely cleared for beef feed. Palm oil bring one such crop but there are others.

It’s much easier to buy British reared meat than it is to buy British grown and harvested vegan food. However price is a determining factor for poorer families. But vegetarians and vegans don’t get a free pass on this.[/quote]
It’s too easy to say ‘buy British meat’. There are 60 million in the UK. We import half of our food inc meat and meat eg prawns, cod, chorizo, tuna and loads of other things we don’t have here. It’s far too easy to blame vegans when that is a vanishingly small amount of the food products sold.

The Uk eats vast quantities of animal protein compared to tofu, soy bean and quorn.

The National Food Strategy has done the research into this and compared water usage, feed etc and pulses and plants still comes out far more eco than meat (as it takes so long to grow, feed etc)

I guess that very few people chose the ideal option environmentally in absolutely everything - look at the whole lifestyle before judging too much...

I have a large diesel SUV - use it mainly weekend walks and camping and occasionally as the second car when it is needed. We are considering getting a twin axle caravan.

DH works from home.
I work within walking distance of work, although sometimes I take the small car.
Our other car is a small electric car - this is the car that we take out most of the time
We rarely fly (last time for me was 10 yrs ago I think) or travel further away than 2 hrs by car and will take the train if that is convenient.
We live within easy walking distance of the town centre and usually walk there
We have one child (that won't change)
We don't eat much meat or dairy products - I rarely do and DH has cut down a lot.
We aren't massively into clothes and wear the same capsule wardrobe until it wears out usually.

@Newgirls
Oh yes I do agree. Eating British meat isn’t a solution. But it’s better than importing. It’s also expensive and I get that too! However we should embrace British farming and nit keep saying all meat is bad. It’s not. If all vegetarians grew their own veg it would help!

@JennyDune

My current mild hybrid suv does 35-38 mpg in real life, my car 10 years ago, an old small Polo did 30 mpg.

That's not actually very good for a hybrid unless you live in a very hilly area. I drive our Shogun and aim for 27mpg (urban) & 33 mpg (motorway), it's not hybrid just plain LWB diesel! Admittedly towing I have to aim for anything over 20mpg depending what's being towed. I suggest adapt your driving for economy.

[quote TizerorFizz]@Newgirls
Oh yes I do agree. Eating British meat isn’t a solution. But it’s better than importing. It’s also expensive and I get that too! However we should embrace British farming and nit keep saying all meat is bad. It’s not. If all vegetarians grew their own veg it would help![/quote]
If meat eaters grew their own veg too surely?

I don’t get this anti vegan thing. All the research shows plant based is better for the planet. And I say that as someone who isn’t vegan! Almond milk etc gets a bad PR but it is not in the same league as factory chicken from the UK and all the feed, antibiotics,
processing and transport that goes into that. That is sold with a British flag on it and it is an awful ‘product’ used in chicken shops, burgers, sandwiches, nuggets, dippers etc

I’d eat tofu over cheap chicken any day!

British meat is being transported to mainland Europe at the moment due to lack of workers so the eco argument doesn’t hold at the moment. Refrigerated lorries there and back etc

Research assumes we all eat meat fed on plant based food from forest areas. That’s not the case for everyone in the uk. It’s all about making individual choices and lots of the people who lecture make dubious choices in other ways. Just look at Meghan and Harry and using private jets. Plus every other lecturing celeb or Royalty!

Same goes for cars. I can use a variety of cars. One is used mostly on electric because it’s for short journeys. I can afford this car and if makes me “green” and certainly I hardly use any petrol! However I’ve 3 other cars that are not so green. However I also have air source heat pumps. So big tick for the heat pumps but black mark for our old Merc sports car! So everyone can do something but continuous virtue signalling and calling people out won’t help. Most households do a mix!

We have a climate crisis so looks like we do need to call people out. We could all do better - whether it’s travel, food, clothes etc

If people on here with SUVs make a difference choice next time, use it less, car share etc then that’s worthwhile.

If people choose more veggie meals each week that adds up.

If people make their own sandwich rather than buying one in a packet, it adds up.

60 million of us eating fewer animals and driving less would be massive

Agree royals and politicians flying around is appalling. Let’s be better than that

@TizerorFizz

Research assumes we all eat meat fed on plant based food from forest areas. That’s not the case for everyone in the uk. It’s all about making individual choices and lots of the people who lecture make dubious choices in other ways. Just look at Meghan and Harry and using private jets. Plus every other lecturing celeb or Royalty!

Same goes for cars. I can use a variety of cars. One is used mostly on electric because it’s for short journeys. I can afford this car and if makes me “green” and certainly I hardly use any petrol! However I’ve 3 other cars that are not so green. However I also have air source heat pumps. So big tick for the heat pumps but black mark for our old Merc sports car! So everyone can do something but continuous virtue signalling and calling people out won’t help. Most households do a mix!

Quite. I might drive a monster, gas guzzling Range Rover Sport. However, I rarely eat red meat but when I do buy it it is organic, and locally reared and slaughtered. I rarely drink alcohol, probably once a month at most. And I reckon that 90% of my clothes are sourced from Vinted or eBay