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

I agree. The hand wringing just annoys me now when so many people are not prepared to inconvenience themselves in the short term whilst they adapt to doing things differently and in a more environmentally friendly way.

People can knock themselves out worrying or they can do something but I really don't want to her about how worried people are as they jet off for another foreign holiday.

The recent graphs of water surface temperatures are very worrying - it is like we have hit a trigger point.

It has helped that on a population level we are eating less meat and installing solar panels but I am not sure how much we are wiping out those gains with more travel, buying of 'stuff' and increased owning of meat eating pets.

Interesting article on how the jet stream is changing, and what would be the consequences if it's pushed beyond its natural variation.

It is possible this will happen in our lifetimes (within next 40 years) and if we don't take the human factor out of climate change, is highly likely to happen during the lives of our DC

Study: The North Atlantic jet stream could move by 2060 | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)

It's not someone else's problem though.

Why do you think China has such industrial base? Who do you think makes most of the Stuff?

It's a comfortable lie for people that means they can helplessly shrug their shoulders and carry on as before having convinced themselves that nothing they do will make a difference.

It's bad, but despair and doom-ism makes it worse. Look at ways you can help, even just locally. It helps ease the anxiety and fear.

It's so desperately sad, and so predictable. Breaks my heart.
We have to turn the capitalist machine towards renewable energy. Then the investment will flow away from fossil fuels and - hopefully- we can avoid runaway climate change.
One thing anyone with a pension can do. Ask your pension provider if your pension is invested in oil and gas. If it is, tell them you'd rather it was invested in ethical funds. It's one of the most powerful things you can do to help the climate.
Google 'Make my money matter' for more info.

This. We need to stop buying stuff and reset our expectations about choice and consumerism. And minimise/ eliminate our use of fossil fuels. The grid will have to decarbonise but it will take time - expect energy and water costs to continue to rise so that’s also a good motivator even when we can feel the direct individual carbon cost is small. I think life will have to revert to something like the 1700s.

I don't know what more I can do.

We don't eat meat.
We don't have a car ( central London so easy not to)
We fly long haul once a year but our families live abroad so hard not to, as it is to visit them, not a holiday
We don't buy many clothes or stuff and buy a lot on Vinted or in charity shops

We can all do our bit and this is what needs to be encouraged rather than screaming at each other well I do x, y or z

doing one two good things doesn’t offset one bad thing though but it’s better than nothing

we have to look at living our lives differently do we need so many cars, take so many flights, buy so much, have a house full of food, need that new pair of jeans, a new phone every two years and so on

and people need to stop preaching and encourage preaching just gets peoples backs up

Everything in our current lifestyle - housing, transport, healthcare, consumer goods, food production, EVERYTHING - is only possible because of cheap abundant energy. We've been getting that energy from fossil fuels for over 100 years. To make any significant change, we need to stop using fossil fuels totally. Hands up who thinks that's going to happen any time soon.

China is making huge strides towards renewables BTW. Here it's still not a government priority.

Our local dairy farm helps capture carbon as the cows graze on pasture.

Acid rain was fixed by massive changes in the energy industry to eliminate high sulphur coal and fuel oil. The hole in the ozone layer was fixed by a global ban on CFCs. These things did not simply ‘go away’. It cost billions and huge changes, requiring global cooperation, to address them.

Which Would otherwise be built on.

Yes it's scary. My DH is a climate change professor and he said that even if we stopped all carbon emissions today we're still omitted to irreversible climate change - so yes it's too late. He said the focus must be on adapting to it.

The thing is, with globalisation, modern food production methods, and the fact there are SO many of us, even if we're all eating less meat (I know I am), we've now moved to eating vegan and plant-based foods grown by equally damaging global agri mega-corporations.

I eat less meat but tonnes of Avocados, shipped from Mexico where they deplete the local water table. And Soya protein that means the Amazon rainforest is being stripped bare. And almond milk which is one of the most water-intensive foods to be grown on the planet.

So now we don't all just need to go vegan. We need to go the right TYPE of vegan - plant based, locally grown and in season.

Does anyone honestly think this is possible, on a global scale?

It's just weather OP, calm down.

Nobody has messed anything up, do you feel guilty about the children forced to work in lithium mines in Africa, so that we can drive around here in our guilt free electric cars?

Didn't think so.

Do you feel bad about the fact that huge areas of our oceans are being stripped of life through drag net fishing?

Do you feel guilty about the fact that there are too many people on the planet and we just keep adding to the problem?

There's an endless list of things you could feel bad about, but don't, because those things aren't front page news designed to generate clic bait advertising revenue.

Weather is just weather, just this morning on radio 4 they were discussing the heatwave in Europe, some climate scientist was being interviewed and even she stated

"we don't know how much climate change has effected the temperatures in this heatwave"

Stop panicking.

You must understand the motivation behind the current climate driven rhetoric that is being used to manipulate people.

Think about the selective use of "eco-guilt" stories that permeate our media, think about the near fanatical levels of coercion and misinformation forced on children in our schools, even the church is at it. And, judging by your post, you've fallen for it.

Vote. Campaign. Write to your MP (especially if they're Tory).
Research and get all the facts at your fingertips so when you see or hear people pushing dubious bollocks about "veganism is worse actually because almond milk" or outright conspiracy theories you can push back.

There are a lot of very vocal people pushing the car/ICE lobby at the moment. Make it clear that you, as a normal everyday member of the public, understand and care about the truth.

I'm sure if there was heaps of money to be made by saving the planet then things would be happening. But the nature of corporate run countries somebody has to be making money out of everything (and everybody).

We can all do our bit and this is what needs to be encouraged rather than screaming at each other well I do x, y or z

Absolutely this. What is possible for my lifestyle may not be possible for someone else, we can all do our bit. People can resign themselves to the idea it's too late but the alarmism is really not helpful.

You think you and your family can save the planet?

It's not just weather. People in India- my country of origin- are experiencing near 50 degree heat waves, and dying. That's coming our way.

I feel exactly the same. It's utterly terrifying.

@onefinemess I will do my bit as far as I can. Though not eating meat is not particularly for the climate, but because I don't want or like to eat animals.

@Againstmachine

i don't think it's a specific mumsnetters thing!

if you hate posters here so much, then maybe other sites would suit you better.