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 don't disagree with your arguments, SpinCycles, but frankly pressuring our politicians in a democracy is fruitless. They know damn well that if they even started to address this with real political action, they'd be voted out in a heart beat. I am sure governments are well aware what we are heading into, but know they are helpless to do much about it.

@MsRosley why would they be voted out for taking the mitigation actions I've suggested, to ensure that we have water, food and energy security? This simply requires investment in infrastructure, which unlike most Government borrowing markets are ok about lending for because it actually has value and some payback. If the public were pressuring for this then they would do it because they want to be elected.

My brother is a consultant Civil Engineer in the ME & he would agree with you, he hasn't worked in the UK for over 30 years.

I asked him before posting, what our construction skill set is, yes individually and at design level, very good but company wide? no not great.

Which is why in his opinion, foreign companies are often given UK construction projects - Crossrail was mainly a Irish and Spanish consortium.
Skanska Costain, both who he has to work for, is building HS2 phase 1, Skanska has huge experience in tunnelling, having built one of the worlds longest in Sweden, which bro worked on.

If we had the companies with the ability, have to ask why they are not heading up these projects?

...anyway, shouldn't we be doing less heavy construction? huge emitter of green house gasses.

I agree, it's so far beyond the odd individual decision. Don't get me wrong I drastically reduced our meat and we haven't flown since 2018 because it makes me feel better to do something/anything.

There are several outcomes to the ‘we are screwed’ mindset:

1. You turn out to be right, there is nothing we could have done, and you get to feel smug satisfaction about being right as the world burns. Your sense of satisfaction does not put food on the table for your family, so that quickly fades to intense anxiety, fear and grief about the lives of your loved ones.
2. Or alternatively, the worst effects of the climate crisis could have been averted, but you did nothing of note (and convinced others to do nothing as according to you it was hopeless). You enjoy yourself for a few years but these feelings give way to anxiety, fear and grief as time passes and extreme climate events cause more chaos. The guilt about sticking your head in the sand about reality will lead you to a very dark place.

The reality is that it is not too late, every action will make some positive difference, but some, such as not licensing new oil and gas, and investing in renewables, will make more difference.

Everyone saying China should do more are forgetting China makes cheap goods for us. Because we buy them and want things cheap. If we stopped buying goods made in China there would be less demand and therefore supply, but honestly who can do that? Sourcing everything from within the U.K. and ethically made will break the bank.

Most of us buy more than we really need though @Sweetashunni And buying better quality usually equals needing to buy less.

Maybe these issues should, along with health and education, be brought under the umbrella of cross party consensus administered by industry experts with long term, multi decadal plans.

Won't happen obviously

Maybe the government should set up an independent committee of experts to propose policy and monitor the UK's progress towards net zero?

As much as net zero is talked about I’d ask whether security and defence would be better as main aim.

Not sure if people are including that anyway though

@SunnyEgg how is defense and security spending going effect climate change (the topic here)?

I holidayed in Crete about 20 years ago and experienced a couple of weeks of 45 degree temperatures. There were no armageddon warnings and people in the hotel just acted sensibly - plenty of fluids, using the pool and shaded areas when necessary. None of this hysteria that seems to abound at every turn. BTW right this minute Europe may be hotter than usual but the UK is certainly a lot colder than usual, with it seems, plenty of rain. Since the North pole is moving South at a fair rate of knots and our sun is approaching peak activity is there a remote chance these factors may have a bearing on what is happening? Why are these facts never mentioned by so called experts? I guess when natural causes are involved there is no chance of making money from climate change.

It’s the other way around to me - climate crisis is going to necessitate defence and food / water / energy security

Due to mass displacement and fighting over scarcer resources

The public will only see the need when it’s on our doorstep but by then it’ll be very difficult. I’d get preparing

@Grannyolive you just need to look in the right places. The movement of the magnetic pole is not effecting climate change.

@Grannyolive the sun is not approaching peek activity, it's activity is increasing in line with a twelve year cycle after years of relative inactivity. The general trend for solar activity is down not up.

The sun is a good few years from peak activity.

Climate change is about money and power over people. It is a farce what we are having to put up with. AGAIN..All fuelled by the media and gullible people.

How do? Please explain with evidence because I've consistently posted evidence that your assertions are untrue.

Gullible? did you do your "own research" to come up with Climate Change is all about big business, power and making money?

Logically, CC is the worst thing ever for business, as they are the ones that use the most fossil fuels and have the most to lose as all these 'gullies move away from oil to cheaper forms of energy production, such as nuclear, hydrogen, insulate their houses, use their cars less and even for some, fly less.

but you don't need business or the media to tell you, your own eyes should be enough, melting glaciers, warming seas, species migration to northern europe - the rate of change is unprecedented as is rising temperatures becoming the norm.

Yeah, and you know that because when you went on holiday once the locals went on about their business.

It is very odd that when we have dangerous heatwaves in Europe and children being killed by air pollution that people will vote against ULEZ. The argument seems to be that poor people will suffer if they have to buy a new car or pay the charge. As if the Conservatives have ever cared about poor people.

I'm poor, I don't have a car. I use public transport. When I lived in London I didn't know anyone who had a car. People in London shouldn't have cars. You may say how are shift workers going to get to their jobs? Employers can run minibus services to get the workers they need.

What percentage of the population are we talking about here? Obviously not the poorest people who don't have cars. Not the affluent. We need to address the issues of pollution and climate change and we can't be distracted by this. There may be a few losers but we knew that already.

That's OK then. We'll just sit by the pool all day and get displaced Indians to do all the work for us.

You have some very foolish views I have to say, there are a few climate change deniers on these threads and your name pops up quite often.

I don't believe they are really climate change deniers

I think you have the group that pretend it's not happening because they are scared witless

and the group that sees the best way of adapting is to make themselves as rich as possible so that they have the best chance of survival ( a type of preppier)

I don't think anyone really believes the climate isn't changed as a result of human activity

Oh @midgetastic , I'm on the other thread atm about climate change in next 5 years and some of the comments are just unbelievable. I get so despondent sometimes

‘Deniers’ is just a ridiculous way of discrediting people you disagree with. Covid ‘deniers’ is the same. It actually feeds that the whole thing is a religion rather than based on fact.

It’s perfectly possible to believe that humans are obviously impacting on the environment and that some groups are using this to their own benefit. This is exactly what we saw with Covid. Yes it existed but some people saw the opportunity to make money and increase their own power, so they took it. It is happening again with climate change. It is also obvious that we have the same nudge-nudge propaganda in the media the patterns are obvious.

I’m definitely not petrified though, there’s not much point in worrying about things we can’t do much about and in the end we’re pretty insignificant in the life of the earth and none of us are getting out of this alive. That spiralling anxiety will be more detrimental to your health in the short term.