Climate change and our grandchildren’s future

I’ve never regretted not having kid- state of this country, glad!

It fills me with fear, the thought of human life on this planet ceasing to exist which is a very real threat.
We do what we can: recycling, we don't take overseas holidays or cruises, we make the most economical use of power and water that we can. We do still drive petrol cars as we remain to be convinced that the total carbon footprint of electric cars is truthfully presented, ie production and later recycling of EVs. Also production of the electricity used to recharge batteries, particularly as the batteries age.
We had four children and have four grandchildren, but two of these are adopted so we have only "created" two!

China is a particular worry, but we are not without guilt.
We are pressing ahead with solar panels, which is good, because they work even in Britain where there’s not that much sun but we are buying them from countries where they’re created using massive amounts of fossil fuels. Reaching our net zero doesn’t include the impact of our requirements on those other countries.
Creating wind turbines, is another way forward, which is proving successful, but they need huge amounts of steel. 90% of the raw materials required to make virgin steel are imported – from countries such as Japan, Brazil, and Australia, impacting the climate.
The increasing use of arc furnaces which use a lot of scrap metal is greener, but needs fewer workers so means loss of jobs, a bit like the introduction of self check outs.

I can see the point of having fewer children, not just because of the environment, but because there will be fewer ways of earning money to live on, pay tax from, etc.
The danger is moving from no children by choice, whatever the reason for that choice, to no children because of government control.

LaCrepescule

My 24 year old daughter has always wanted children but I was sad to hear last night that she’s not sure anymore because of what climate change is doing to the planet. Without China, India and probably now the US (we all know Trump’s view) being on board, what hope is there that we can stop destroying the world?
I won’t see the end of the world and probably neither will she but is she right in being so worried about this?
We can all do our bit but without world leaders taking this seriously, I fear she’s right…

As Hellsbelles said, your daughter is still very young. Many women in their 20's are simply not ready to have children and she may yet change her mind.

There has always been an argument as to how much of our changing climate is natural evolution vs how much is caused directly by humans.
I think it is a combination of both although humans may be exacerbating the situation.

While some countries are working to lessen their carbon footprint, until countries like USA, India, China, etc. get on board, the rest are just 'spitting in the wind.'

There have always been reasons in the past [wars, famines, the economy, etc.] that some have used to not reproduce...... Whatever works for them.

Thank goodness women in many countries have the choice!!

I grew up under the real threat of a nuclear war . It hasn't happened yet, thank god but is still real. It didn't prevent me from having children, who all have children of their own.

Now they worry about the future but one thing is certain: we shall all die some day.
It's the thought of climate disaster
and wars in our lifetime which is scary.

I also try to keep my own impact as low as possible. I could do better. We all could.

Some of my parents' contempories chose not to have children because of Hiroshima and the threat of atomic bombs being used in future warfare.

Some of my grandparents' contempories chose not to have a family because of the horrors of the First World War.

If a young woman who is concerned about climate change, and rightly so, decides not to bring children into the world, that is her choice and her right, but she might want to consider the fact that without children she will not be in a good position to influence the coming generation, and those who deny climate change have no reason not to have families, and will probably bring them up to believe that all this talk of climate change destroying the , is just so much bally-hoo.earth

We know it is dangerous, so does your daughter. Perhaps she should be one of those who do have children.

There has always been a looming disaster. We think we are special now, but we are not. What HAS changed is that we privileged have choice about reproduction. Most people have no choice and just do as they fancy.

I feel not having children because of climate change is very defeatist. Children are the future, who knows how many scientists and green energy experts are being lost because of "climate change". I see someone says China is very advanced re this, are they sharing, no of course not. Yet they keep belching out co2 like there is no tomorrow. Along with India and Azerbijhan and Germany, in fact us with the lowest CO2 output, seem to be doing more than others and we'll all have to give up an awful lot if we are to achieve Nil carbon output. Starmer will see to that. Anyone prepared for what that will mean. Having no children will not stop it but maybe deprive the world of the skills to do so. In some ways it's like saying "Im not going out because something bad may happen to me".

Freya5
Yet they (China) keep belching out co2 like there is no tomorrow.
Yes, to keep the rest of the world supplied with goods their own climate restrictions won’t allow to be made.

I am glad I made a decision never to have children. At least I dont have it on my conscience that I brought more consumers and producers of waste into the world.

If people don't have children and bring them up to care about the planet, then the future is indeed bleak for humankind. Of course, overpopulation is not good either.

On the other hand, when you see how quickly nature takes over when humans stop using areas (including weeds in the garden!) it's heartening to think that something will survive despite us!

I do worry about the future it’s not just global warming to worry about. But I can’t help getting fed up with these celebrities and politicians plus the royals preaching to Jo public to do their bit while they jump on planes and travel the world adding to the problems

undines

Climate change is a scam and a very sinister one that is destroying the future for our children - not because of what is happening to the planet but because of the depression, fear and despair induced. 'Climate change denier' has become an insulting label, and an excuse to reject all those (and there are many of them) genuine scientists who dispute the 'evidence' for human-caused climate change. Yes, there is always climate change, always has been, but global warming is in dispute and certainly the role of fossil fuels has been distorted. Why? As always, follow the money. The net zero nonsense is also a handy way to frighten and control people. We need carbon in the atmosphere, it makes things grow. What we do not need are greedy corporations and cynical governments who put forward a scary myth, silence debate and meanwhile ignore REAL environmental concerns, such as pollution. Check out 'Climate Change, the Cold Truth' on youtube

YouTube? Must be true then. We are seeing climate change in action already. Floods and wildfires, the polar ice caps melting. I watch Explore.org videos and the people working at the coal face (excuse the pun) are very well aware and knowledgeable about the climate emergency. Climate change deniers like you are just ostriches with your heads in the sand who don’t want to change their behaviour because it’s an inconvenient truth.

I agree septimea I feel confident that mother earth will survive whatever we humans do to try to destroy her. Moths too

My thoughts too, Allira.

Earlier on two world wars, flu epidemic killing thousands and the Great Depression kept the first half of the century in fear.

We grew up from mid century in fear, Cold War, Cuban missile crisis, Irish troubles and more, it’s never been any different. I remember my very real fear as an adolescent when the third world war was just a moment away. The world held its breath.

I do not believe climate change is a scam and am concerned, of course, but there has always been crises of one sort or another.

Your daughter is still very young ( for nowadays) to make that firm decision. . My dd was 10 years older when she had her first child. Many of her friends had their first children at 40 plus. She has lots of time to decide. If she still wants children and meets the right person she may very well change her mind.

Climate change is a reality, it has been since the day the earth was born. As much as we'd like to, we can't stop it.

I remember not all that long ago the "experts" telling us we were about to enter an ice age, and then mother nature changed her mind and decided she didn't like the cold.

What is a scam, is all these schemes and ideas to stop it, they won't, it WILL happen but after we are all dead and gone.

Sorry to be a doom merchant, but remember your natural history!

Im

Our ecologist friend says climate change is the biggest problem we face and, unless we address it, humanity is finished. He predicts this will be within 200 years. I totally agree with the poster who said that flying should be discouraged. It is ridiculous that people fly to foreign countries to get married or for stag weekends. Talk about blinkered!

Mollygo

Freya5
Yet they (China) keep belching out co2 like there is no tomorrow.
Yes, to keep the rest of the world supplied with goods their own climate restrictions won’t allow to be made.

That is what I meant when I said "we'll have to give up an awful lot". Washing in a Dolly tub again. Nothing to stop China refusing to make these goods are there. Of course they won't , their economy will collapse , as will ours if we carry on as we are.

Greta Thurnberg is right, when she says "growth, growth, growth" is the problem. We still haven't got to the stage when democracies put reducing carbon emissions ahead of growing the economy. Everyone wants their children to have a world of work & a society where their standard of living is at least as good as ours. & that's part of being a parent , wanting the best for your children. But it's probably incompatible with turning around the current global warming, & this has to take precedence or else our descendants will have a world of extreme temperature, tight government control, regular catastophic weather events in all countries & an influx of people from un-livable countries to places like Northern Europe, that will make the current small boats look like a molehill. China have done more than any major economy & have succeeded in getting more energy from renewables than fossil fuels this year, & their CO2 emissions per capita have been falling steadily for years. India, not so good & that & the USA are a major worry.I am happy not to have grandchildren because I don't want to imagine what havoc they will go through when they are my age if not before.

If Climate change continues at it's current rate then Humans will not be able to survive in nature on Earth in about 1.3 billion years due to sustained hot and humid conditions.
The oceans may evaporate in about 2 billion years.
The surface temperature of the Earth will reach 149 °C (300 °F) at the poles in 2.8 billion years.

Possibly we need future generations to continue the work that our children and grandchildren have begun. Perhaps the collective thought from future generations will work evven harder to save the planet. We need further generations to be the superheroes for our planet.

Absolutely!

I'm not sure what I think about CC ... ice caps are melting, I agree, and we are seeing changes in our weather. But, could this not be because of the rotation of the planets around the sun and gravitational pull the sun has on the planets?
This next comment will be met with POOHS-POOHS, but what caused the distinction of the dinosaurs? Was it a meteor or climate change?
The rotation around the sun is constantly changing; this could be part of that and if so nothing we can do about it! I'm not saying that we should just pollute earth until we can't live on it anymore, we still must do our part to keep the earth as clean and pure as possible, but climate change? Just my thought, I'm no scientist!
And let's not forget how wrong our scientists' were about COVID! And, YES! THEY WERE WRONG!!

I wouldn't check out anything on YouTube! I've already had my volunteer gardener (a lovely man) come and tell me we were already at war - because he read it on YouTube.

I probably won't see the worst of climate destruction, I'm 84 now. The words 'climate change' are a bit of a euphemism anyway, aren't they?

trump will probably be the final straw...