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)

I wouldn’t want solar panels either they look ugly

Not sure how 'elderly' your parents are, but it's quite possible, they spent a huge chunk of their lives not travelling by car, but on foot or public transport, their milk probably came in glass bottles, which were give back to the milkman for reuse, their soft drinks possibly the same, they might well have taken their own bags to the shops to buy vegetables and meat which did not come wrapped in plastic. I doubt clothes were bought and disposed of weekly. So all in all their carbon footprint might never equate to your's and your children's.

My parents have one bus service a week, which is why they have two cars. I do worry about their access to services when they become less capable of getting around but their choice to live where they do.

If I had DGC and they were 'disgusted' with me (and I bet the OP's children don't hide their disdain for the oldies) I wouldn't be giving a fuck or caring about their welfare either. You obviously didn't notice that the OP gives her children a pass on the caring about the planet bit, it's her parents who get the brunt of the disapproval.

Solar panels are bad for the planet. Still at least it gives an opportunity for the eco warriors to virtue signal how great they are, even though clearly they are not.

You're being ridiculous. It makes fuck all difference whether they have solar panels or not. The only thing that would have any noticeable difference on global warming is massive replanting of the Amazon or virtually everyone stopping eating eat over night (or half the world dying). We need creative, bold and innovative solutions to bring global temperatures down. Not hectoring people not to fly (which account for 2-3% of global warming).

I hope uouve been vegetarian since birth and have no kids, otherwise you're a massive hypocrite.

What age is classed as elderly?

I bet you and your "disgusted" children won't be annoyed enough with these awful electricity using gas burning elderly Grand/parents to refuse any inheritance when they die. The winter nights must fly by in your house.

YABVU OP, and your sanctimonious attitude, preachy tone and lack of critical thinking is awful.

With the OP and their children, basically disliking their Parents/GP I hope the inheritance will be left to a local hospice or dogs charity as the OP won't want money from someone they hate that much.

I’m not anti- solar panels but they come with their own problems and aren’t the saviour you are imagining.

Why don’t you leave your parents to live out their lives how they want and you live how you want?

YANBU

I was visiting my older sister (70’s) recently and was shocked and appalled to discover that she puts everything into one kitchen bin. No separate food or recycling bins. She was a teacher before she retired so there’s no excuse not to know the damage that’s she’s contributing towards.

We’re all responsible for this mess and so ALL of us need to do our bit, not sitting on our arses waiting for someone else to go first.

OP, you may not be able to change their behaviour but perhaps you could persuade them to bequeath their wealth and possessions to environmental causes instead of an inheritance for you and the rest of the family?

Or, when you do inherit, you can donate it all to environmental causes yourself.

Sounds like that would go some way to redressing the balance for you?

🤔

On MN? over 50.

Why don't you treat them to solar panels? I am sure you can afford it!

Maybe they just don't want them? If someone offered me free solar panels I'd decline.

You sound like a right laugh.

Please, leave them alone. If you’re that much of a ‘disgusted’ activist, go after the nations and corporations that are actually destroying the planet.

You sound a but control freaky TBH OP, worse still you are using ‘climate change’ as the cloak of virtue to hide behind…reminds me of a solzhenitsyn saying.

This thread has been really eye opening. I'm actually quite surprised by the number of responses claiming they don't care about climate change, carbon footprints, don't recycle at all etc. Maybe I'm in an eco bubble too (although certainly I could be better). I agree with many that the changes need to be at policy and industry level but that will never come without public interest and engagement and support. Quite depressing actually! Though I studied and work in conservation so this stuff is always at the forefront of my mind and I'm surrounded by people who do care, a lot.

To the OP - I do hear your frustration. I too have family members who choose to live their lives quite differently to me - hyper-consumption, new SUVs every couple of years, flying very frequently, no interest in reducing their impact on the planet. It makes me sad but ultimately we all get to make choices about how we live and what we leave behind for future generations (and I'd never tell them they HAVE to get solar panels or do anything else). It's impossible to live with no environmental impact after all, so I think all you can do is the best you personally can and try not to let the behaviour of others get you down too much. Remember that the capitalist society we've built encourages consumption as the goal and does have a bit of an "every man for himself" mentality. Maybe this will change in time, who knows.

Although I don't agree with what they are doing, it probably balances out. I bet they aren't buying loads of clothes from fast fashion stores, storing lots of data in the cloud, getting new electronics every year etc. No one is perfect when it comes to the environment, we all have our impact.

I think that there is a lot of finger pointing at the older generation for this generation’s problems.

Recently we had to check how many devices we had logged on to the Wi-Fi and I was shocked at the number and I didn’t think we were particularly device heavy.

My parents, well, they only recently got smartphones and have one laptop.

We downloaded programmes all the time, using vast energy sapping data warehouses. My parents, they watch live tv.

Foreign holidays? Only once they got to middle age as it wasn’t common, my children, every year.

I think we tend to forget that in general, those who are in their 70’s and above typically would have led a much more frugal lifestyle, with a much lower carbon footprint than we and our children do.

The OP is a he, not a she.

Yes I agree - I'd be more concerned about having raised self righteous, ignorant prigs.

The OP's children will have had far more impact per year of life than their grandparents' generation simply by being born at a time of greater wealth and standard of living in a developed country.

Just another lazy attempt to stir up inter generational strife.

Well same really..

Yes, I’m glad we finally found the culprits (there I was, blaming the nuclear power plants and governments when all along it was OP’s parents).