Climate Change Demonstrations

Ah. Hurt pride is it Gabriella?

So you should be, responsible citizens both of them, properly brought up to think of topics other than themselves.

Not in favour of encouraging young people to take time off school when it could have been done at the weekend. I wonder how many of them will travel by plane in the future or drive a car to work?

We don't need to be taught to suck eggs by anyone, much less by a kid from another country.

Watch Greta Thunberg and George Monbiot explaining what needs to be done.

youtu.be/-Q0xUXo2zEY

One of my daughters in law has well taught her kids to clear plastic off beaches, and they all use bamboo toothbrushes. However she has just flown to Morocco for a holiday.

While every little might help, it's going to take a lot more than reusing your plastic bottles to make a difference. The change has to be made by government at national and international level. The rest is just a drop in the ocean with regard to rise in temperature and everything that implies for humanity. I applaud all those taking action, exam results will be meaninglessness in face of the environmental catastrophe we are facing.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201909/medium-624353-20190921-152506.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201909/medium-884741-20190921-152428.jpg

Cleaning my sunglasses a moment ago after posting in this thread, I looked at the label on cleaning fluid bought at Specsavers.

Reversing the problems? but how? both financially and physically? and in what time scale?!! Pie in the skye comes to mind! Declaring a climate emergency is the easy bit, what to do about it is - difficult!

thlusands if thousands of

Jane10

I think you're somewhat biased.
Primark is certainly NOT the only shop which sells goods msde in China, Bangladesh and other countries hundreds and thlusands if miles away.
M&S
John Lewis
Zara
H&M
Poetry
Sainsbury's
Asda
HoF
Matalan
Oasis
Jaques Vert
Bravissimo
Rigby&Peller
I could fill millions of pages with brands who manufacture abroad.
Virtually all NHS dressings and gowns are made in China.

GabriellaG54 Could be the light at the end of the tunnel come end October when 'hopefully'.we no longer have to say ' yes sir no sir three bags full sir' Bring it on.

I'm in a dither about which party to vote for in a general election for various reasons, but for those who are questioning who is campaigning about the dire effects of austerity (homelessness, food banks, ATOS / welfare benefit cuts etc) take a look at what Jeremy Corbyn is saying every day and all around the country. His daily messages are all about reversing these problems and the Labour Party has been instrumental in declaring a climate emergency.

Couldn't have said it better myself GabriellaG54 ?

The sensible answer is to keep it until it's on it's last legs and only use it for journeys that are not cost effective any other way.
I've never bought new cars.
They lose money once off the forecourt.

Jura2
The protests involved all persons and were you to re view my comments observe they were based on, and remain, put into practice what you preach regardless of age, gender.
I do not dispute 21C young work hard, more aware of what is going on in the world and its opportunitiesThis you cannot deny has been made possible through science and exploration now at a price. It not unusual to hear protests from the young that previous generations are at fault. without a thought you cannot have your cake and eat it So yes protest, what is done is done, but actions not words.

Hmm, Gabriella, it's not very long ago at all that 'they' were telling us that diesel cars were better for the environment! Dh bought a diesel partly for that reason - partly because they use less fuel and it's used only for long journeys.

Would it be better, environmentally speaking, when it's still going strong, for him to ditch it now and buy a new one, or wait until it's on its last legs?

If it made a whit of difference I'd be all for it but unless China, India, Russia and the US join in, it's nothing but a grain of sand in the Gobi desert.
I hope none of you dissenters buy clothes, food or fruit from foreign climes, lamb from New Zealand for the Sunday roast or toys from the East.
Fly to other countries for holidays, use logburners, drive diesel vehicles or drive kids to a school within walking distance? No excuse about bags, kit and lunch boxes - I had 5 and managed to walk them there or to the school bus.
If you or people you know, bang on about climate change yet do any of the above, that's hypocrisy.
You can bet any money that the excuses will come spilling out over these pages. I could almost write them myself, with a high degree of accuracy.

How much of the 'plastics' thing is sinking in, I wonder?

I've just been to a busy local supermarket. While checking out queues to see which was shortest I noticed at least 3 checkouts where 2 or more multipacks (i.e. dozens) of small water bottles were going through.

Quite apart from being so heavy to carry home, I do wonder why. The water around here tastes fine and is safe to drink.

And dh, who was involved in the water sector for several years of his career, once told me that the cost of buying bottled water was something like (IIRC) ten thousand times the cost of getting it out of the tap.

Some of the cheaper bottled water only comes out of taps anyway.
Who else remembers the Dasani scandal? It was a brand owned by Coca-Cola, all ready to launch here, when it was revealed that it came out of a tap in Sidcup!
They pulled it.
But I've seen it on sale abroad.

I am very glad to see numbers like this out in force. However we are the privileged few who can take time off work/school etc to join in. Not easy for the trillions of less able.

I also worry that those in whose interests it is to keep doing what they are doing: depleting the rainforests and oceans or building cars, planes and bombs will do their utmost to prevent anyone who tries to stop them.

Yes Fiachma50 where are the demonstrations about the ATOS examiners stopping peoples disability benefits, taking no notice of eminent Consultants in a 40 minute interview. ..etc etc

surely it is up to us - can't wait for some leader or other to motivate us. Let the kids motivate us - why not.

And am sick and tired that anyone who tries, just tries, to make small changes, are just accused of being 'virtue signalling' - such sour grapes.

Just producing plastic uses huge resources – it takes around 12m barrels of oil to make the 100bn plastic bags used annually in the United States alone.

This year Britain’s Iceland supermarket has led the way – and others are beginning to follow suit. Iceland has pledged to eliminate plastic packaging on its own goods in five years.

So what can you do to reduce your own plastic footprint and put pressure on supermarkets and manufacturers to move towards reuseable plastic items and hugely increase the amount of recycled plastic in their products? Here are 10 top tips:

1. Start at home. Do a plastic audit of your household. Shower bottles, deodorants, washing up liquids, shampoo bottles. Aim to make reductions here by ditching shower gel for soap and the plastic cotton buds for biodegradable ones; buy liquid detergent in recycled plastic bottles and find a refill station to fill them up. Shampoo bars and toilet paper in recycled packaging are also available.
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2. In the US, 1bn plastic toothbrushes are thrown out each year, creating some 50m pounds of waste. Try using bamboo toothbrushes instead which only take about six months to biodegrade back into the soil when you have to replace your brush.

3. Carry reuseable fabric shopping bags.

4. Try buying wholesale and putting dried products such as rice, pasta and
lentils into glass jars to avoid buying products wrapped in plastic.

5. Recycle old plastic children’s toys. Search for a toy library in your
area to borrow from or donate to. And consider charity shops when looking for gifts.

6. Carry a reuseable coffee cup or flask; 7m plastic-lined coffee cups are thrown away in the UK every day.

7. Say no to plastic cutlery. Carry a fork with you or use a compostable alternative.

8. Ditch cling film wrap for your food. It cannot be recycled in most UK collections. Foil is recyclable, so use foil instead or reuseable plastic boxes.

9. Use an electric razor instead of plastic disposable one.

10. Write to companies whose packaging is non-recyclable, asking them to consider using less destructive materials. Maybe even think about starting a social media campaign to raise awareness. Strength in numbers!

• This article was amended on 3, 4 and 18 January 2019. An earlier version suggested that 12m oil barrels produced 100m plastic bags. That figure is more like 100bn bags. In addition, the estimate of 1bn plastic toothbrushes being thrown out each year relates just to the US, not globally. This has been corrected. It was further amended to remove a reference to a branded product, and to refer to biodegradable cotton buds rather than recyclable ones.

Adaunas, I long for a leader who will inspire me and others to make it sexy to be frugal.

How much public consciousness of science has improved since those protests for nuclear disarmament.Those brave souls on the ban the bomb demos made a difference .

Teachers have done wonders teaching science and ecology sometimes against the forces of conservatism, fascism, neoliberalism, and ignorance.

I walked (about 2 miles each way) to take part in the protest in our town centre. It was fantastic to see so many people, young and old taking part.
I do wonder how many of the protesters, tapping away busily on their phones or tablets, munching away on McD or pizza and drinking bottled water, actually realise the impact of what they choose to do on what they are protesting about?
Even those eating more healthily e.g. fruit including oranges apricots and bananas (think of the carbon footprint).
Then at the end there was a queue of cars-some small, many 4x4s which came to pick them up instead of using the bus or walking.

Raising awareness in young and old through protest, great idea. Persuading people to give up what many see as normal and their right (e.g. cheap fashion, devices frequently renewed to keep up with the trend, fast food and frequent holidays) that’s something else.
I’m guiltily sitting drinking arabica coffee and eating asparagus from Peru with my meal. Which should I give up first and how will it affect the farmers and growers who export them?