So scared for my children.

[Hiker50]

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2024/may/08/hopeless-and-broken-why-the-worlds-top-climate-scientists-are-in-despair
I feel terrified for them. I just hope we can start to make some changes in the next few years.
I don’t talk to them about it but I just do end my time thinking about what I can do to try and help them in the coming years.

The Water Wars will start kicking off around 2040 if not sooner

Oh, this boring old argument again. The argument is that we should make train and bike travel possible for a lot more people by increasing services and infrastructure, not banning cars for those who really need them.

To be fair, that's happening to high streets everywhere, regardless of traffic calming.

I would assume the biggest threat is the world breeding like there is no tomorrow

That's incorrect. The world birthrate is below replacement rate, and the population is expected to start dropping once the increase in lifespan is accounted for.

Why do you think not having children is the solution to climate change?

I picked up on an interesting point on China and control of geographic waterways

Where it flows etc

India iirc

The guy was saying how key they are in terms of what happens. A good topic to read up on, but water is a biggie

Quite possibly the most selfish, narcissistic post in MN history. You don't deserve any of the benefits that go along with civilised society.

I didn’t say it was the solution. I think you have me confused with someone else. I asked why someone would have children if they were worried about the future, but this didn’t go down well for some unknown reason.

Actually we've reached 1.5°C this last twelve months, current predictions are 1.5°C to 3°C with the most likely outcome somewhere in the middle.

Looking at bounce back post pandemic I think it’s pretty hard to convince on lifestyle change, although I have changed some behaviour

What are your thoughts on birth rate? Do you have an ideal level in mind?

The problem is places like India and china cant/wont stop. Whats the point in giving up things we enjoy (fast cars and nice holidays for one) when it's likely to have very little effect.

India & China making plastic tat for the west.

No one needs a fast car when the speed limit is 70. Nice holidays do t need flight.

@bakewellbride Absolute, complete garbage. I'm sure you are well intentioned but the biggest cause of CO2 equivalent emissions is burning fossil fuels.

Spreading blatant misinformation (whataboutism) is one of the most serious factors behind the discourses of climate delay. https://climate.leeds.ac.uk/news/discourses-of-delay-arguments-used-to-avoid-climate-action/

As I say up thread education is the most important single factor in fighting climate change. Please look at some of the links I posted.

So let's be clear emissions from livestock and manure 5.8%, emissions from energy 73%. Eating less intensively reared meat is a good thing but claiming it's the biggest factor by "a million miles" is just plain wrong.

Fugitive emissions from flaring and gas leaks equal 5.8%! The same as animal agriculture.

@Hiker50 you'll find a lot of people just make stuff up to suit their agendas - some well meaning, some less so.

More misinformation:

In 2022, China installed roughly as much solar capacity as the rest of the world combined, then doubled additional solar in 2023

Consumption based pet capita emissions in China are less than those in the UK, in India they are roughly 2/3rds. You're throwing stones in a very fragile greenhouse.

Apologies.

Re birth rate.

This is predicated on two things, the first is that we do nothing to reduce per capita emissions world wide, in which case obviously more people = more emissions. However every single country with any credence has committed to carbon reductions, most, including China and India, have also made net zero commitments. https://eciu.net/netzerotracker This completely defeats this element of the argument for population reduction.

The second is a really dodgy report commissioned by the otherwise very well respected Climate Disclosure Project (CDP). The report allocated emissions from individuals descendants, for something 20 generations, to the individuals alive today. This goes against every carbon accounting procedure (which CDP were instrumental in drawing up). Again it assumes "business as normal" i.e. no per capita emissions reductions. Which undermines all the assumptions it's based on. I've tried to find the report just now but it seems to have been taken down, although no doubt the alarmist headlines are still out there in the media.

A similar report concluded that twenty companies (or at least very few) were responsible for 90% of global emissions. However this allocated all the emissions from e.g. you running your car to BP or Shell. Again this is ridiculous as it absolves individuals, companies and other organisations of any responsibility. Makes great headlines though!

Far too many poor reports are just looking to generate headlines, what they seem to have in common is miss-allocation of emission scopes, i.e. scope 3 as scope 1, and an assumption of "business as normal" with no per capita reductions in emissions.

Generally the reporting on climate change is really really poor. It's a really complex subject with many many feedback loops and interlinked mechanisms but basically:

We need to stop burning fossil fuels!

Link to scopes here

@Hiker50 great positive podcasts Radio 4 39 Ways to Save the Planet (I'm in absolute awe of the mine shaft battery!)

Why do you make stuff up? Doesn't it occur to you fact check your self?

In 2022, China installed roughly as much solar capacity as the rest of the world combined, then doubled additional solar in 2023

I feel (I truly hope I am absolutely wrong) unfortunately nothing will change dramatically until there is a climate event that kills or displaces a lot of people in a developed nation. Whilst only the 3rd world and poor are impacted, people will have little motivation to act. Sadly that is the state of the world we live in.

Proper far reaching action will come too late only when something shocking beyond comprehension occurs.

Climate change and the degradation of society we’re seeing in general at the moment is depressing, the world the children inherit is going to be harsh unless the status quo shifts sooner rather than later.

OP have you heard Climate of Change? It's on audible.

It's a podcast with Cate Blanchett outlining some of the good news on the topic of climate change. It really helped my climate anxiety. It's never going to completely alleviate it as as an individual we're pretty powerless. But it helped!

Things HAVE changed dramatically. The changes that have occurred over the past 10 years are utterly astounding. The predictions are so much better than they were 10 years ago. There is much to do, but do much has been done.

Usually throughout history there are huge wars, or illnesses that reset. Now we have vaccinations for pandemics and the next major resetting war is unfortunately likely to do more harm to the climate than benefit it. And if it doesn't, we won't be around to reap the benefits.

This is my thought too. I can't worry about climate change when we are actually in the middle of another massive arms race / Cold War that might well turn hot. For me, this should be the priority in terms of worrying about the future because there's no point doing all we can for the climate if it ends up marred by a load of explosions etc anyway (eg look, as one example, at the devastating impact on the dolphin population in the Black Sea as a result of Russia's war against Ukraine). War also means no cooperation between the big players on climate, which is what we'd need. I can't believe what a big blind spot this seems to be.

👏👏👏 well said! This is exactly where I am in my thinking.

Glad it's not just me!

What difference does it make that they are in their late teens.

Me and DH decided over 40 years ago not to have children because of climate change, over population etc.

It's been obvious for years that the future is going to be pretty bleak and I am thankful every day that we did not bring children into this world