Do you actually care about the environment?

[HamsterKebab]

I think a lot of people say they care, but do you really? Have you adjusted your life with wildlife or the climate in mind? Or does convenience come first?

Im genuinely interested in how much the general public truly cares about biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution. Does it bother you or do you just think ‘someone else will deal with it’. I’m not judging, I genuinely want to know how people honestly feel rather than what they say out loud.

This is also my thinking. I have been on the verge of a nervous breakdown for several years due to external factors. I won't go into detail but all my time and energy goes into just getting through each day. I honestly struggle to care about the state of the planet in 100 years time.

I care, so I vote for the Green Party at any and every opportunity where doing so won't let the fucking Tories in.

I don't make mine or my family's life unduly inconvenient in a world that is not set up to support a green lifestyle, because for us to do so while our government and other world governments do fuck all to enforce environmental policies and laws on corporations and individuals would be pissing in the wind. It will do nothing whatsoever on its own to stop climate change, deforestation, species loss etc. It would if everyone did. But not everyone will or could as things stand.

So I reduce, reuse, recycle as far as I can, I try not to waste or overindulge, but we run a car, I don't check the carbon footprint of my groceries, we live "normally" most of the time.

In the same way I don't tithe to the NHS because it would be pointless, but I do vote for govts and support policies that would result in my tax bill rising so that public services can be better funded.

This has to be a top down change as it's too huge a problem to be solved by ordinary individuals making choices. The only effective way we can contribute is to vote in green governments.

Yes, massively. Sold the car recently and it's a big relief.

Just started litter picking with a fab local group and it really does make a difference.

Apparently littering has increased by 500% in 50 years and 48% of people admit to dropping litter. A third of drivers admit to dropping things out of car windows and road closures sometimes happen because wild animals are attracted to the junk food dropped on motorways, causing accidents. Now I don't give myself a hard time for avoiding most other humans whenever possible.

I have other things going on, we've had a terrible few years with DS, - autistic, EBSA, no sleep, knock on financial effects when DH not able to earn much as he needs to be flexible around DS, etc.

Still care about the environment. Buy second hand when I can, we do all the recycling we can, make safe spaces for the slow worms in the garden, didn't disturb the bumble bee nest on the compost heap, do no mow May - garden is a mess tbh, but we also have frogs and toads and see hedgehogs.

This is also my thinking. I have been on the verge of a nervous breakdown for several years due to external factors. I won't go into detail but all my time and energy goes into just getting through each day. I honestly struggle to care about the state of the planet in 100 years time.

Although it's understandable to put yourself first - at the end of the day, if you care, you care.

I've gone through the worst years of my life (like a lot going on, never-ending), still caring. Even if I don't have the money to always make the most environmentally responsible choices, I still care.

Caring is free. If I hear an orphanage has burned to dust, I don't stop caring because I have hardship in my own life. I just might not have the money to donate to them.

I do care but often find it overwhelming knowing what to do for the best.

I gave food a lot of thought and I eventually decided to try and eat locally, high welfare and organic as much as possible - partly for health reasons too. I get a veggie box which also does meat and fish so that helps. Also helps with packaging. I've also just joined a local farm crop share which should help further. I've not found it increased my food costs as much as I expected, maybe because I'm not tempted by things in the supermarket as much. I have quite a lot of vegetarian recipes I use now and try to have meat 50% of the time (I know this could be better but it's better than it was!).

We have an electric car and solar panels.

We have reduced the amount we fly. We have one car now rather than two.

We used reusable terry nappies. They were fantastic!

So I'd say I do care, and I would vote for quite extreme policies to protect the environment.

On the other hand, I'm not out campaigning.

I do a little bit but certainly don’t always make decisions with it being at the forefront of my mind.
We do recycle and try and buy as much food locally and without airmiles and excess packaging. No crap welfare meat/fish.
I tried some refill shops for some things but generally found everything I tried to be a bit crap.
Don’t use the car if I can walk, try and make time to do it.
But I do fly on my holidays and I’m not prepared to give that up, I do buy more than I need in term of beauty related items and we are terrible for leaving lights on.

No

Sadly reading off these posts people don't give a fuck. It's so sad to read.

I care, so I vote for the Green Party at any and every opportunity where doing so won't let the fucking Tories in.
Due to our archaic electoral system, voting green may well let the fucking Tories in depending on the circumstances.

I used to care but then came to the conclusion that my contribution to lower carbon emissions is do minuscule in comparison to the size of the problem, it is totally futile. I’ve also changed my thinking in that now I can’t help but think that it wouldn’t be a bad thing if humans died out. The planet would recover without us.
I only have one child and she doesn’t want children so I’m unlikely to see any loved ones suffer, so yeah I guess I don’t care all that much.

Yes I do. Try really hard but I do find it’s exhausting albeit I suppose in a first world way… , plastic recycling at supermarket, send the coffee pods back via yodel, textiles recycling, send other stuff to charity,,check nothing in the weekly shop has palm oil in it (everything does) make sure all the fish is msc, don’t eat too much meat, don’t fly, buy clothes secondhand, if you have to buy new clothes, make sure they are not made out of plastic, bamboo toothbrushes, eco friendly cleaning products, don’t forget your reusable bag, and your reusable cup, make sure the veg is organic so no harmful pesticides, make the garden more bee friendly, biodegradable teabags, etc etc et

I just think the quicker humans go extinct (or very nearly, with the possible exception of those thousand year old indigenious peoples still managing to live in harmony in the most out of way places) the better.

Nature will rebound once we're gone.
Roll on the extinction of the modern consumerist human.
The quicker people consume, the quicker it will happen.

I recycle where I can, but other than that, no. What can I do?.... realistically as a small fry in Britain that accounts for small amount of emissions that contribute to climate change.

No car, holiday by train, commute by bike, small house with fairly low energy consumption (though it's old so insulation could be better). So I think that I'm doing pretty well.

I'm under no delusions that I'll make a difference though, not when Putin's war has released hundreds of millions of tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.

I’m torn.

I have 2 kids and am very careful about who I pass their clothes onto so they get most use out of them as possible. I give the paint-stained clothes to nursery to use as spares for smaller kids.

I recycle, but then I also work in utilities and I stand there wondering if the water I’m using to rinse out my yoghurt pot is worth it being recycled.

One thing that does annoy me is the amount of packaging in supermarkets. If I had some spare time and hadn’t been a sleep-deprived mess since having kids, I would give more of a shit and maybe campaign about this. Maybe time and energy is an issue for many people.

I have only flown twice in the past 4 years due to having little kids, but I will give up my holidays for no one.

Oh and now I of course drive because I need to with 2 tiny kids and work. But I didn’t have my first car until I was 27, and that was only because I moved to a town with bugger all transport between my flat and my office. If there had been a bus, I would have certainly left it later.

Yes, i care about the environment very much. I don’t give a fig about human extinction, but i worry about all the other species who are suffering as a result of our unchecked destructiveness.

To that end, husband & I don’t eat meat, reject fast fashion and general mindless, needless consumerism, and last flight we took was 6 years ago, and short. Heat pump and keep heat down, live in smallish, well insulated house, rain water catchment & also conserve water whenever possible, buy local foods when possible, eat seasonal (no one needs flown-in grapes in summer or apples all year) recycle, no pesticides, native plants in the garden, habitat for birds and other species, etc. One person’s or family’s efforts multiplied many times can make a meaningful difference.

However, even with recycling initiatives, the mountains of plastic generated everywhere are staggering, and intermittent reports about new biodegradable plastics alternatives seem to fizzle out after initially looking promising. I am convinced companies could easily find a way to more sustainable packaging, but they don’t want to. We the consumers could apply pressure via our wallets, but too many people just do not care.

I do care, and like others try to do my bit, although I know I could do better. It is deheartening however as so much comes packaged in plastic, and because I can't always buy what I want/need in my small town I do buy online. I get a lot second hand, don't drive and have never flown, have never eaten a lot of meat, and try to recycle as much as possible, but sometimes it does seem futile. Also, doing the right thing is often also the expensive thing, and people do have to be mindful of costs. There seems to be so much waste in the western world and so many people who are only concerned about themselves and their pleasure.

I despair of those who genuinely don't care.

The frustrating thing is that the government (whoever is in power) could do so much without spending anything. All they need to do is legislate and push the burden onto business.

neither the conservatives nor labour will do this though.

with relative ease they could make it compulsory for all new builds to be super insulated, triple glazed and have solar panels, rainwater catchment and sun shading and for estates to be wildlife friendly

with relative ease they could make it compulsory to super insulate your whole house and add other eco measures if you’re adding an extension.

with relative ease they could make large polluters pay additional taxes to be used directly to fund eco measures

with relative ease they could ban non recyclable food packaging and plastic shopping bags.

with relative ease they could turn off every other street lamp after 1am and require buildings to turn off lights used for advertising etc after 1am

with relative ease they could add an additional tax to imported fast fashion.

yes of course the cost of this would get passed on but then it stops people from buying as much shit. That’s a good thing and a win for the planet.

no political party has the balls though and they all suck up to either big business or the unions

I have a lot going on in my life atm and I care.
Perimenopausal, demanding, low paid nhs job, anxious teen.
I can only do so much though.
When I was a teen I cared more but oeople looked at me as though I had 3 heads as I didn't drive because of pollution.
Now I have to drive.

What people don't see is that this is making us suffer NOW. Floods, heatwaves, plastic on beaches, cost of living ( fossil fuel and grain = product of environment).
If we don't care that says we are not evolved or intelligent enough to survive.

I care A LOT and do my best to reduce what I buy, reuse what I can and recycle as much as possible.
BUT it is tedious and time consuming! The easy option is not to bother.
When I’m faced with these dilemmas I think of my little grand daughter (2) and what world she will inherit-it helps me do my best.
My biggest gripe is supermarkets-SAINSBURYS- you know who you are- we don’t eat meat often but used to buy meat there. Now the meat counter is gone and the meat is shrink wrapped in the ghastly hard plastic you used to buy scissors in that need scissors to open 🤯 so now we buy meat from WAITROSE meat counter ( infrequently) or the butcher.
Last weekend I watched a Saturday chef individually wrap about 8 pieces of beetroot in foil to bake in the oven -MADNESS.
I hope no one reads this thread and thinks oh why bother then-there are thousands of us consciously making a difference-I believe en masse this does make our world a better place.

What really annoys me is the disposable age we now live in. When I was young things were made to last, and could be repaired - I get that things are now cheaper to buy, but they end up costing more due to having to constantly be replaced. Using something for a few years and then dumping it - or most of it - just doesn't make sense.

The people saying you don't care/it would be for the best if humans go extinct, do you celebrate every time a natural disaster like the flooding in Pakistan kills thousands of people then? Because presumably that's how human extinction through climate change would mostly look, just increasing frequency of events like that.

No, it'll be shit for everyone, but I do still think it will happen. I don't think there is a lot that any of the posters on here can do about it though, however hard we try. And I do believe that the planet will heal once most/all of us have gone. I hope we don't take too many other soecies with us, but a lot have gone already due to human actions.

Most human inventions which were lauded at the time, are now seen to be very damaging in hindsight. Anyone else old enough to remember plastic being on Tomorrow's World? It was hailed as this great product that could be endlessly recycled. We can keep people living longer, but at great cost. We have all these forms of transport, and now most of us need to use it in order to keep our jobs. We are at a point, I believe, where this great big wheel is in motion and can't be stopped.

Things would fall to pieces very quickly if the things that poorly impact the environment were stopped. During lock down there were far fewer planes in the sky, which apparently (obviously) made the air cleaner very quickly, but it caused a lot of difficulties and so travel was actively pushed to help the economy.

Houses are being built miles from anywhere with little to no public transport so people have to drive. It goes on and on. The population are simply trying to live their lives around the changes that are happening whether or not they agree with them.

I think most people do care, but the small changes we are able to make just soothe our individual consciences and make us feel like we're doing something. But they're a drop in the ocean compared to what we're up against. So I care, but I'm not losing sleep over it.