Why is climate change not a bigger election issue?

[ChedderGorgeous]

Forget tax on private schools, it is going to be 43 degrees in Athens today, over 40 on Greek Islands in last week: huge risk of wildfires. The UK regularly floods due to unnaturally high rainfall , which gives water companies the excuse to pump raw rewage into rivers and beaches. Where is Starmer on this one ? Too busy smashing the gangs ?

I’m GC but this is just a ridiculous reach. Grow up.

She's not wrong though. "Science" now is whatever the government tells you "science" is. Its pretty much the same as religion now.

Because it’s a hoax. They blame you for the weather based on modelling and you pay them more money to fix it. Meanwhile the people pushing it are travelling around on private planes and buying up beachfront homes. The planet has always had warm and cool periods and always will. The medieval warming period was not blamed on people. Follow the money and you will find the science.

Because it's not sexy.

Oh the humanity 😱

You’re free to do your own research you know, you’re not limited to what the government says. Trust me there are plenty of GC scientists.

It's depressing how the world climate activist has become associated with Leo DiCaprio and Al Gore, and not indigenous forest dwellers protesting against deforestation in the Amazon. Not all climate activists fly around on planes. Some of them have never been in a plane.

I wonder if climate change was an issue at the Indian elections? I don't recall hearing about it. And the Chinese elections? Oh that's right they do not have them. Sorted.

People don’t care enough to change lifestyles and politicians know it.

Most people I know are still flying long haul 1-3 times per year, having 2-3 kids, eating meat, driving big cars everywhere and buying mountains of tat at Easter/Christmas etc - they claim they’re deeply concerned for the kids’ futures but their behaviour doesn’t really match that.

I don’t think anything meaningful will be done when so many aren’t willing to make any changes whatsoever but still want it all to be solved for them.

Yes the climate changes, gets warmer and cooler but humans are having an effect on it that nature can't compensate for and it is having an effect. Its not just about the weather. It affects insect populations, it affects crop growth, insect population also affects fertilisation affecting crop growth. Its not all about droughts and floods. Yes arson might start wildfires but climate change can affect how they burn and the ease of putting them out. Crucially though it does need to be outside of politics because it is too important to leave to the fickleness of politicians.

Because when China has well over a thousand coal fired power plants and are constantly building more (at a rate of two a week I think I read) it seems pointless to think we as a tiny island can have any real impact. I mean we can wring our hands over the one remaining coal fired power plant we have, but nothing we do is going to change the fact that China, the US and India are the three biggest emitters and emit almost half the world's total GHG emissions. We are a drop in the ocean.

On top of this the only ways to impact on climate change tend to cost people money or make their lives more difficult. And neither of those tend to be popular with voters. Climate change isn't currently having enough impact on people for it to figure highly on their list of priorities. Cost of living and the NHS feel much closer to home right now for the majority of people.

Well, it is puzzling that climate measures are not higher up the agenda, given that polling suggests that most people are concerned.

Until about Liz Truss, the Tories used to at least pay lip service to the importance of the climate emergency, even though they showed a marked reluctance to implement anything to the detriment of their corporate mates.

Nowadays though, climate issues have been seized upon by the extreme right- often funded and manipulated by fossil fuel companies and other polluters- and they have been dragged into the culture wars- as evinced by many PPs. I have never seen so much fatuous, clearly incorrect bilge on a Mumsnet post before- and that's saying a lot.

Rishi Sunak is obviously trying to appease the Reform nutjobs with his stupid anti Green posturing. And it seems as if Starmer has been silly enough to follow suit.

As I said upthread, it was not an issue in the Indian election. Because India and China are still trying to achieve the growth that the West had for years.

It also is not an issue in the US election as far as I know, and the US is at the top for emissions.

Because it's a load of old Beau-locks.

India does have elections but once again the guy who just formed a government is an unashamed carbon spewer. And good for his country folk, why should they follow the stupidity of western virtue signallers to makes themselves poorer. India, China and the US make up nearly half of global carbon emissions.

Because people know it would involve personal sacrifice for the greater good and that it needs to be tackled worldwide not just by the uk.

I also think green policies are long term and politics is short term

I also think the message of doom has got through and people think it's too late and messaging needs to move on to look what this has done /achieved as good stuff is happening

And the shit in the water issue is something people seem to be voting on round here.

It's a deliberate tactic to discredit.

"Ooh, only silly rich hypocrites who fly around in private jets care about climate change!"

Along with "But China..."

and "Well, just stop having children then. Gotcha, MUMSnet!"

and "The science is all made up by Bill Gates/ the WEF/ the UN", or whoever the favourite bogeyman of the month is.

It's all straight out of the Steve Bannon playbook. Carpet bomb the media with misinformation, and some of it will stick.

Those of you who are posting such bilge in good faith (and yes, we know there are others but we're not supposed to mention them 😏)- are you not embarrassed by allowing yourselves to be played like this?

Cost of living crisis - price rises last few years and stagnant wage growth many people in UK are much more concerned with daily living feeding them selves and their kids keeping a roof over their heads accessing medical treatments when needed.

It has been mention electric cars and getting rid of gas boilers - don't drive and personally would prefer public transport improvements and alternatives to gas boilers I don't think are technologically there yet or right for our wet climate.

Also there is so much green washing it's hard not to get cynical.

Plus while my council desperately trying to reach arbitrary 70% waste recycling target so it doesn't get fined people in USA living in desserts and use tumbler driers and many ordinary voters there seem bemused by talk of climate crisis - per person in USA it's CO2 16 tons per person per year while we are already down to five tonnes per person per year - we could do better but then need to do so much more.

Because when China has well over a thousand coal fired power plants and are constantly building more (at a rate of two a week I think I read) it seems pointless to think we as a tiny island can have any real impact.

And why do they have these plants? Could it be because the West’s demand for their manufacturing is so high?

On top of this the only ways to impact on climate change tend to cost people money or make their lives more difficult.

There are ways you can offset your impact on climate change that don’t cost any money at all, nor make your life more difficult. Not buying stuff you don’t truly need is a massive one. Not flying or flying less is another. If you’re able bodied then walk short journeys instead of driving. Eat less meat. All of these things add up. Individuals can make a difference.

Erm excuse me, climate change is not on India or China to sort out actually. It is Britain, who invented climate change with the Industrial Revolution who need to be the ones to pay for all the damage they have done to the world.

And you can start by paying some money to India and Bangladesh, countries who suffer immeasurably thanks to British Imperialism and capitalist technology.

But people here on MN will still have their 3 showers a day with clean towels every time 'cos it's "minging to shower every other day and re-use your towel" and still fly abroad for their holidays 'cos "it's too wet in UK" and drive their kids to school instead of walking

Your post just highlighted what a terrible situation we are in and yes big business is to blame but we're not all squeaky clean (pun intended)

Because people know it would involve personal sacrifice for the greater good and that it needs to be tackled worldwide not just by the uk.

I don't think the cost of living has left much to sacrifice. Maybe Rishi Sunak and friends could make a big personal donation "to climate" on our behalf.

Because policies which will protect the environment will mean unpopular changes for the electorate. Way more expensive air travel, petrol, electricity etc etc, for a start.

Any party who proposes to do what needs to be done will not get elected.

Very, very few people really care.

And I say this as someone who cares a great deal! This is the problem with democracy - you have to get elected.

No you don’t. You can just force it on to the people. The political class know better than the working class, that’s why they are so successful, whereas the working class still live in hovels in the north of England.

If the parties all united on Green issues and issued a statement saying that democracy means nothing in this regard because we know what’s best for the world, the people will have no choice but to suck it up and stop crying about how unfair it is that they have to stop driving to Skegness every time it’s half term. Sacrifices have to be made to save the planet.

For me climate change is the biggest issue. However I think we need to focus on what we can do ourselves as individuals. I try to recycle what I can, cook from scratch, buy minimal plastic, fly once a year, buying less but more expensive. I think government needs to do more in terms of making it easier to live a more sustainable life. I think a certain amount of waste seems to come with life now though. I am buying a new outfit for Taylor Swift for example. I went to the Greek islands last summer and there were no recycling facilities (bearing in mind you had to drink water from plastic bottles). There were huge bins everywhere filled with plastic.

Because people are more worried about what’s happening to them today rather than what might happen to them tomorrow.