AIBU: Elderly parents do not care about their impact on the environment

[Scientistathome]

My elderly parents acknowledge (in passing) that the human impact on the planet is destructive and that their family's future could be jeopardized.
However, they refuse to do anything about it. They burn gas and electricity in summer to keep warm (extra jumper? Nooo!), Will not Install solar panels (they can afford it), take unnecessary flights, ... the list goes on.
They flaty refuse to change any habits despite that they know they should and could.
I get quite mad with them!
AIBU?
I know it is their choice, not mine but it affects all of us (their grandchildren are quite disgusted with them).
Are other people's parents like this?
(I know that some parents cannot afford eco-friendly choices like solar panels)

So you have decided unilaterally that you and your parents should follow your rules.

Ummm it doesn't work like that and you are coming across like so many others who decide they don't need to do x,y,z anymore and therefore no one else should.

Mine still buy bottles of water. Which is ridiculous as water is FREE and SAFE from the tap. I have mentioned it a couple of times. Will have to have a nosy next time I'm round to see if that's still the case.

I would guess very few elderly people are shopping with Shein or Temu

You're judging them for not doing what YOU do to help the environment. But NONE of us (including you) are doing all we can because we live in the times we live in and there's a limited amount we can do about that unless we have a patch of land we can live off self sufficiently and not need to rely on anything provided by the state.

I'm all for doing what I can and sometimes feel bad for not, for example, taking home a plastic bottle to be recycled when I can't find a recycling bin. But I am not so deluded to think these small acts are really all that's required to stop or reverse climate change. And a lot of what we do is high profile but probably low impact things (like recycling or walking every so often instead of taking the car) which make us feel better, when really it's a global issue which needs to be addressed by all nations collectively.

Please don't hold your poor parents accountable for the lack of global co-operation to completely change the way in which we live. You must know that individually they will have NO IMPACT at all on the issue.

There's many things we can and should do that also mean we can live well - I doubt the elderly are buying fast fashion, gadgets frequently etc. perhaps help them with having lights and gadgets on timer's so they don't get left on, help them switch to a lower emission car etc.

I see far more wastefulness with youngsters

To be fair, I think my parents are more eco conscious than I am, in some ways. But they also have different life pressures. They do have backyard burn offs, but pick up plastic off the beach. I don't pick up plastic off the beach but don't do the backyard burn offs. I think those that need to make the difference for the most part are the big players.

@OilOfRoses where on earth did you grow up where people were constantly throwing fuel and chemicals around? Sounds dangerous and stressful - thankfully not the norm most places

Sounds like you want to make their life as miserable and unpleasant as possible.
Your poor parents having you preaching to them.
You do you...

I'm 65. This stuff described above was my life until I was into my 20s. I didn't have a car till I was 32. Didn't have central heating where I lived till I was the same age. There was little to recycle when I was a child, teen, young adult because there was so little packaging.

The generations despairing the earth for consumables came after mine.

It’s really frustrating to be around people who don’t care about the climate and environment and who won’t take any responsibility or do their part, whether through individual actions or at least recognising the issue at the social / political level.

But you cannot browbeat them into making these quite major changes! Their lifestyle is not the difference between us getting to net zero or not! All you will do is damage your relationship. You’ve made your point, they’ve chosen not to hear it. Just let it go and keep your frustration to yourself.

So your children are disgusted with their elderly grandparents for going on holiday and putting the heating on when they are cold. I'd be more concerned about that tbh.

Leaded petrol was all there was until unleaded came along so what is your point there exactly

I grew up in a working class home, we holidayed once a year down on the south coast, in the one car we had (not even my dads car, it was a works van), we had glass bottles for everything and my mum would use a shopping trolley and bags to trundle back and forth to the shops. I grew up on public transport.

There wasnt much plastic in comparison with levels now, that was the system they had, there wasnt a choice as such

Dont be so rude, its not 'rubbish', you said that people ran two cars, had dryers, holidays abroad and tvs in several rooms. That was not common for my family or families I knew, the tv was rented for a start and sat in the main living room.

Your parents installing solar panels is going to make absolutely fuck all difference to state of the planet.

Even if every single person in the UK did it, it would make no difference.

We are a tiny island in a massive world. We're pretty insignificant, really.

Anything your parents are doing is a drop in the ocean for climate change, it will make zero difference.

Stop buying stuff made in China and their emissions will come down.

And the US passed the most progressive climate change legislation in the world a year ago called the Inflation Reduction Act.

Could you share your definition of 'unnecessary flights'?

I really used to care about the environment, I mean really care - vegan back in 2005 etc. Specialized in atmospheric chemistry at uni....

The day I found out that if every single person and government do 100% correctly, except for China, then it will make no difference.

We need China on board and they just aren't - whether your parents wear a sweater or not it's no difference.

There's also a lot of other factors like the production of concrete etc... yeah 😔

Perhaps you and their "disgusted grandchildren" could stage a protest and glue themselves to your parents' driveway? Don't forget to put it on Insta, on the phone your DS has selflessly been using for many years...

You're being hugely unreasonable.

They want to keep warm in the summer? Lots of elderly people still feel the cold in the summer and being cold isn't good for their health!

They won't install solar panels even though they could afford it? Aaaannndd? Lots of people can afford them and don't have them because there are limitations to them being installed which can render them pointless.

Unnecessary flights? Unless they're flying to Australia and back just for the sheer fun of something to do for 40 hours - I don't see how a flight can be unnecessary if it's taking you to where you want to go. Are they hiring private jets daily, or are they taking a commercial flight that would fly whether they were on the plane or not.

Calm yourself down.

There was only leaded petrol, so anyone with a car was spewing that around. I don't use weed sprays and things but that is more because of concern about personal health than anything, and not wanting to hurt the ecosystems in my backyard. I didn't grow up in the UK. It was when I was a young adult I realised just how much the older generation did to the environment without a thought.

I know it is their choice, not mine but it affects all of us (their grandchildren are quite disgusted with them).

Raise your kids better.

Do you apply the same logic to voting?

So you don’t have kids a car fly abroad have heating
older people feel the cold more

This could only be improved by the grandparents in the background leaving for an unnecessary holiday with massive suitcases and driving off in their unnecessary car