Do you care about climate change?

[julieca]

Not just in an abstract way. But would you be prepared to accept radical changes to your lifestyle to reduce climate change?
Or do you think continuing to live your life the way you want is more important?

YABU - No I don't and I want to continue living life as I want
YANBU - Yes I do and would accept major changes to my life

@Drumshambo

If, as we are being told that we're all doomed, and we have only so many years to save the planet, then surely most of us will take the decision to carry on our lives as best we can and enjoy every moment. For me, that means several holidays abroad every year amongst other things. I will continue is to do this for as long as I am in good health and can afford it. Everyone I know feels the same.

Wow, and to think I'm angsting about going abroad for first time in 5 years next year to visit family...

I guess if you mix in self absorbed circles it becomes a bit of an echo chamber

@Drumshambo

If, as we are being told that we're all doomed, and we have only so many years to save the planet, then surely most of us will take the decision to carry on our lives as best we can and enjoy every moment. For me, that means several holidays abroad every year amongst other things. I will continue is to do this for as long as I am in good health and can afford it. Everyone I know feels the same.

I think this is a very common attitude, especially after we've all been in and out of lockdowns for over a year without being able to travel abroad etc.

There has to be some middle ground where we can live a worthwhile life at the same time as doing what we can to help reduce waste and precious resources and reduce our carbon footprints.

I think the emphasis should be on "reduce" rather than eliminate, i.e. encourage people to have fewer foreign holidays, but not try to bully them into having none at all. After all, UK holidays are probably just as bad, as seen this Summer with the sheer volume of traffic for "staycations" causing congestion just about everywhere which will undoubtedly have increased road pollutions, emissions, etc.

We'll then the public needs to step up

Well, that's the public told then

Unfortunately - as anyone who has ever tried to affect societal change knows - telling the public they need to step up is doomed to failure. XR can take that stand all they want, they're not going to bring about change.

I think I already have a low footprint on this planet just by living the way I do, so no, I won't accept any change. I could eat less meat, but otherwise I don't think anything else needs changing.

No

I was shocked that the kevel of flights during the first lockdown was the same as 20 years before.

Do I care? Yes, to a point.

I am somewhat suspicious of this current brand of apocalyptic environmentalism. I feel that some of it is actually commercialism, disaster capitalism even, under a green umbrella and I'm not sure how useful or realistic it is. Some of it just seems to be about getting people to buy more stuff and it can feel like a deflection from bigger and more impactful issues.

As for accepting radical changes, it would depend what they are. Some things I already do. And some things being discussed at the moment are 100% unworkable for me. I live in a single-glazed, 200-year-old flat in a historic and protected city centre. The council won't install street-chargers for electric cars because of the heritage protections, and because my flat is upper floor and poorly insulated I could no more install a ground- or air-source heat-pump than I could turn myself into a tulip.

YANBU but I need the money to be able to make better changes.

Who's going to pay to upgrade my car to electric? Who's going to pay to install a charger at my home for an electric car? Who's going to pay to upgrade our heating?

I barely have any spare money and I don't think our landlord will upgrade the heating until they have to.

We already live a low carbon lifestyle within our means but frankly it's not the folk like me with a battered old petrol car that's used to care for seriously ill family that are the problem.

It's the ones with money to spare who have heating on and walk around in short sleeves, the people who go on foreign holidays, the people using dairy alternatives (they are seriously awful in terms of carbon footprint and water wastage), the people with SUVs, the people who "trade up" their phone whilst it still works because there's something newer.

I suspect for many, huge changes will make their lives look more like mine! except for the electric car I'd happily drive one if I could afford one

No.

I do my little bit like recycling but I won’t change my lifestyle radically for it. Unless, private jets are banned I will not reduced flying commercial. I am happy to stop buying from China and reduce waste but are very against con taxes on climate change account.

@ComtesseDeSpair

No. The planet changes. Species die out. It’s been happening for literally billions of years. I don’t see the end of humanity as being some great tragedy. And on a personal level, bluntly, I’ve chosen to be child free and I don’t feel like I owe anything to “future generations” / the children of people who haven’t.

I feel the same!

Yes I do care and am making some changes

I do my bit, recycle, don’t have a tumble dryer, get my milk from the machine across the road with a refillable glass bottle (also does tasty milkshakes!), have a few meat free nights per week etc, food shopping is delivered, we get a gousto box which means less food waste. I will not be giving up my car though as I live rurally and work in community nursing covering a wide rural area, I don’t live near school or doctors etc.

Bus service here is pretty good and regular but it’s the time it takes to get anywhere that is the issue for rural people

I'm actually astounded, and deeply saddened by the poll results on this thread. I honestly thought it'd be no less than about 80 - 85% saying YANBU. I didn't expect so many people to vote the other way. Perhaps less hope for the planet than I'd thought

@WanderingFruitWonderer Yeah but it’s a poll on AIBU so there’ll be an element of “lol let’s troll this”, the “I’ll automatically vote YABU because it makes me feel ALIVE”, plus a healthy dose of “haven’t read the OP properly but hammering a vote button on their way to a juicier thread”.

@hotmeatymilk yes, that's probably true. I hope you're right, and that it's not a reflection of societal feelings in general...

Yes I do care about climate change and the planet

I and DC wear mostly second hand clothes , we recycle whatever the council asks us to recycle and I try to dry my clothes on an airer instead of a tumble dryer. I also walk my kids to and from school.

However , I need my car to get to and from work , work extremely unsociable hours starting at 4am etc.

Also we stay in a very poorly built ex LA house which is not suitable for heat pump , couldn’t afford a heat pump anyway to begin with, also live in Scotland and have heard they are crap under temps of 3c , most of Jan / Feb is under 3 / minus temps etc.

I can’t afford an electric car.

I budget and meal plan to the last penny , if my kids need new toothbrush I pop in the Value pack at 49p , can’t afford bamboo sustainable for all 5 of us.
Ditto with the fancy beeswax food wrap etc etc

It’s all just about cost.

These new fangled elements of Green Living are not for us working class.

I’ll need to stick with my gas boiler , my wee petrol car and recycling my value food cans for now.

No. Extremely bored of all the crap that comes out of activists/politicians mouths.

Yes i care deeply, i have children (all be them adults now)..
How can anyone with kids not care about their futures? I'm gobsmacked..

@Biker47

No, don't care. Will obviously have to take whatever mandatory things come into force, but up until that point I'll just continue how I currently do.

I'm sure your kids think you're lovely looking out for them and their offspring like this

But what do people think the end game is? In about a billion years time the Sun will make the Earth uninhabitable and in 4 to 5 billion years the Earth will be destroyed completely. To say nothing of the possibility of a major asteroid strike, before either of these to eventualities. The Earth is just the way it is, I don't see it as moral issue. Future humans will need to make the best of whatever situation they find themselves in.

@WanderingFruitWonderer

I'm actually astounded, and deeply saddened by the poll results on this thread. I honestly thought it'd be no less than about 80 - 85% saying YANBU. I didn't expect so many people to vote the other way. Perhaps less hope for the planet than I'd thought

Luckily for the planet it's humanity that doesn't have hope, not the planet. The planet will be just fine once we've made ourselves extinct. Good riddance!

:33HoboSexualOnslow

ComtesseDeSpair

"No. The planet changes. Species die out. It’s been happening for literally billions of years. I don’t see the end of humanity as being some great tragedy. And on a personal level, bluntly, I’ve chosen to be child free and I don’t feel like I owe anything to “future generations” / the children of people who haven’t."

I feel the same

Fair enough. What can we say to that?!

To a certain extent i do.

I recycle.

I loathe protesting. Achieves nothing but creates anger. ER for one thing. Then the dicks gluing themselves to the road.

I eat meat. Animals are needed to keep forage down.

And as for electric cars? Most people cannot afford then, so the government batters the poorest who drive cars which are not new with high road tax and disgustingly high petrol prices.

@GreenLunchBox

:33HoboSexualOnslow

ComtesseDeSpair

"No. The planet changes. Species die out. It’s been happening for literally billions of years. I don’t see the end of humanity as being some great tragedy. And on a personal level, bluntly, I’ve chosen to be child free and I don’t feel like I owe anything to “future generations” / the children of people who haven’t."

I feel the same

Fair enough. What can we say to that?!

I can understand it more if you have no dc. And tbh you’ve done a fair bit more than others already by not having any.

Less so for those who do, does making changes for dc get factored in