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.

Most people care. But not enough to actually make meaningful changes.

I think if you ask most people they will say the environment is a big issue.

But they will still drive around in SUVs, own four dogs and take 6 flights a year because "what they do is nothing compared to Hollywood stars and their private jets".

Most people want to be seen to care about the environment (virtual signalling) and are afraid of what other people will say if they don't, but will not make the cutbacks necessary to help out.

I used to care more than I do now. I feel too much emphasis is placed on regular people to change when corporations/governments/billionaires have the power to change so much yet aren't forced to. I will wash out my tin cans, yogurt pots, put everything in the right recycling but Taylor Swift can fly her private jet wherever and whenever she wants so really how much impact am I actually having?

Separate annoyance: Primark/ASDA etc write all over their labels how their clothes are made of recycled materials but there's a massive plastic size sticker attached to them in primark and the labels are attached by those stupid fiddly plastic things.

Yes of course i care, i have children and its their future.. in fact i get really angry about it, but i'll not rant here...

I feel Sean Lock explains it all well in a way only he could.

Do I personally care, well there are so many of us we are now on a road to nowhere. Thomas Malthus was warning the world about this in the 1700’s, just too many of us.

Yes I care, but it's the sea and our rivers I care most about. I gave up eating fish some years ago, people always go on about beef, but globally fishing industries are far more damaging to our environment especially you look at the massively reduced diversity in our oceans.
The dc and I will spend weekends doing beach clean ups, and don't start me on the arseholes who leave filth behind on river banks and on the beach on a summers evening; totally selfish c*nts, who don't seem to understand it washes into the sea and damages marine life. It's heart breaking seeing dolphins and whales drowning and turtles suffocating. Cruise ships are one of the worst pollutants and cause huge damage to delicate reef structures. People hark on about flying, but again a cruise ship are every bit as bad, if not worse for the environment. We ignore our seas at our peril. Rant over!

We try but could do better, but I am sick of the lectures from people who blame the government but don't do anything to help themselves so if anyone lectures me don't be a hypocrit

Solar panels saving quote a lot on bills and income around £700 a year, insulated the loft with eight inch thick insulation panels. A good saving on bills there too. Don't to go four holidays to Costa Shag-me-senseless. Use the brown and blue and grey and purple bins.

Can't afford to do as much as I'd like, because sustainable choices often cost more, but I do what I can. Sometimes I wonder why, though. Neither of my last two lodgers appears to have grasped the basics of recycling and washing stuff out first. It's not that difficult to understand. And neither of them is stupid. Which makes me wonder how many people actually sort their recycling properly. And there are big corporations better placed to make significant changes compared to what we as individuals can do.

This 100%!
I've been out on my road recently at 6.am in my dressing gown, arguing with my farmer neighbour. He was muck spreading by spraying from the road over the hedge, it was raining and half of it was running down the road, into the culvert that joins our local stream, which flows into the river.
No wonder our local paper constantly reports dead fish and pollution.
.. and he called ME a bitch, and dont get me started on Water companies!!!

The hypocritical antics of so called "activists" blocking the M25 have caused me to stop caring as much. Together with the war. I don't breed or fly at all, or drive much. I produce a lot my own food, so my footprint is naturally low. But this is not due to being"woke" It just happens to be how I live.

I don't really believe the situation is reversible unless we had a worldwide one child mandate which obviously won't happen.

And the rubbish that is left at events by these activists who also use the latest gadgets to record it all and a lot arrive and leave by large cars

It’s interesting that a majority of people feel the same way - they do care and want to make changes but it feels pointless on a personal level.
All the small things people are doing are not pointless at all by the way, but it is a tough battle to fight. Thanks to everyone for doing the small things. When we all do them, they amount to big stuff.

If the government ever did impose a 'one child policy , ' you can bet your life it wouldn't apply to Royalty or those with oodles of money as they could pay their way out of any fines with the argument that they can afford to be ' green ' and have more than one child etc because they are far more important than everyone else.

Caring about the environment shouldn't mean sacrificing something as important as having children at a cost to your mental health. Otherwise we'd all off ourselves for the greater good if we cared that much. Don't see anything hypocritical about having 1-2. Particularly if your children grow up with your values!

Slightly ridiculous to stop caring as much about the planet, because a bunch of people blocked a road once or interrupted a train journey.

Of course I care about my local environment, and the aspects of it which affect my daily life.

Also, it’s obvious that our climate is changing, as it always has, (the Romans grew grapes in northern England, & the Victorians skated on the frozen Thames), but my view is that the hysteria about this is vastly overblown by activists with vested interests & cynical politicians who seek to use it as a pretext to tax us more, and impose more limits on our personal freedoms.

So many ‘green’ policies are in fact regressive taxes which clobber ordinary working people while benefiting the rich & powerful. ULEZ being an obvious, and egregious, example of this.

I do my best but of course as everyone relishes telling people who try, it is meaningless / pointless.

Don't often drive
Never fly
Vegan
Cloth nappies on the kids
Don't buy much new stuff
Refill shopping

@BarelyLiterate yes you put it better than the point I was trying to make, it’s the cost to the ordinary people and how charging us more is apparently the answer

Personally I do what is easy, ie recycling etc, but I really don’t give a fuck

I do care but I feel like it’s hard to do anything as a poor person.

Things that are environmentally friendly are often expensive (ie EV compared to my knackered old diesel)

I care very much about the amount of plastic and waste we produce. Even in my lifetime it's snowballed.

The state of the oceans, landfill etc horrifies me.

I do however think climate change is baloney.

It doesn’t really enter into my conscious thoughts, no. I recycle, but that’s about it.

I adopted rather than procreated though so have made a bigger impact on the environment than the majority, so I cut myself some slack that I’m not out there actively trying to make the world greener.

Yes I do. I do make choices that support the environment in general but do get things wrong or take an easy option sometimes. I hate where I think we’re headed and I hate feeling powerless.

Not really.

And I care even less when told to care by millionaires who fly around the world to conferences to try and make the plebs like me who couldn’t even afford a soggy caravan for a week in Skegness, let alone jet off around the world, feel guilty for using plastic that we have no choice in.

I don’t get a say in how companies package things and no, I won’t stop using things I like, that are the only pleasure in a shit existence, because of the packaging. So stop trying to make me feel guilty and maybe stop gallivanting on private jets.