To resent the cognitive dissonance that exists around climate change

[JacquesHarlow]

Let’s be real - will anything get better when folk’s priorities are usually about themselves?

Let me explain my rather emotional opening point.

There’s been lots of news this week unsurprisingly about how we had the hottest year on record last year. The last 10 years have been the hottest on record. Wildfires, floods, you name it - the earth is changing.

Yet here in the temperate, largely rainy UK, many people I see around me are very happy to have their head in the sand, while also bizarrely choosing just one or two lines of attack on the climate crisis to shame others.

One of the parents i know has an electric car. It’s nice, I’m happy for them. They also take at least five flight a year. They have three children.

Yet if you hear them talk about diesel cars… it’s as if the owners are personally killing everyone around them.

Now don’t get me wrong. Emissions locally are important, the air our kids breathe is important. that might be a focus.

However you see it in the choice of car journeys over trains, of large SUVs over a normal family car like a Golf.

The latter particularly grates. We have a huge climate crisis. Yet Joanna or Nicola has to have a Discovery Sport for her three kids because she needs to sit high up, it’s easier to load them in, and she worries about crash worthiness.

The history books will show that rather than looking up and out for each other, we’re actually turning more inwards. Our own personal economy will always triumph over needing to protect others. If I’m able to pay £400 a month PCP on a Dispcvery Sport, then “I’ll protect my family over anything”, even though the entire thought process is irrational.

We need to take fewer flights and more rail journeys. working from home should mean more walking to school as the commute has gone. instead we’re seeing more car journeys. More flights. More large purchases; throwaway electronics; fast fashion.

AIBU to think there’s a lot of cognitive dissonance and head in the sand about climate change in the UK, and spending power (and the choices it unlocks) is king?

OP YABU,

Nothing short of returning to a premodern lifestyle is going to fix the issue of climate change. And it's probably too late anyway. Its simply not going to happen.

I feel bad driving my kids to their childminder and school because it's not thaaaat far and we could cycle (too far to walk) BUT lots of angry bike hating drivers make me feel like I'd be stupid to put my kids in harms way for the sake of cycling over driving. Id love one of those cargo bikes that they have lots of in the Netherlands. No public transport, so it's drive or walk or cycle.

I don't have a car and we are veggie.

Carbon footprints in the UK are far, far higher than those of people in India or the African countries. I do my bit.

I think its easy for some people critise and pretend like they are doing the work while others can't be bothered. I could sit on my high horse but my choices are mainly driven by economics, I use second hand electronics, buy second hand furniture, buy clothes from the charity shop, don't fly very much, have a second hand electric car, don't really buy random stuff, don't over buy food, don't eat meat(because I don't like it). I haven't looked into my carbon footprint but I'm guessing it's pretty low. If I had more money would I be less likely to buy everything second hand and buy more things on a whim? I'm not sure so I try not to judge those who do.

I thought I would share wikis entry in the light/bright/dark greens typology, which I find very interesting. You might too OP

Dark greens, light greens and bright greens
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Alex Steffen describes contemporary environmentalists as being split into three groups, dark, light, and bright greens.[10]
Light Green
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Light greens see protecting the environment first and foremost as a personal responsibility. They fall into the transformational activist end of the spectrum, but light greens do not emphasize environmentalism as a distinct political ideology, or even seek fundamental political reform. Instead, they often focus on environmentalism as a lifestyle choice.[10] The motto "Green is the new black" sums up this way of thinking, for many.[11] This is different from the term lite green, which some environmentalists use to describe products or practices they believe are greenwashing, those products and practices which pretend to achieve more change than they actually do (if any).
Dark Green
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In contrast, dark greens believe that environmental problems are an inherent part of industrialized, capitalist civilization, and seek radical political change. Dark greens believe that currently and historically dominant modes of societal organization inevitably lead to consumerism, overconsumption, waste, alienation from nature and resource depletion. Dark greens claim this is caused by the emphasis on economic growth that exists within all existing ideologies, a tendency sometimes referred to as growth mania. The dark green brand of environmentalism is associated with ideas of ecocentrism, deep ecology, degrowth, anti-consumerism, post-materialism, holism, the Gaia hypothesis of James Lovelock, and sometimes a support for a reduction in human numbers and/or a relinquishment of technology to reduce humanity's effect on the biosphere.
Contrast between Light Green and Dark Green
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In The Song of the Earth, Jonathan Bate notes that there are typically significant divisions within environmental theory. He identifies one group as “light Greens” or “environmentalists,” who view environmental protection primarily as a personal responsibility. The other group, termed “dark Greens” or “deep ecologists,” believes that environmental issues are fundamentally tied to industrialized civilization and advocate for radical political changes. This distinction can be summarized as “Know Technology” versus “No Technology” (Suresh Frederick in Ecocriticism: Paradigms and Praxis).
Bright Green
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More recently, bright greens emerged as a group of environmentalists who believe that radical changes are needed in the economic and political operation of society in order to make it sustainable, but that better designs, new technologies and more widely distributed social innovations are the means to make those changes—and that society can neither stop nor protest its way to sustainability.[12] As Ross Robertson writes,
[B]right green environmentalism is less about the problems and limitations we need to overcome than the "tools, models, and ideas" that already exist for overcoming them. It forgoes the bleakness of protest and dissent for the energizing confidence of constructive solutions.[9]
Some have included open source technology as part of this new approach.[13][14][15]

Individuals will not make choices that are best for society, they choose what is best for themselves. Generally, of course there are exceptions.

thats why change has to be decided on by society as a whole and enforced. People don’t like the thought of banning things or taxing things but those are the 2 main weapons we have.

This raises an interesting thought. Would “we” say overall that the cost of people cycling or walking in terms of a higher risk and a few more injuries and deaths is worth paying for reducing climate change?

clearly no one is going to choose that cost for themselves but maybe overall it’s one “we” should take?

I don't have a car and I'm vegetarian but I'd never judge others including those with massive SUVs. I don't buy endless crap made in China but only because I can afford not to. I also take over 40 flights a year for business and pleasure and no, I don't feel guilty nor do I believe that me changing my behaviour will make any difference in the grand scheme of things and even if it did I wouldn't be willing to stop flying. I believe climate change is a real issue but it's also very complex and nuanced, and unlikely to ever be solved / reversed in our lifetimes sadly. We can't turn back the clock and small sacrifices at an individual level won't have much, if any, impact, so let people live their lives in the meantime. Yes, people are inherently selfish and put their own families first, myself included, but it's naive to think that will change or that you yourself are not guilty of it.

Something that's getting my goat at the moment on these cold frosty mornings is seeing people drench their cars in de-icer, then sit inside with the engine running till it's cleared. Where do they think all the chemicals end up. And the empty aerosols. Lazy buggers.
I know this thread is rather more highbrow than my moans but it seemed more appropriate to rant here than elsewhere.
OK, rant over.

I have read 2 books by experts, about climate change. How many minerals mined in the production of electricity vehicles. I do my best. We have solar panels, grow a lot of our own fruit and veg,used to have chicken,no passport last holiday almost 17 years ago. Clothes vinted or practically vintage,trench Mac and camel jacket over 40 years old. A great deal of our furniture came from charity shops.washing machine full load only, mainly cold wash,dried outside. The friends I have who bleat most are the ones with new cars, every couple of years , several holidays a year,long haul. I think most people in the UK would severely doubt that last year was the hottest on record! I remember in the 60s, no rain for 3 months,water to homes turned off,you had to go and collect it! Agree about the US,, India china, we're happy to get fossil from these countries. If you kill off the cows, what happens to the farmers, they cannot all go over to arrible. They don't actually cause much methane. We can see a wind farm,no wind they are not moving, heavy winds turned off.man will adapt,there's been ice ages in the past..

In my view the earth will manage. It will correct what we are doing. Population reduction will happen naturally, we are already sicker as we poisoned our food chains and environment. Fertility issues are increaaing...

Humanity will probably end itself and climate will recover.

That's not what cognitive dissonance is. It's the opposite in fact. People generally don't feel discomfort over their hypocrisy because they don't see it.

Tbh it's a bit hard to care on an individual level when businesses, factories, some cities, etc don't give a fuck. Me walking to the shop instead of driving does nothing against the carbon footprint these places continue to cause. I feel the same way when people try to make it my responsibility to give to charity when there are businesses and billionaires out there giving fuck all.

Is there really a climate crisis? i say that with tongue in cheek!

In Europe, indeed the world, we are building for far more travel by plane, TV shows show us the wealthy travelling to far away places, encouraging us to all go there, Prince Charles on one hand says we must all be "Green" but travels all over the world, with his entourage.

Last night alone, new holiday series on the Med and the Seychelles, celebs having a jolly.
Doubtless a new attenborough program will share the secrets of yet another place no one had heard off, which we'll all want to go and wreck, sorry, visit.

Sports teams do like wise, constantly jetting around the world....

But apparently we can all avert disaster by scrapping our diesel cars, buying a Tesla etc & the poor can travel by a bus fueled by bio diesel or gas, produced by digging up the Amazon rain forest, well actually the poor cannot, as bus prices have increased beyond their means to pay for them.

Great post and I totally agree. Governments have to make and enforce change. It’s unrealistic to expect individuals to do this in a way that makes a difference, especially when the benefits may seem distant.

But the short-term thinking created by the election cycle means no government will ever make the necessary, unpopular changes.

I haven't eaten meat for almost 50 years.oddly enough,as a child in the 50s 60s my late father wouldn't allow aerosols because he said we were damaging the ozone layer and would all fry from radiation poisoning. Perhaps if we had left the hole, the greenhouse gases could have escaped!

Most peoples thinking is not very joined up and the political will is not there because implementing the policies necessary to make a difference will be extremely unpopular.

For example the person in the street thinks they are being a great environmentalist by putting yogurt pots in the recycling, but what is really causing climate change are things like heating your house to 20C 24/7 and going on holiday which produces masses of CO2. Neither of which people are willing to cut down on.

If the government did really want to tackle climate change it would probably introduce higher flight taxes and more taxes on energy bills. At which point people would probably scream "holiday tax" and the government would probably promptly get voted out of office.

Climate change is going to hit us whatever. Because reorganising our lifestyles in time just can't be managed politically.

People selling their disco sports and getting an electric car won't help the environment. Using that disco sport until it dies, then getting a new car is better overall.

Walking to school rather than driving is better.

While electric cars are better for emissions at point if use... where is that electricity coming from? Is the power station itself as green as possible?

I agree with you both.

The short term thinking from governments, allied to the obsession with conspicuous consumption we're seeing in this century, means that no political party wants to be remembered as the one who killed the car industry by taxing SUVs out of existence as a choice, or the one who made rail travel free but killed people's ability to exist in a low tax environment or whatever.

I wouldn't choose that cost for anyone (kids on bikes getting injured or killed by drivers on busy roads) - and I suspect most people feel the same.

A more palatable cost would be to spend money on better public transport, safe bike lanes and so on.

I have just given up because I feel that me buying second hand clothes on eBay and walking to work is a drop in the ocean compared to what factories are doing across the world. And it pisses me off that I try and then other people don't give shit and just carry on guilt free. I think the brain boxes of the world need to get together to find a solution instead of fossil fuels and plastic.

Cognitive dissonance is very real. Most people say they are doing their bit as they recycle and how many people scoffed at Bojo when he said the best thing was not to create the waste in the first place. Most People will do the bits they would do anyway and potentially a little extra like taking plastic bags to the supermarket. Just like we banned plastic straws and cotton buds and hey presto that sorted it

We are a so called nation of animal lovers but we eat animals and their products. People want to believe that animals have a great life and are humanely killed but won’t watch how that is done or look at the conditions a lot of these animals live in. But they love animals so much whilst eating a battery chicken sandwich.

Agree with posters mentioning China, there is absolutely no point in us doing anything until they sort themselves out. No point at all.

Please Don't give up because every little fraction of a degree shaved off temperature rises really matters

And every person who normalises low carbon living will be moving society towards a low carbon future - the more people live low carbon lives the more government, business and your neighbours will be influenced

Yes the cognitive dissonance is huge. The willingness to pretend nothing unusual is happening.

But people fro need more help and support to know what to do and how to do it

Such a strange thing though that many of the best climate saving actions - eat less meat and walk more - don't just benefit the climate but make people happier and healthier and wealthier ... argh .. short and long term gains

the reason China has such a high footprint is because we keep buying stuff from China and we want it cheap not green

Don't pass the buck

YANBU at all OP. "Oh, it's OK for me to take 10 flights a year because I recycle." "Oh, I neeed a SUV because I like sitting higher up"

Then the defensiveness starts, and the bullshit justifications, and all the "Well, if you have children you can't lecture anyone about climate change actually. Gotcha!!" 🙄