[Politics] 3rd July 2023 - Hottest day since records began - what to do about climate change?

[Cornwallboy]

Do nothing. Enjoy the milder winters and hot summers (last summer was awesome). We've got this far and survived and we will survive 'climate change' as well. Many go on about it but happily drive a car everyday, use CH and go on foreign holidays.

 

[Pavilionaire]

The only meaningful impact humans can have on reversing climate change is for the various global trading blocs to sign up up to it and stick with their pledges.

Unfortunately, we are now out of the EU so not in that regional bloc and we wield no influence over them. It matters little whether we row back on our pledges or if we become a paragon of virtue and achieve UK net zero within a decade, because we are out on our own, a mere drop in the ocean.

The fact sewage emissions have been so bad immediately since we've come out of the EU signals the direction of travel we've been going under the Tories. There is a world where the UK could have led the EU in slashing its emissions, and gained back respect in doing so. Now, if we push harder than them on climate change it will likely put us at an economic disadvantage without having a meaningful impact on the climate overall.

 

[Dibdab]

Climate change is going to be the shock tool that governments and the WEF use to impose totalitarian change on the world. Kiss goodbye to your freedoms of travel, food choice, energy availability, independence, what you can grow, and where you can live. It's all being said in plain sight.

 

[nicko31]

Climate change is going to be the shock tool that governments and the WEF use to impose totalitarian change on the world. Kiss goodbye to your freedoms of travel, food choice, energy availability, independence, what you can grow, and where you can live. It's all being said in plain sight.

Freedoms of travel, food choice and where you can live, we don't need climate change Brexit has already ticked these boxes

 

[Lenny Rider]

China is leaving us in the rear view mirror, what's more without them we'll find to hard to make the transition ourselves.

In the rear view mirror, economically or environmentally?

 

[Lenny Rider]

Climate change is going to be the shock tool that governments and the WEF use to impose totalitarian change on the world. Kiss goodbye to your freedoms of travel, food choice, energy availability, independence, what you can grow, and where you can live. It's all being said in plain sight.

Not forgetting the cashless society. Once they have that, they have complete control.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

I can confirm that the 3rd July 2023 here in South Wales was nowhere near the hottest day this summer, let alone the hottest day since records began.

Nor here in West Sussex, but l guess that isn't the point of the thread.

 

[worthingseagull123]

the obvious answer is to have the emergency stop, end all use of fossil fuels. this will bring about close down of most the economy, but if thats necessary then thats what's needed. could go with high carbon taxes, just allow the middle classes and rich to carry on, while making cost of living crisis look mundane. or we could go the carbon capture route, not seeming to be taken that seriously. everything else is just pretending to deal with the issue.

How many hundreds of millions will quickly die with an immediate stop of using fossil fuels?

Have you decided who is expendable?

 

[Seasider78]

I think we are already beyond help, human behaviour is generally to consume what you want and only act when it directly impacts your own experience. We talk a good game but the scale of change required is too steep for most people and governments to comprehend and act. My feeling is we will just continue our selfish behaviour and eventually just destroy ourselves and our own environment until we are eventually no more and then and only then will the planet recover and we will be just another blip in the earths evolution.

 

[portlock seagull]

Climate change is going to be the shock tool that governments and the WEF use to impose totalitarian change on the world. Kiss goodbye to your freedoms of travel, food choice, energy availability, independence, what you can grow, and where you can live. It's all being said in plain sight.

Most of the world population already lives under totalitarian governments. Per capita, our Western consumption of energy and contribution to climate change is far far higher. Perhaps, because it’s a matter of survival, our frivolous consumer choices should be curbed?

If so, such action can only be regulated, free markets don’t consider social costs or we wouldn’t be in this mess.

But as earlier said, it’s all a waste of time worrying because we’re now beyond the point of no return and only accelerating towards, essentially, our own demise. Taking thousands of other species with us, those are the ones I really feel sorry for. Except rats. Rats will outlive us all.

Live life to the fullest instead. You or I nor anyone for that matter can prevent, and we ought to stop pretending we can.

 

[rigton70]

Reduce the population is the only way to reduce emissions imo.

 

[portlock seagull]

Reduce the population is the only way to reduce emissions imo.

Yes and no.

No because it’s not proportionate. It’s not nearly that simple an equation.

 

[worthingseagull123]

Reduce the population is the only way to reduce emissions imo.

How?

 

[faoileán]

I despair of even sensible people. I have friends who fly to Mallorca every year for a weekend of cycling, and then fly somewhere hot for a family holiday with their kids, and even fly to Cornwall for a long weekend. But you get them talking and they all have fears for their kids and grandkids. No one takes personal responsibility...

 

[Wardy's twin]

I disagree. The obvious answer now is probably to stop pretending we can prevent climate change. Instead, my advise would be to get what you can from life now because hell is coming. No question.

Every target has been missed. Future targets will also. And btw, targets aren’t ratified by mother nature! All these deadlines and dates aren’t binding ie if we don’t do this, that happens. We’re finding out already that we have no control, things are happening far faster or unexpectedly altogether.

In the last 30 years ie when the science was clear and the case made (unless you were a denier; had cause to deny, typically for financial gain; or simply weren’t interested/didn’t care), we’ve added more pollution and gases than in the previous 1000 so we’re clearly not - as a species - too concerned. Wasted decades, seen further destruction and species extinction.

The uncomfortable truth is many of us on here will be monumentally f***ed by the consequences of climate change. Quite possibly suffering a violent death, as societies break down. Or starvation, because there’s no where near enough food when crops fail on an unprecedented global scale. Remember, we can only feed half the current population of the UK by ourselves. And that’s before 100,000 a month arrive by small boats or even the channel tunnel in the years to come.

Frustration and anger at our ineptitude or ability to prevent are natural consequences of hope. People need hope. It’s fundamental to our existence and survival. We will go on hoping we can prevent or reverse therefore.

The alternative though is to reframe what hope means in the context of climate change. It shouldn’t be prevention. That time has passed. But it could be you hope to see out your days with less material wealth and living space (so that others who might otherwise die as a consequence are able to survive eg Mass migrants). Even that sort of hope is perhaps a fantasy though, because we’re not very good as a species at selflessness. People still want to fly in their hundreds of millions this summer, having ‘earned’ their ‘right’ to etc. Not exactly helping though is it?! You’d think people might rethink, knowing what we’ve seen already and is coming, but I know dozens of people and businesses continuing using planes like others do cars. And cars like others do walking. Such examples are merely the tip of the (melting) iceberg though, there are thousands of everyday individual actions that billions of people take which contribute to climate change. Most of whom either won’t or even can’t stop doing in order to survive. Which is why we should probably be honest enough to admit we’re powerless to prevent, and stop hoping we can.

Do you have any children or grandchildren?

 

[nicko31]

In the rear view mirror, economically or environmentally?

Probably both

 

[portlock seagull]

Do you have any children or grandchildren?

What on earth does that have to do with it?

 

[Questions]

What is all this climate change baloney?

 

[Cheshire Cat]

It was a bit cool here today. I had to put a jumper on.

 

[willalbion]

Nor here in West Sussex, but l guess that isn't the point of the thread.

It’s the global average not just west Sussex and New South Wales.