This isn't our heat wave, but the next one could be

[orangeleavesinautumn]

Or if we mess up the jet stream, arctic winters.

We have really messed up horrifically, haven't we.

I am scared its too late to put right

@echt by using a teeny tiny bit of common sense?

Do you really think only MNers do those things?

why single MNers out? Completely unnecessary.

We dont need to stop driving either.

We need to put synthetic petrol into mass production. That would be one of those win/win scenarios.

One of the easiest and most effective things you can do as an individual is to switch your bank account - https://www.switchit.green/. Many high street banks are funding fossil fuel expansion.

And as many others have said, write to your MP and campaign. The UK wants to approve the new Rosebank oil field when burning Rosebank’s oil and gas would create more CO2 than the combined emissions of all 28 low-income countries in the world, including Uganda, Ethiopia and Mozambique. There's a template for writing to them here: https://www.stopcambo.org.uk/

Every 0.1 of a degree will make a difference to what the future will look like, so as individuals our actions do matter.

@FFSwhatisthis because like I have been saying people would rather squabble about irrelevancies that will make no difference and blame each other than accept what is happening and at least do something vaguely useful and pressure our MPs to prioritise policies to mitigate the impact on us as much as possible: something that actually could be done.

Yes, if the pandemic did anything it showed that if governments globally really wanted to make a dramatic changes, they could do. It really has to be done at that level.

My problem is that people and organisations only give you the horror story of what climate change means. It would be better if they sold you a vision of a low carbon world where we've solved climate change- what does that look like and what do we need to do, individually and organisationally, to achieve it? What would my every day life look like, or that of my grand children? If we are back to life before the industrial revolution, then forget it and I'll just carry on enjoying life as I know it while we can.

Exactly this! We’re doomed.

How did you end up with heat stroke inside? I am in the SE and yes it was 39 degrees but there are ways and means to keep cool?

Stop buying plastic tat , too many clothes, 4 by 4 cars which are not needed, eat meat less, email your MP everyone can make a difference

Birth rates may be declining, but all Western nations are importing millions more people who will become consumers (of more food, water, energy) and add to the climate footprint as people in the West consume far more.

My problem is that people and organisations only give you the horror story of what climate change means. It would be better if they sold you a vision of a low carbon world where we've solved climate change- what does that look like and what do we need to do, individually and organisationally, to achieve it? What would my every day life look like, or that of my grand children? If we are back to life before the industrial revolution, then forget it and I'll just carry on enjoying life as I know it while we can

That's a global conversation that needed to happen during the '80s/ early '90s. It's far too late for that now.

To all the people who really believe the predictions of doom and death: if you really believe that we're heading for annihilation, why aren't you living like I do?

Because it will happen anyway, and you won't get any brownie points for having a lower carbon footprint now, you'll get the same deal as everyone else, so we may as well enjoy it and see the world as it is now, while it lasts.

Birth rates may be declining, but all Western nations are importing millions more people who will become consumers (of more food, water, energy) and add to the climate footprint as people in the West consume far more.

There will be no people to "import". Almost every country in the world is on a path to exponential population decline. As I said, sub-Saharan African countries are the only exception.

Do you have dc?

These threads always just end up the same way. People shouting at others for doing certain things while making excuses for doing the things they do.

"I have 6 children but I've never owned a car and I'm teaching them all to be mindful of the environment!"

"I always recycle and I'm vegan but I HAVE to fly 3 times a year to see family!"

"I've never flown but I think it's disgusting to re wear pjs more than once so yes I do have to do lots of washing."

Etc etc etc

Then you get the contradictions of various threads. I was just reading one about the fact we need to build millions more houses on all the fields. With all the supporting roads and infrastructure. Because remember we need to increase the population to care for the old people. So people need to be having more babies for that. Equally though you also must remember that the world is overpopulated and its because we're all living too long. BUT don't eat meat or you might shorten your life. Its quite funny really!

Exponential population decline is set in motion already everywhere outside sub-Saharan Africa

Yet as I said upthread, why is seen as a problem? Why is China & Korea offering incentives for people to have more children?

There will always be people who want to escape inhabitable countries

Whether that can be managed is another big issue

This. Putting the blame on individuals' lifestyles may help some to feel righteous and everyone to feel a sense of control, but it's chickenfeed in the overall scheme.

The entitlement of people to have dogs too How very dare they! The environmental impact a dog leaves in it's lifetime is minuscule compared with a person, to suggest otherwise is stupid.

Mate, you can’t even get people to switch their foods when they are clinically obese huffing and puffing just walking down the street with diabetes and wearing enormous sized clothes, let alone tell them to switch foods for the good of their grandchildren and some catastrophe in the future. People won’t make the switch even if it’s slowly killing them right now.

Errr in the Uk we haven’t had any heatwaves this year so far!

Then you get the contradictions of various threads. I was just reading one about the fact we need to build millions more houses on all the fields. With all the supporting roads and infrastructure. Because remember we need to increase the population to care for the old people. So people need to be having more babies for that. Equally though you also must remember that the world is overpopulated and its because we're all living too long. BUT don't eat meat or you might shorten your life. Its quite funny really!

Well there is a massive contradiction isn't there? What has caused human made climate change is capitalism and consumerism- constant economic growth is required which means more of everything, constantly.

Currently we don't have enough people with the right skills in the country to do the work that exists and that seriously hampers productivity which hampers growth. We need more people either through the birth rate or immigration, which means more housing, more infrastructure, more stuff that harms the environment. There is no grown up conversation going on about this at government or global level, and it is all far too late anyway.

@Icandothis1970

have you checked that everything you put in your recycling bin is actually recyclable in your council?

our council can't/doesn't recycle many things & other things put in the recycling make it more difficult/more expensive to process & if there's too much the entire load gets 'dumped' instead.

we certainly can't recycle any kind of tray, not even the kind fruit comes in.

Plastic wise, we can only recycle bottles (drinks, shampoo etc) no fruit trays, yogurt pots etc.

Not anything like enough difference. And my MP is a RW Tory who does not give a flying fuck.

I agree with the posters who are saying that nothing we can do will make any significant impact.

Humans have known for decades that our way of life is detrimental to the planet, but very little has been done to change things.

As humans, our society hinges on profit and power, and we are not capable of changing that.

If someone works in a car manufacturing plant, they might have strong views on eating less meat, etc, but they won't give up their job in protest, because they need the money to feed themselves and their family.

During lockdown we saw photos of clear, unpolluted skies, but did any of the airlines say, 'Great, we can make a difference if we stop all flights?' No, of course they didn't.

Also after lockdown, how many people said they ''needed a holiday?'

I also agree with the posters who say that we are insignificant to the planet and that it will continue quite nicely without us. It's depressing but true.

Cheap clothes, plastic tat, consuming imported food and alcohol, flying on holiday, laundering stuff that's clean

and faffing around on the internet.

Data storage uses 1% of global electricity. That is a lot.