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Everyday Ageism

Do older people need to have global warming explained to them?

(266 Posts)
Foxygloves Sat 22-Apr-23 15:34:18

Don’t worry, nobody had suggested it.

volver3 Sat 22-Apr-23 15:31:53

Can I say that many of our generation don't get in a tizz about it because we know we'll be long gone when the water runs out?

Oh, and don't show me that dying polar bear, I'm SO bored with that. 😠

Foxygloves Sat 22-Apr-23 15:31:34

Yeah, I don't have a lot of humour where climate change is concerned.

Indeed?
No surprises there. I don’t need to read the room , I have read the posts

volver3 Sat 22-Apr-23 15:28:21

Foxygloves

Serious SOH bypass volver -wasn’t it you who spoke of nuance a while back?
I regard myself as an intelligent, educated, thinking adult with pretty adequate life experience.
I have also taught some of the areas referred to, so no, not being defensive and any laughing might be directed in the opposite direction.

Yeah, I don't have a lot of humour where climate change is concerned.

Read the room.

Septimia Sat 22-Apr-23 15:27:20

Maybe it's thought that we need educating because we don't get in a tizz about it all the time. We know, we care, we try to do what we can but we don't always make a big fuss. Perhaps we should put that down to maturity.

When I see reports about damage to the environment, I don't want to just see the shock horror stuff (which actually makes me lose interest). I want to know what I can do as an individual to help mitigate the situation, even if it's only something small.

And you're right Foxygloves.

NanaDana Sat 22-Apr-23 15:26:59

I don't have any problem with children feeding back climate change details to their Parents or Grandparents, as it's sadly only too obvious how the message about human responsibility for global warming is just not getting through. A poll carried out in the U.S. for the Economist in 2021 found that nearly 10 percent didn't believe that global warming is occurring at all.. Neither does Trump. A further 25%percent accepted that climate change was happening, but believed that this was a "natural" process, and not caused by human activity. An additional 14% were in the "don't know" category. So almost half of those surveyed could not put a tick in the "Yes, we're responsible" box. Such profound ignorance is so depressing. I'll be done and dusted long before the worst of the effects kick in, but I fear for my Grandchildren. What a legacy we are leaving them.

Foxygloves Sat 22-Apr-23 15:26:49

Serious SOH bypass volver -wasn’t it you who spoke of nuance a while back?
I regard myself as an intelligent, educated, thinking adult with pretty adequate life experience.
I have also taught some of the areas referred to, so no, not being defensive and any laughing might be directed in the opposite direction.

volver3 Sat 22-Apr-23 15:23:43

The absolute defensiveness of some people is a wonder to behold.

Some young people squander the earth's resources. Some old people are "green". Not always because they want to be and know how important it is, but because that's how society was when we were young.

So the knee jerk response is, "I don't need some kid telling what to do." You do need Thunberg to explain it to you, you just won't listen because you think you know it all because you listen to Radio 4.

It'd be laughable if it wasn't so serious.

Foxygloves Sat 22-Apr-23 15:11:31

Ooh my hackles went right up!
I dont need a child or adolescent (or Greta Thunbetg) to explain things to me, I am educated, I read, I watch tv and I listen to Radio 4. What more do you want?
Seriously the wisdom and common sense we have honed over the decades seems to have escaped some younger people.
We were brought up to save energy (because we couldn’t afford to squander it), to walk or use public transport - no mummy or daddy in 4x4’s to drive us to tennis or gymnastics, we used and still use reusable shopping bags or even granny trolleys, not umpteen disposable plastic bags, in my childhood we folded present wrapping paper flat (even ironing it) so that it could be reused, washing was (and is) dried outside, not in tumble driers, convenience food meant a tin of peas (or maybe peach slices for pudding, )
Flying less?
Less than not at all until I was 18 in my case!
Oh I could go on but you will be grateful that I’m not!

Witzend Sat 22-Apr-23 15:08:21

Nor me, Germanshepherdsmum. The old saying about teaching your elders to suck eggs comes to mind.

I’m not saying these were typical, but nieces from Singapore attending 6th form boarding school here, told me of several cases of fellow pupils putting the communal washing machine and tumble dryer on for one garment they wanted to wear later.

MerylStreep Sat 22-Apr-23 15:02:50

You can drag a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.
All the education on climate warming won’t make one bit of difference, you only have to read this forum to witness the ignorance of this subject with some posters.

Norah Sat 22-Apr-23 15:00:12

Or don't believe, perhaps that is the problem.

Norah Sat 22-Apr-23 14:59:23

I know plenty of people who don't "get it".

Germanshepherdsmum Sat 22-Apr-23 14:56:41

The article certainly suggests to me that people are not sufficiently aware and need to be educated by their children, shown how to change their ways. I can’t think of anyone I know who is in need of such education.

volver3 Sat 22-Apr-23 14:44:26

I think there are two things to consider here.

The BBC article is about how a young person can talk to their parents about changes they want to make that they think are important, but their parents might not be on board with. It’s not about explaining climate change to old folks. I can’t see how helping young people communicate better with their parents can be a bad thing?

As for the XR/hypocrite thing, it absolutely drives me bonkers that anybody thinks that this is hypocritical. The thing that XR is campaigning about is that the current society we live in means that we have to do things that are bad for the planet. The campaigning is about changing things at the roots, its not expecting everybody to immediately only eat kale and travel everywhere by bike. If the woman has to use a car to pick up her kids from school or get the shopping done, what do you propose she does? If the only veg in the shop is from far away, do you suggest she just eats turnip?

Maybe people do need climate action explained to them after all.

M0nica Sat 22-Apr-23 14:29:38

Today the BBC published an item on their news site entitled
Earth Day: How to talk to your parents about climate change
www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-65339214

in it teenagers explain the concepts of how to lead an environmental life to their parents. The topics covered are: eating less meat, flying less, and avoiding waste in food, shopping and everything else.

Things that have been discussed again and again on GN by many parents old enough to be these teenagers grandparents.

Why does the BBC think that older people are all global warming unaware and do not know or understand that we how to change our lives to meet future challenges?

From my experience we are probably more aware and doing more to reduce energy consumption (too poor, to do anything else but cut back on heating), eat more thoughtfully and generally consume less than most under 30s.

I note on the same day, one of the founders of Extinction Rebellion is seen in a supermarket buying fruit and veg flown in from Africa and Asia and wrapped in plastic and she then drove home in a diesel car.www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11998895/EXCLUSIVE-XR-admit-founder-Gail-Bradbrook-hypocrite-buying-fruit-wrapped-plastic.html?ico=related-replace Other papers had it, but most had pay walls.