Climate anxiety

[Lottie585]

I find myself looking at my newborn baby and my 2 year old and worrying about the life that they are going to lead in the face of governments who do not seem to think that more needs to be done to combat climate change. I try to reason with myself that a lot of mums in other generations may have felt that the world would fail their darling children too such as mums alive during wartime or historically when infant mortality rate was high. However, I think back to my wonderful childhood and I am fearful that my children will not have the same experiences I have been so lucky to have and worry about the state of the planet.
Am I alone?
How do others combat this feeling?

Well the climate hasn't changed much is 2 years and 9 months or so ago, all we can do is our best personally worrying won't magic it away

Will it really affect their life that much? It’s more the outdated school curriculum, cost of living, knife crime etc, what about climate change worries you?

Well the world is getting warmer and governments don't seem to be doing anything about it. From what I have read there doesn't seem to be that much time to stop the rise in degree that scientists are saying will be irreversible. On top of that the floods in Valencia which have killed 200 (plus) and the forest fires in other countries are becoming more and more common. So yes, I think extreme weather is going to have an impact on their life.

You have every right to be anxious especially with Trump being elected again.

Try and think of positive things you can do. Maybe join a local community group where you can chat to people.
There are good podcasts and news letters you can access. Climate Brink is intetesting and send out great information.
Look on social media for Leah Stokes and Zeke Hausfafather. They are realistic but not doomers.

People on Mumsnet can be a bit odd when you talk about climate change so ignore the more aggressive replies.

If you are a worrier, then you will find things to worry about - whether it’s climate change, or any of the things that @Ubugly listed.

I’m not a worrier in general so while I completely accept that climate change is happening, it doesn’t keep me awake at night. It’s pointless to worry about what I can’t control.

COP29 is about to be held in Azerbaijan of all places 🙄 that tells you how seriously the world takes it. It will be the usual farce of scientific reality meets political expediency, and nothing enforceable will come out of it. Extreme weather events & rising temperatures are soon going to lead to huge climate-driven migration, at that point we might start paying attention, not necessarily in a good way.

It would be last on my list of things to worry about.

When I was young adults worried about acid rain, nuclear bombs and the ozone layer. You worry about whatever the media is feeding you. And as pp said, a person with anxiety will always find something to worry about.

Did you not think this 2 years ago when you started having children? 😂 It's a bit late now isn't it? You've put them in this position!

You’re not alone. Climate anxiety is a completely natural and legitimate response to what we now face.

Unless the way we live in the modern world is radically overhauled extremely quickly, we are going to end up with increasingly severe weather events, and, eventually, food and water shortages, societal breakdown and an uninhabitable planet. It’s just a question of when.

But: we still live in a time when, for most of us, the climate emergency is not our overriding thought each day. We can still live a normal life. There will come a time when that isn’t the case, so I try and feel fortunate in that respect.

Personally, I’m also trying to focus on all the things that bring me joy, and (since the election - I’m going to try and keep up with this!) stay away from the news. I have to say, even in a few days it’s done wonders for my mental health.

You’re not alone though.

I wonder why people feel the need to be this cruel to someone who is anxious. What does that do for you? You just feel the need to give the OP a little kick?!

Whilst this may be true, I find it disrespectful that you feel the need to laugh at my post/ worry.

Crueler than bringing innocent children into a world that's predicted to be full of suffering for them?!

I find it helpful to write a list of things we can do about it and try to stick to it or make changes.so that way when they are older and can't believe how we've destroyed their planet we can say we tried.i think unless major changes on a global scale come in though we have little hope.
Ideas to do is-join green party,eat plant based diet,plant trees in the spaces we have,don't fly,etc.educate yourself on minimising carbon footprint and take control of what you can.
No your not alone,I'm surprised more people don't think about the climate.

Op, I understand your concern, I have a DS and giving him a life that is no less than mine has been is increasingly dfficult. But in the end, you can only control your own behaviour.

So buy a home where there is little chance of flooding. And live as close to net zero as you can.

Cycle/walk whenever possible
Don't fly
Eat & shop local
Seasonal produce
Avoid plastics
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Improve insulation, reduce heating
Vote for the political party you think will do least harm

Teach your children to do the same. If you don't make the effort, why should anyone else?

The worst thing you can do for the climate is bring more consumers into the world.

What do you mean "will it affect their life much"? Is that a serious question?

A lot of the measures are unrealistic in the UK,if you have no wind or sun,no brainer. Drax is a joke,look up the amount of wood chips used daily imported from America,it would be less pollutant to use coal. I have solar,SE UK, south facing roof,I made 1kw yesterday. We import a huge amount of electricity from Norway. I don't have a passport,try to minimise any new products, recycle, grow as much fruit and veg as I can. America, china and India, have huge amounts of coal fired power stations. When I was a child in the 50s people were freaking out about the ozone layer,we were all going to fry and die horrible deaths from radiation poisoning. As for all the countries flying thousands of miles,to sit and chat about the climate emergency, what a complete joke! The friends I have who freak out, worry about climate change.... they are the ones,who wash clothes daily, countless holidays a year,long haul,new duvets every 6 months,water always in plastic bottles, because they don't trust the tap water.

Some people are clueless as to what will happen, particularly if they don’t have a scientific / technical background.

It’s a completely rational response to the upcoming challenges ahead. The best way to manage it is to work on a project with others that helps, either in your professional life or as a volunteer.

Yes I suppose 2 years ago I was hopeful and uneducated.

There are 5.6 million businesses in the UK. More than 99% are SMEs, so statistically speaking, a number of us reading this will either be business owners or in positions of influence in a business to suggest things that could be done to improve.

To give an example, my business sells physical goods as well as services, so unsurprisingly, these generated a significant carbon footprint. A few years ago we wrote an environmental policy. Every year we revisit it to check progress and see what else we can do to improve. There have been various grants available to help, but some changes were free to implement and have actually saved the company money. The company is now almost net zero.

Having an environmental policy and a low carbon footprint puts us at a competitive advantage for tenders we bid for, so we see it all as a good investment financially, as well as for the planet.

I think this is awesome. Thank you for sharing some positivity in this thread ☺️.

I'm very worried about it. I'm married to climate change professor, so I hear a hello of a lot of worrying information. I'm also deeply concerned about many other issues. Look at the state of the world. There's so much conflict and division, even within the UK, let alone the horrors we see in other countries.
I'm scared about their future.
At the same time, I realise I am helpless. There's not much I can do to stop climate change or make the world a more peaceful, loving place. Worrying about it all the time changes nothing and makes me feel ill. Instead, I try and find joy in each day, make sure the children are having a lovely childhood and are growing into responsible and decent people, who care about others.

Some practical ideas, to follow on from the above:

See if you, in your household or business, can move to a green energy tariff. Ovo are big players here but there are others.

Minimise journeys made by car- this often requires a more wholesale lifestyle "review" - cutting down what you try and cram into the day, choosing walkable schools etc

Make your own green space whether it's a window box or garden as biodiverse as possible- yes there's No Mow May etc but you can consider what you plant too

Cut down or eliminate meat and animal products, especially beef. Going fully veggie isn't an option for everyone but cutting down to 6 days a week, then 5 etc will make a difference.

Limit flying

Look into projects such as Climate School 180 / Let's Go Zero and ask local schools to engage

Follow the 5 Rs for consumption of products - Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle

But ultimately, while we live in a world where Exxon Mobile alone emit 100 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum this is all basically a vanity project to make us feel better. Lobbying the government (or supporting organisations that do) is likely to be more impactful, though personally frustrating, deflating etc.

Good advice.

Regarding the lobbying, please write to your MP explaining your concerns. They will usually want to know what action you want them to take.

If you are a business owner, please do this as a representative of your business as it is more powerful. Explain how climate change is impacting and will impact. For example, it has already increased the cost of our business insurance premiums and restricted availability / increased costs of some raw materials. Tell them what support you need to operate more sustainably.

Thank you so much for such a positive posting and you are correct. I can only do what I can do to make sure they have a happy and enjoyable childhood.