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.

We are all responsible and all of us need to rethink our lifestyles. Me too.
The denials here will look terrible when future generations ask why didnt they do more to change?
No one needs an SUV, other than maybe a farmer.
Well done OP. So heartening to see at least half the respondents agree

@User134356356

Because I only chose to have one child?

And that is obviously way better than what I've decided (this isn't sarcastic although I think it sounds that way!)

Just noticed the driving test post. I passed my test in the 1980s in a massive Volvo estate, nicknamed ‘the fire engine’, it had no powered steering or abs. Driving a modern SUV with parking monitors and rear view camera is a doddle. We are rural so the higher driving position makes it safer on single tracks and as a tall family the extra head room and leg room is a massive convenience.
We don’t do foreign holidays, buy quality for longevity apart from kettles, I’ve yet to find a quality kettle that lasts longer than a cheap one, but my washing machine and dishwasher are both 17 yrs old.
Reducing carbon emissions is so much more than what you drive. Our SUV was chosen because of its low CO2 emissions, driven rurally they are not the monsters you claim, however the particulate emissions are not brilliant in the big smoke. I fully support banning them in built up areas.

My kids are adopted.

My SUV is a great place to smugly judge your impact on the planet from.

I mean I don't. I'm not a dick. But really the thing about getting the beam out of your own eye was made for this thread!

Some people don’t care
Some people think global warming has s already gone too far so what’s the point
Some people think that global warming is nonsense
Some people need large guzzlers for work or rural life

We are not all the same

@KeyboardWorriers

I definitely think less of them. And I don't know anyone who has one who actually needs it.

It also baffles me because the priciest houses near us are mainly going to be underwater in 20-30 years if we don't turn things round,.yet the occupants of those houses are clearly not budging from their SUV owning rampant consumerism

We could easily afford a big SUV each, but I cannot imagine making that decision (same applies to flying regularly or buying new "stuff" all the time)

My “giant” SUV is 15 years old, what do you want me to do with it?

I absolutely judge the people who drive SUVs. Demonise even.

“But I need it” for most people does not mean “I often drive it through the Australian wilderness”, it means “DH and I thought it would be the sexiest car for our suburban school drop off so we bought three.” Also “but it’s OK because EatTYourVeg turned the heating on 1degree higher today so she’s a hypocrite”.

I hope you’re a vegan OP

My ‘massive SUV’ is a hybrid

@Maryjane3227

We are all responsible and all of us need to rethink our lifestyles. Me too. The denials here will look terrible when future generations ask why didnt they do more to change? No one needs an SUV, other than maybe a farmer. Well done OP. So heartening to see at least half the respondents agree

OK, accepting I don’t need my SUV - are you saying I should sell it and our caravan immediately? What do you want me to buy instead?

@EatYourVegetables

I absolutely judge the people who drive SUVs. Demonise even.

“But I need it” for most people does not mean “I often drive it through the Australian wilderness”, it means “DH and I thought it would be the sexiest car for our suburban school drop off so we bought three.” Also “but it’s OK because EatTYourVeg turned the heating on 1degree higher today so she’s a hypocrite”.

What do you want me to do? Ours is 15 years old and used to tow a caravan.

Do you want me to sell/scrap them both?
Then what?

@sammylady37

Do you have children, OP?

Oh yes, we should all kill our children before we are allowed to worry about the climate. I forgot that.

Also, there are many things people don't even consider.

When I worked for the UKs largest commercial waste company we were sending over 40% of our recyclables to landfill due to contamination. Usually this was just somebody having placed their plastics etc in a black bin bag rather than a see through bag, which immediately meant the whole load was 'contaminated' if the operative didn't see the bag until it was already in the hopper (e.g. may have been at the bottom of a large wheelie bin).

We frequently had five ton loads of cardboard spoiled just because one school put their recycling in black bags. Over the year this was upwards of 500,000 tons of cardboard. I'd imagine the figure will be in the millions when you factor in the other big waste companies. That's a LOT of cardboard wasted for silly reasons.

Any persons whole footprint is what is relevant, not any one part of that

You could drive an suv but only 3000 miles a year, eat meat once a week ,never fly anywhere , have a well insulated house

Nothing much is in itself bad , just how it's used and his it fits in bigger picture

Oh yes, we should all kill our children before we are allowed to worry about the climate. I forgot that.

Oh yes, we have to all get rid of our diesel guzzlers befire we're allowed to care about the environment.

Also struggle to see how it benefits me to worry about future generations. What can they offer me in return? 🤔

ALSO, and this was kind of my point - I had kids because my life would have been worse without them (I thought) and that would have an impact on me every day for my entire life. I don't think driving a big polluting car or flying long haul would have that same impact. That was my point
I don't have children, for a number of reasons - financial, environment, medical - but traveling does have a positive impact on my life. Everyone prioritises different things.

People who claim to need an SUV because they have kids are the absolute worst. I had three in the space of a little over three years, even during the short period when they were all three in car seats, they fit across the back seat of normal four-door sedans. You don't NEED an SUV and if you have more than three children, there are small vans that have just as much seating space, if not more. Drive what you want, you will anyway, but (as my grandad would say) don't piss on my head and tell me it's raining. You are being selfish and foolish.

We had a large 4x4 when our eldest was at uni many miles away. We could fit all of her shite in the back and drive comfortably as well as visit /bring her back/take more shite/bring more shite back. My mum lives many miles away as did my In-laws.
Electric Cars were considered fringe at that time.
Then our son went to uni many miles away. We could do the same for him.

We needed a car that could cope with any weather whatsoever, particularly as my mum and in-laws were/ still is, very much in need.

Previously we had an ordinary car that couldn't cope on a slippery slope and would veer in icy conditions.
We live on a slope and , in winter , we'd have to park on a road away from our house , due to the slope. It was a nightmare.

Our beloved 4x4 coped in any weather conditions and we could park on our own drive when it snowed!

It made us feel safe if ever we needed to drive to our parents or children, anytime , day or night, even in the worst of weather.

This 4x4 was a diesel but we bought it when diesel was considered' good .

We have since replaced with a hybrid version.
We do not regret a large car.
We've had to move our sons shite to his permanent home , many miles away , which involved many trips, and we're now in the process of having to move our daughter's shite, again, many miles away.

I feel sure that some folk will pick fault with our choices but I really don't care.

We love a big car and it's a hybrid so not as bad.
We no longer use diesel.

It's just such a comforting feeling that, no matter how bad the weather is, we can just get in the car and drive , which is a feeling that we never had before.

I think many of them don't give a shit and the ones in the cities that can barely park are just dicks

I have one child. Am I allowed to keep her because I don't have a car and walk/cycle/bus everywhere? I also fucking hate avocados.

I live in a rural county with a crap public transport infrastructure unless you live in the county city or one of the larger towns.
SUVs are ten a penny for practical reasons, winter driving and flooding. Flooding has been a problem here since time immemorial nothing to do with global warming.

I drive a diesel SUV that I bought (second hand) only a handful of months ago. I’d like to go electric but I have nowhere to charge it and the set up of our parking/house at home means I have no way of rectifying that.
I didn’t NEED a big car, but it does make my life easier. No doubt the people judging me on the school run have no idea I travel miles for work, often with the boot full of thing for sites I’m visiting. But to them I’m ‘just a mum driving a gas guzzling SUV on the school run’

None of the blind haters wants to engage and tell me what I should do to make them happier about my choices and help me be less “selfish”. Conclusion - happy to throw insults about, not ready to actually discuss anything.

I remind myself that me driving a SUV or not has absolutely zero impact on climate change. The only thing that will help is shutting down all of the factories in China that are responsible for the majority of emissions. Until that happens I'm just going to live my life, thanks.

The thing I struggle to understand the most is wood-burning stoves. At least cars serve a purpose. People need them to get to word and school and go shopping. Wood-burning stoves serve no purpose in a house with central heating other than aesthetic value - making the user ‘feel cosy’ - and they cause triple the particle pollution of traffic in this country, despite only being used in a fairly small percentage of homes.