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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To feel really worried about climate change in this heatwave

565 replies

Fulbe · 23/06/2026 22:28

This heatwave has been caused by climate change but there seems to be hardly any discussion about this at all. It seems that people are focused so much on getting air con or massive paddling/ swimming pools without thinking how that might be actually contributing to the problem. People outside the school gates idling their engines to keep their air con turned on whilst creating more pollution.

I think I remember reading somewhere that we've released 6 million years' worth of CO2 in the past 150 years. Something needs to stop but consumption and car use seem to be increasing.

Am I the only one to be concerned about this and that we're just slipping into a future of more dangerous heatwaves?

OP posts:
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Lemonsqueezer12 · 24/06/2026 16:39

Thalafor · 24/06/2026 16:28

But they enjoyed it. They made good memories and had fun.

Of course everyone enjoys holidays and consumerism. That is why I am firmly a climate change accepter. It is going to happen the human race is inherently too selfish to do anything about it.

We just need to adapt. It is gets bad enough to cause a extinction event it with the six in the planets history so hardly special.

Whyohwhy1973 · 24/06/2026 16:40

Fulbe · 23/06/2026 22:28

This heatwave has been caused by climate change but there seems to be hardly any discussion about this at all. It seems that people are focused so much on getting air con or massive paddling/ swimming pools without thinking how that might be actually contributing to the problem. People outside the school gates idling their engines to keep their air con turned on whilst creating more pollution.

I think I remember reading somewhere that we've released 6 million years' worth of CO2 in the past 150 years. Something needs to stop but consumption and car use seem to be increasing.

Am I the only one to be concerned about this and that we're just slipping into a future of more dangerous heatwaves?

I can see that there are well over 100 replies to your post but I've not read beyond your op and you asking if you're the only one concerned. There are several billion people on this planet and you're asking if you're the only one concerned. What do you think? The mind boggles.

cloudtreecarpet · 24/06/2026 16:44

GooseberryPi · 24/06/2026 07:36

I'm sure your children will be thankful to be given that responsibility...

Another daft comment!
If any of our ancestors had decided not to have children when the plague was rife, when our country was being invaded, when wars were raging then none of us would be here typing comments on a forum.

Just stopping having children isn't the answer, how could it be? What, we just all stop having children and then the oldest person left turns the lights out?

It just makes no sense.

6ate9 · 24/06/2026 16:46

cloudtreecarpet · 24/06/2026 16:44

Another daft comment!
If any of our ancestors had decided not to have children when the plague was rife, when our country was being invaded, when wars were raging then none of us would be here typing comments on a forum.

Just stopping having children isn't the answer, how could it be? What, we just all stop having children and then the oldest person left turns the lights out?

It just makes no sense.

Why doesn’t it make no sense? I keep saying it, humans have caused nearly all the damage on the planet. We are the problem!!!! The planet and wildlife would thrive without us.

Thalafor · 24/06/2026 16:54

What do people expect to happen with the environment? Everything we do causes some pollution? Do you just want to exist like a wild animal?

GasPanic · 24/06/2026 17:42

One of the advantages of climate change is surely that we don't need to go on holiday and generate loads of CO2 to get decent weather any more.

35C right on the doorstep.

lovecotswoldsliving · 24/06/2026 17:45

GasPanic · 24/06/2026 17:42

One of the advantages of climate change is surely that we don't need to go on holiday and generate loads of CO2 to get decent weather any more.

35C right on the doorstep.

Great. So stuck on the motorway for hours on end, no parking spaces and jam packed beaches.
We don’t have the capacity. And there are more people coming to live here every year.

38thparallel · 24/06/2026 18:08

my guess is because a lot of middle class Mumsnetters have them. Wood burners and open fires.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Labour government banned them. We have no heating upstairs and light the fire in our bedroom early in the morning in cold weather. I would be sorry to goodbye to that and to the fire in the sitting room in winter.

Mischance · 24/06/2026 18:15

Thalafor · 24/06/2026 15:19

The planet will be fine. Stop overreacting. It's just a plane journey. Same plane journey she'd be taking if she's on holiday.

If she doesn't see anything interesting, she seems to be a bit boring. The evenings exist, she can go out and see some nice restaurants and/or the sites. She can go for an evening walk.

Not an overreaction at all.
As long as we wash our hands of responsibilty as individuals and fail to see that it is the cumulative effect of individual actions that matter then the planet will be a difficult place for our children and grandchildren in times to come.
You may feel happy to wash your hands of it and act in pure self interest, but others recognise our responsibilities.

Thalafor · 24/06/2026 18:32

Mischance · 24/06/2026 18:15

Not an overreaction at all.
As long as we wash our hands of responsibilty as individuals and fail to see that it is the cumulative effect of individual actions that matter then the planet will be a difficult place for our children and grandchildren in times to come.
You may feel happy to wash your hands of it and act in pure self interest, but others recognise our responsibilities.

Going on holiday to Italy soon. Will be flying there. I feel no guilt.

igelkott2026 · 24/06/2026 18:39

Lemonbiscoff · 23/06/2026 22:32

I’m worried about it, but there’s no point because anything our country does it a drop in the vast ocean. When the time comes, humans will either adapt or be taken care of permanently by Mother Nature.

We could improve things here though. Adapt houses, make sure everywhere has aircon, that we use renewables and combat air pollution. Build cycle lanes, invest in railways etc

We can't do anything about the wider global issue while we have the willy wavers and tech bros in charge though.

iloveanearlynight · 24/06/2026 18:40

Marzbars · 23/06/2026 23:24

I don't know why everyone is moaning. Its lovely. I hope we have a whole summer of it.

Utterly, utterly thick as mince.

Youdontseehow · 24/06/2026 19:01

EvangelicalAboutButteredToast · 24/06/2026 10:42

But that is deeply unkind of you to advise your kids not to have children, when all of the generations before them were allowed to have the experience of raising their children.

My octogenarian mother asked me to be REALLY truthful the other day and asked me if I know what I know now, would I have had children? How on earth can I answer that one as my kids have made my life have meaning and they are the absolute light of my life (mostly 😬). I would have missed out on a pivotal aspect of my life by not having them yet of course I worry they are going to have a tumultuous time. I would never suggest they don’t have children though. That’s cruel.

Edited

I disagree. I think it’s cruel to bring DC into a world that is on the verge of disaster. My future DGC are not born yet so I don’t need to worry about them. But I do worry about my DC and how they would cope if for example, they (or their future DC) were forcibly conscripted to fight a senseless war. Or if AI meant there were so few jobs they couldn’t make ends meet. Or if we lived in a country where women’s and girls rights were completely eroded. Or if there was continual/significant social unrest/civil war. Or if global warming meant less and less food and water. Or if uncontrolled migration completely changed the fabric of British life beyond recognition. I wouldn’t want to put those I loved through that.

LightningTree · 24/06/2026 19:04

YANBU, however I would avoid quoting misleading statistics, like the “millions of years” misconception, as it just gives ammunition to the climate deniers.

cloudtreecarpet · 24/06/2026 19:04

6ate9 · 24/06/2026 16:46

Why doesn’t it make no sense? I keep saying it, humans have caused nearly all the damage on the planet. We are the problem!!!! The planet and wildlife would thrive without us.

Ok so shall we just organise a mass suicide then and all give up at the same time, that would be quicker than waiting for everyone to stop having children. I am sure you will say that's a silly comment but it's no sillier than yours.

Yes we are the problem but we could also be the solution.

6ate9 · 24/06/2026 19:11

cloudtreecarpet · 24/06/2026 19:04

Ok so shall we just organise a mass suicide then and all give up at the same time, that would be quicker than waiting for everyone to stop having children. I am sure you will say that's a silly comment but it's no sillier than yours.

Yes we are the problem but we could also be the solution.

We are the problem but not the solution, as we are ALL too selfish and don’t care ENOUGH!!!

Not mass suicide but Voluntary Human Extinction. Everyone stops having children and we die out naturally.

likelysuspect · 24/06/2026 19:14

GasPanic · 24/06/2026 17:42

One of the advantages of climate change is surely that we don't need to go on holiday and generate loads of CO2 to get decent weather any more.

35C right on the doorstep.

I was just thinking that. My OH is getting more fed up of airports over time and is starting to resist holidays abroad. All our holidays this year are in the UK, I might do the same next year too.

likelysuspect · 24/06/2026 19:14

likelysuspect · 24/06/2026 19:14

I was just thinking that. My OH is getting more fed up of airports over time and is starting to resist holidays abroad. All our holidays this year are in the UK, I might do the same next year too.

Oh actually I forgot we went to Spain earlier in the year, but all the others we've had this year and the rest we have booked are UK based.

MichaelmasDaisiesAndAutumSunset · 24/06/2026 19:20

Fulbe · 23/06/2026 22:55

Yes absolutely you need everything you can do to feel comfortable. Wishing you the best of luck.

I just really hate people saying it needs to be installed in all schools and offices rather than considering lower energy adaptations to buildings like shutters. Someone said to me it's like robbing from Peter to pay Paul.

OK, so I happen to agree with you that the PP should do what she needs. But who appointed you the comfort police? Heavily pregnant women - can they use aircon: yes or no? The very elderly? People with sensory issues? The very fat? For what categories of people is their comfort more important than the absolute urgency of climate change?

You'd better draw up a list for us all to follow.

The sort of panic that your post (and many, many others on this thread) contains is, frankly, moronic. If it's too late there's fuck all point in hand wringing and bemoaning the decisions one's children will have to make (I mean, you actually had children? Talk about being part of the problem ...) Also, you're making this thread in the middle of a heatwave rather suggests that you are less concerned when it isn't directly affecting you. The sensible approach is to devote resources to future-proofing ourselves for the changes and to push for regulatory and other changes to support living with the anticipated conditions (e.g., I have lived in two new build properties. There need to be changes so that there is sufficient ventilation/cooling/heat dispersal required, just for a starter).

But there is a further point, that you can never make without being accused of being a climate change denier. So before making this point I want to say I absolutely know climate change exists, I absolutely know that some/much/all of that is human induced. The point: this area of science has been so badly politicised that it no longer amounts to science. For example, the NEB film linked above might contain many true facts, it might contain science but it is being driven by activism. Activism is not objective, and so I completely distrust any presentation of scientific information made in the name of such. When scientists become activists, they become dangerous scientists. As a scientist you cannot want or believe in a particular outcome. It is fatal. Of course, the other side are roughly twice as bad, so how do we get reliable information? I am capable (having previously been a scientist) of understanding the source material and papers, but I also severely distrust them because of the politicisation of this (and other areas too); what is not always apparent is whether it is "good" science.

The NEB film is designed to be like a "wartime" briefing, to induce urgency. But that completely misrepresents the position. It suggests that there is an urgency. If it is too late - as above - there is no urgency. Running round like headless chickens will just mean we're running around when it kills us all. If it's not, or if we can mitigate the changes by changing how we live (either reducing our impact on the climate so it "swings back" - if that's possible, I don't know - or adapting so that we can live with those conditions), then to suggest that we need to panic is also stupid. This isn't a war. We can't change it in a matter of years. We can't change it without global agreement on what that looks like. It is turning the proverbial super-tanker. So it's just as pointless to suggest it is urgent; nothing can be done "urgently". We have apparently already passed three "tipping points": increase in sea temperatures of 1.5*C - which means coral reefs will continue to bleach and die; irreversible destabilisation of polar ice sheets and abrupt permafrost thaw. This is anticipated to result in significant increase in sea levels. But if scientists are right about the effects of these things (which they may not be - they are predicting, but they probably are) the urgency is not to stop or reverse global warming (apparently possible, but on a timescale of many, many, many, many human lifetimes), not to stop people flying over Europe, but to prepare for the changes in living conditions, while seeking carbon reduction/removal on a long-term and huge scale.

Posts like this, and frankly the NEB video, are completely pointless. It's shit, but destroying science by politicising it, running round like headless chickens panicking when we feel uncomfortable in the heat is a completely irrational response. Lobby government for a (better) plan to deal with the effects of "locked in" climate change in the short to mid term and to finance the best scientists they can lay their hands on (you know, the ones who want to get it right more than they want to use it to support their perspective or political views) to look at carbon removal and other methods of restoring some balance, taking into account that hysteresis may mean we never get back to where we were.

Flamingojune · 24/06/2026 19:22

lovecotswoldsliving · 24/06/2026 17:45

Great. So stuck on the motorway for hours on end, no parking spaces and jam packed beaches.
We don’t have the capacity. And there are more people coming to live here every year.

So where you go on holiday abroad is quiet?

lovecotswoldsliving · 24/06/2026 19:24

Flamingojune · 24/06/2026 19:22

So where you go on holiday abroad is quiet?

Absolutely.
this year we are returning to a small Adults Only hotel in Corfu.
Its quiet, the staff are wonderful and I can’t wait.

Flamingojune · 24/06/2026 19:26

lovecotswoldsliving · 24/06/2026 19:24

Absolutely.
this year we are returning to a small Adults Only hotel in Corfu.
Its quiet, the staff are wonderful and I can’t wait.

There are adult only hotels in the uk

KatiePricesKnickers · 24/06/2026 19:40

lovecotswoldsliving · 24/06/2026 19:24

Absolutely.
this year we are returning to a small Adults Only hotel in Corfu.
Its quiet, the staff are wonderful and I can’t wait.

It will take you 10 hours to get there, and the same back.
Hardly a saving in traffic over going to a hotel anywhere in the UK.

Lemonsqueezer12 · 24/06/2026 19:43

Youdontseehow · 24/06/2026 19:01

I disagree. I think it’s cruel to bring DC into a world that is on the verge of disaster. My future DGC are not born yet so I don’t need to worry about them. But I do worry about my DC and how they would cope if for example, they (or their future DC) were forcibly conscripted to fight a senseless war. Or if AI meant there were so few jobs they couldn’t make ends meet. Or if we lived in a country where women’s and girls rights were completely eroded. Or if there was continual/significant social unrest/civil war. Or if global warming meant less and less food and water. Or if uncontrolled migration completely changed the fabric of British life beyond recognition. I wouldn’t want to put those I loved through that.

It's only really the last 75 years or so that have meet that criteria - a mere blip of general peacefulness in human history.

likelysuspect · 24/06/2026 19:59

This news special they've just had on has ended with a load of people saying how much they're loving having hot weather in the UK for a change!!