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

Birth rates are falling off a cliff everywhere already other than sub-Saharan Africa. An effect that will multiply exponentially. It's been masked quite a lot up to now by the overall population figures due to the effect of longer lifespans and the ageing populations but it is a worldwide trend. So no need for that, really. Population collapse it underway already.

I agree.
I feel guilty for having brought my children into this tbh, and very fearful for their futures.

The more demand there is for recycled products, the more recycling will happen, surely?

But the cap means more children grow up in poverty. And I'd bet that growing up in poverty is associated with having more children, and from a younger age. And then those children go on to do the same.

A targeted campaign of contraception services and education, plus apprenticeships or bursaries for college/uni fees would probably be most effective to stop people having lots of kids starting in their teens because they think that's the best the world has to offer.

How many of you are jetting off abroad on holiday?

@User538765

which 'all these children' are you referring to?

do you have children? How many?

It is very scary.

It isn't the jet stream we have to worry about it's the so-called 'gulf stream' the Atlantic circulatory system, the only thing that keeps us warm. The resting state for the planet is ice ages, and when they happen Britain and Ireland are covered in kilometer thick ice - it's often happened in the past, and people can't live in it. We forget how far north we are.

Stopping eating meat and dairy isn't the solution - permanent pasture maintains soil stability, that locks up masses of carbon - more ploughing for crop growing is disastrous - see Brazil.

I've been minimising driving, rarely flying, watching food miles, re-using clothes etc for decades, but well meant volutary action by individuals will never be enough.

The whole keeping up with the Jones culture is very damaging. Why do people need a new car or kitchen every few years - just to show off. Come off it. A car is a car and gets you from A to B. They are reliable and efficient these days and will last a decade easily. Kitchens only need to be replaced when they are falling apart.

Yes it would affect the economy if we bought less, but job types change. AI will affect things, having a sustainable economy could happen.

However, I suspect it is too late. What is the planet going to look like in 30-40 years' time.

I agree, a cap on child benefit won't stop people having more than 2 kids.

Children don't ask to be born. You can't punish the children.

I live in Welling on the borders of London' last year wildfires broke out on Woolwich Common and Dartford Heath fortunately the fire brigade and wind saved us but it's the first time in my 60 years we have had anything remotely like that. My sister lives in Wrea Green and has floods that came into her garage with extreme rain again she had seen nothing like that. Sadly I think it's too late now we have released carbon deposits that took million of years to lock into the earth mostly in the last 100 years. The science is beyond dispute now and the evidence is all around us globally on a daily basis.

https://twitter.com/xr_cambridge/status/1681044519964254209

Yes this concerns me. I don’t know what the likelihood is, my understanding is people don’t generally know if and when is that right?

The UK will once again benefit a little from its geography. I would not like to be in southern Europe when this escalates. The channel gives us some protection, as does our natural climate.

It's utterly absurd that in one of the rainiest countries in the world we have annual water shortages. Top priorities need to be new reservoirs and water infrastructure including the ability to move water around the country properly when required. Serious attempts at renewable energy: why on Earth is a country surrounded by coastline importing hydro power from Norway?! And food security: there are novel farming techniques allowing multi-layered crop production etc. So much land in the UK is not being used properly. And ensuring diversity of crops that can withstand different weather conditions of course.

Any Government not prioritising the above is incompetent and negligent. But how many voters who say they are really worried about it all are demanding the above ^^? Hardly any.

@User538765

well, unless you had your child sterilised, how many grandchildren you have is not something you can claim is down to you.

I don't disagree with that but plenty of well off people have big families as a status symbol. I remember reading a few years ago that City law firm partners had 3-4 kids to show they could afford them (and father them).

Also while jetting off on holidays is hypocritical, it's all the unnecessary business travel that is damaging. Also using private jets, that needs to stop.

How depressing, so don't try at all. There's such a thing as looking after your own patch at least and local pollution.

This with bells on.

Not in our lifetime, well mine I should say. I fear for my child’s lifetime though.

”People on here talking about using tumble driers all the time, competitive bedding and towel washing, multiple showers or you’re seen as ‘grim’. Just seeing all the kids driven to school in 4x4s, most kids these days have no idea of walking places because their parents drive everywhere.

Then you have Rishi using helicopters constantly and private jets and yachts.” So normal folk think why should I bother…..

Everything ends, so will the human race- but we’re special as we’ve done it to ourselves.

@Abra1t
Respectfully I don't think it's the local farms that's the problem. Again it's the industrial scale agriculture. The meat we buy in supermarkets. The small little grass fed farms have a lot less of a negative impact on the environment, however the majority of people aren't buying this meat. If people ONLY bought local grass fed meats, they soon would eat less meat in general because of the price and the mass industrial scale would also cease thus helping the climate but people don't, they eat cheap cuts from the supermarkets because they would rather eat more meat everyday.

Really I think part of the problem is that so many things are made to last only a short time.

We could have quality standards that mean things are built to last. They'd be more expensive but then that's an incentive to buy secondhand and sell on.

The amount of flimsy junk you use with kids is crazy - prams, car seats, rockers etc - they're usually good for nothing after a few years. And don't get me started on toys!

I have one child in his 30s, no grandchildren.

@lieselotte i agree. Any thread on here about property buying - so many posters happily saying ''Well i'd ''rip out'' the kitchens and bathrooms straight away of course as they're soooo dated ...''

Bet these same posters are all smug about using nice little net bags for their vegetable purchases though 🙄

Id like to see a ban on all plastic grass (except for registered sports pitches)

And supertax on SUVs (we need vehicles to be smaller and lighter)

I agree op, I haven't had kids (I know how dare I even breath upon mumsnet!) and I'm glad every day that they won't grow up in this. I still try though and look after rescued wildlife, try to make different choices about waste and purchases. Maybe it's futile but if the scales are tipped in favour of helping reducing some suffering/leaving a tidier patch than my life was okay.

*then sorry

If everyone in the UK died tomorrow it would make no difference to the productivity of China. They have been developing African economies for this very reason. If wealthier nations stop, developing nations will start. They already are, and who can blame them. The only things that will save us, are technology or complete burnout of the planet and a much smaller human population. People understand this so are not prepared to make pointless personal changes. If polluting countries can't sell here they will sell somewhere else. Somewhere with even less regulations.

Although this kind of adds up to 'if only more people could be middle class' - sustainable choices are basically a luxury section of the marketplace.

What if the answer was to drastically reduce inequality so middle and upper classes had less, poorer people had more and could afford those nice grass-fed meats? Sort of communism, isn't it?

Right now the system places a lot of people in an economic position where the only choices they can afford are unsustainable ones.