After Covid, will we still be so worried about climate change?

[Aprilrainbow]

I am not saying that climate change is not real or is not an issue but having confronted a very immediate threat to our selves & our loved ones will climate change no longer be seen as the end of the world?

Should we still be worried about climate change? Of course we should, it hasn’t gone anywhere - just been temporarily eclipsed by what look like more pressing concerns .

Will we still be worried about climate change? That presupposes that ‘we’ were worried about it in the first place. Which I don’t think ‘we’ were tbh, and I don’t think we will be until it’s right there in front of us. Some people have been ringing an alarm bell, most people choose to ignore it for a multitude of reasons.

We should be. It’s dire and if I think too long about my DCs future in this respect I get full on anxiety symptoms. So I put it to the back of my mind, do what I can individually, support Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth and talk about to my DC and others about it and what we can do about it (not in a finger waggy way though).

The little things we do might not feel like they make a difference but if we all give up then it is much worse. Also if we do make those little changes others often feel inspired to as well in a ripple out effect. And vice versa.

The only way to climb a mountain is one small step at a time.

Wrapping paper - 10s of thousands of trees are felled each Xmas just for UK demand. Trees capture carbon and have a cooling effect. Not to mention being great for our mental and physical health. Using scarves, material scraps, and ribbon - can make a nice re-usable alternative or better still newspaper and a bright ribbon. It looks really nice believe it or not. If that’s all a step too far brown recycled paper and a bright ribbon (you can get paper ribbon) looks very classic. Using places like ‘good gifts’ and Oxfam ‘buy a farm’ type gifts, are even better - no wasted resources, money goes to where it’s needed in the world and the recipient feels good that they have done something good in the world.

Yes, I will be. And we should be. It's going to affect our children.

Of course.
It's far worse.

@Msmcc1212

I’m not sure I agree. I agree that doing the small (and ultimately ineffectual) things makes people feel good - but that’s not going to help. People need to feel bad, really really bad, before they will make the massive changes that are needed. Recycling Christmas cards and buying a bamboo toothbrush lets people off the hook (“I’ve done my bit!”) and imho makes them less willing to make the big sacrifices (no travelling, shared transport, communal housing, higher prices for - well - everything).

I’d be happy to be proved wrong and for imaginative gift wrapping and charitable giving to be enough.

’m not sure I agree. I agree that doing the small (and ultimately ineffectual) things makes people feel good - but that’s not going to help. People need to feel bad, really really bad, before they will make the massive changes that are needed. Recycling Christmas cards and buying a bamboo toothbrush lets people off the hook (“I’ve done my bit!”) and imho makes them less willing to make the big sacrifices (no travelling, shared transport, communal housing, higher prices for - well - everything).

Yup. There is that sadly. But also small steps lead to bigger steps. If you can live without X then it’s easier to learn to live without Y. Also everyone doing the small things makes it a bigger thing and sends a message to ‘the markets‘ and the Government.

However, I agree with you that it’s not enough on its own. It needs both individual action and legislation.

We have given up flying a good while ago and it still feels hard sometimes when friends are going off on exotic holidays - but I’d rather look my DC in the eye In the future and say I did what I could. I think it’s only because I have an awareness of the catastrophic consequences of inaction that keeps me going. Otherwise I would fold. So I also agree we need a degree of fear - but that can also be crippling and lead to avoidance.

It’s probably legislation that will play the biggest part - and then you need to vote in a Government that is willing to take unpopular decisions.

No simple answer I guess. If there was we’d have found it by now. In the meantime I’m going to keep making the changes I can individually and keep doing what I can to raise awareness and vote with it in mind. I’d rather something than nothing. And I have a very comfortable and happy life - no hair shirts here! 😁

Wasn't there a lot on the news during the first lockdown about how amazing lockdown was for the plant? Massive decrease in flights, cars, factories etc. When things go back to being completely normal isn't the climate change discussion going to be a little awkward? I mean there's proof of what we need to do but nobody will accept the measures needed to resolve it.

In order to tackle climate change, the “standard of living" in the developed world must drop. At the same time, we must raise the standard of living for those in the developing world. We need to meet somewhere in thd middle. Unfortunately, reducing living standards is not a vote winner, particularly as it can most efficiently done via task rises. Huge increases in VAT, fuel duty, landfill taxes etc. It won't happen though, and the technology that people think will save them is not developing fast enough.

I haven't seen much evidence that we are worried about climate change. Nothing we've done so far has been anywhere near enough to address the issue.

Far more needs to be done on climate change, but individual action can help. It's worth reading something like Sustainable-ish by Jen Gale - she doesn't preach at you but has lots of good ideas about how to live more sustainably and gradually change things.

If you don't have a green tariff for your electricity, that's an easy thing to change (if your landlord isn't in charge of it). While all electricity comes from the grid, the electricity you use is replaced from renewable sources.

It's not that difficult to drive less unless you live in the middle of nowhere. Walk to your local shop when you need a pint of milk, don't get in the car. If you have to drive your kids to school, park further away and walk a bit, reduce the air pollution around the school. And don't litter!

And don't water your lawn in the summer. It doesn't need it. Even if it has been dry, it will recover as soon as the first rains come, which they will.

I hope we will still worry about climate change.
I think climate change will make covid look like a Sunday afternoon in the park.

One thing Covid has shown is just how difficult it is to suppress the consumer. Especially the top percentage that has most impact.

Most people don't give a shit about anything that doesn't directly impact themselves, people got over-scared about coronavirus (possibly 'cos the main "excess deaths" were in overweight 50/60 year old men and people in powerful positions are over-dominated in this) After covid, people will continue to not give a shit.

Covid could have been used to improve so many things that would've reduced deaths from things other than covid including climate change - but no, everyone just redefined "safe" to mean not catching covid, and just started driving more rather than more sustainable travel.

Climate change will continue to not be cared about.

I think people worry about what's immediate. So the government told people " don't use public transport," and now the roads are worse than ever and the bus services are cut.
A lot of people want to literally live in a bubble. Stop driving everywhere, campaign for affordable joined- up public transport (and then actually bloody use it) stop buying plastic wrapped food and stop buying plastic clothing.We have much bigger fish to fry than covid, which is why I have never been able to.get over exited about it, but I am in the minority amongst people I know anyway.

Look at the holiday threads on here - the pressure to keep going as we are is so vast. And after the pandemic what would halt it?

Can we dare hope for technology to bail us out - we might have to. I do have concern for my dc’s dc and resources getting scarcer.

We need to look at harder issues too such has having children. I hold my hands up - child free by choice here and a big factor is the environment. I've been absolutely slated for that on here though.

Covid will pass. Climate change will be devastating.

Raising the living standards in the developing world will see fertility rates there fall. As has been the case historically. Fertility rates in almost all developed countries are already below the replacement rate.

NeilBuchananisBanksy

Wow. That’s amazing. So sad that this the choice that this generation have to make. And sorry to hear you have had negativity. We limited number of children but it was too much of a sacrifice for us to not have any. We decided no more than two so that were replacing ourselves and not adding more. I do feel guilty though in terms of what future DC will have 😔

MasterGland

Yes. Reducing global inequality is key. Totally agree.

Having no/fewer children is a very hard issue indeed - I've never encountered anyone who wholeheartedly wanted children/more children in every other respect but didn't for the environment. I know lots of people who smugly say they aren't having children for the environment, but who actually all have lots of other reasons they don't want them.

My particular bugbear is people who had their own children a couple of decades ago claiming they wouldn't do it now because of climate change - it's really easy to sacrifice things in theory when you've already had what you wanted...

I was never worried about it before, to be honest.

My particular bugbear is people who had their own children a couple of decades ago claiming they wouldn't do it now because of climate change - it's really easy to sacrifice things in theory when you've already had what you wanted...

Mine are young adults, and I don't think I'd have kids if I were in that position now. Not out of selflessness to save the planet, but because I think the future is precarious at best and at worst, grim.

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