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

I wonder if the way of life you describe, Elegran, a way of life I recognise very well, started to change with the easy availability of credit? We used to save for things and look after them. It’s the way I still live, albeit buying with a credit card which I pay off each month. I look after things, I keep them, I rarely buy new clothes, I don’t like waste because that’s the way I was brought up.

The title of the thread says old people but the actual article says parents.

The article isn't about "make do and mend" but about what can reasonably be done to make a difference around climate change.

It isn't about schoolchildren explaining climate change in words of one syllable to the elderly.

As long as people make a virtue out of how they were all perfect environmentalists in the thirties then nothing will get better. That's completely irrelevant.

The title of the thread includes the words "older people" How many of us (I plead guilty) took that as meaning "people as old as us or older". To the children and teenagers the article is aimed at, "older people" means anyone over the age of about 25.
Just who is in the demographic that is most ignoring all the publicised facts about global warming and needs to have it all explained to them in words of one syllable by schoolchildren?

I was a child in the 1940s during WW2, a teenager in the fifties still under rationing and shortages, and a young mother in the sixties managing on one salary and a mortgage. In all those decades, we didn't waste food, we bought mostly locally grown or british food, because there wasn't as much imported stuff as now and it was mostly expensive luxuries. so our food didn't have a lot of airmiles.
Our holidays were visiting extended family - no air trips to exotic places.
Our clothes were more expensive than modern sweatshop stuff from the third world, so it had to last. It didn't go into landfill when we were tired of it.
We didn't eat in the street, so food packaging didn't pile up in the corners.
When we bought furniture, we expected it to last for a long time, we didn't change our whole decor every couple of years and throw out the old into landfill.
Heating a house involved carting buckets of coal into the house so we didn't heat every room all the time, and we had jumpers and cardigans to add if needed - and if someone left a door open they were shouted at to "Put the wood in the hole!.

At what point did all these little economies and ways to "reduce, reuse, recycle" - and "repair" go out of common knowledge and understanding?

maddyone

It might just be that some older people need help to understand global warming and others do not as they understand very well. We’re all different aren’t we?

I think the problem is that a whole swathe of people of all ages just don't care, maddyone.

Mollygo Tie the questions down to specifics; possessions, travel, holidays, diets, habits, awareness of sources of what you buy . . . I’m sure you can add more specifics and the answers are not so certain.

Of course. Dissonance is always present. Much like the woman with a diesel car - at least it was new and more efficient than old.

People often talk the talk - but they drive older cars/ more emissions. Holiday often. Dietary habits are questionable. Etc.

We still have posters asking about adverts for clothes which come from China, and talking about the bargain new clothes they have bagged. That’s an area where the message needs to be driven home.

Hetty58
dissonance due to inconsistency between attitude and behaviour

Exactly what I have said.
Ask a group of children, teens, young people and older people like on GN what they know about global warming or climate issues and you will be flooded with knowledge, which is thankfully spreading.

Ask the same groups what needs to be done to help, and again you will probably get knowledgeable answers.

Ask the same groups how their knowledge has made them change their behaviour and you will get meaningful answers, including some given in GN.
Tie the questions down to specifics; possessions, travel, holidays, diets, habits, awareness of sources of what you buy . . . I’m sure you can add more specifics
and the answers are not so certain.

Hetty58

Incredibly well written comment

Generally, people just do exactly what they want - in the laziest, most convenient way. Then, they invent 'reasons' for doing it.

I really despair at the attitudes of adults/older adults/very elderly and yes, I do think the younger generation need to educate them (yet again) about the consequences of their actions - and drive home those vital messages. No, it's not a lack of information - it's a denial, a lack of change.

I can't see how a lifetime's experience brings wisdom, either. Any examples? It's just history, it's way out of date. All there is, really, is a stubborn reluctance to change habits, a refusal to make a real effort - just token gestures. It's 'Let's recycle our plastics, eat less meat, buy fewer clothes - and surely that'll do?'.

There's that same cognitive dissonance, again, that awful conflict between beliefs/ideals and behaviour/wants, the feeling of discomfort - and the consequent wish to justify that behaviour while attacking other's views. All very predictable human nature, all so depressing:

'There are five primary types of cognitive dissonance: post-decisional dissonance, dissonance from wanting something we can’t have, dissonance due to inconsistency between attitude and behavior, dissonance due to inadequate justification, and dissonance due to inconsistency between commitment and information. People invested in a given perspective shall—when confronted with contrary evidence—expend great effort to justify retaining the challenged perspective'

courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hvcc-psychology-1/chapter/cognitive-dissonance/

Shinamae

Bottom line is humankind have f****d this planet in less than 100 years.. quite an achievement….

The planet has been being destroyed for more than 100 years. Every new invention, intended to improve human life, whether weapons for hunting for food, because plants were not enough, plastic bags to save the forests wasted on paper bags, or electric cars needing finite resources of lithium mining instead of using fossil fuels is welcomed with open arms.
The difference is that we can now see what harm has been done and consider ways to stop future harm.

The funniest thing is that I've picked up "wanna" from children, not the other way around

Besides, of course I teach children proper English. I'm with KS1 and I challenge anyone to undo "d" or "f" when they should be saying "th"

Anyway, just so we are clear, I've reported the personal attacks. I support education and the social and emotional development of small children so I have to stand by my principles when it comes to setting a good example to children about good standards of behaviour x

It might just be that some older people need help to understand global warming and others do not as they understand very well. We’re all different aren’t we?

CoolCoco

None seems to care about climate change or waterways or our wildlife - more concerned with a few niceties of language. I give up.

Caring about the environment and children’s use of language are not mutually exclusive.
I’m very capable of doing both.

We are like parasites honestly

Shinamae

Bottom line is humankind have f****d this planet in less than 100 years.. quite an achievement….

Sir David Attemnborough has made some valid points about overpopulation pbut is criticised by some as being extremist.

Yup

I got caught up in the comments lol

That's exactly the kind of thing the article is about, isn't it VioletSky?

I don't think many read it volver

One of my teens is vegetarian and while the rest of us didn't want to make the change but we have a lot more vegetarian meals now and she loves to cook

It seems like grans on here are know it alls. They don't see the need for government action, its all about recycling their newspapers and buying stuff in the market. Im sorry that won't save the planet.

Bottom line is humankind have f****d this planet in less than 100 years.. quite an achievement….

Just read the article.

It's not about ill informed grandparents and know-it-all teenagers.

Most grandparents probably don't need to be informed about global warming by their grandchildren. We have lived a life with knowledge way beyond teenage years and are well informed. Knowledge is power it's gained through life experience.

The assumption that grandparents are ill informed is another arrogant ageist stereotypical view of the older but wiser population.

MerylStreep

VioletSky
Let’s hope the parents have more influence over their children’s use of language than you do.

I don't even bother going to school, I just have the whole class in a group whatsapp and they can all only talk in text speak now.

For homework I send them emoji flash cards

None seems to care about climate change or waterways or our wildlife - more concerned with a few niceties of language. I give up.

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