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Do you worry about climate change?

(152 Posts)
Riverwalk Sat 12-Dec-15 17:55:10

'World awaits landmark climate deal' according to the BBC website.

For the past few days in Paris there has been an important Climate Change conference taking place and apparently the world is holding its breath as to the outcome; BBC Radio has led with news from the conference throughout.

I have to come clean and say that it passes me by .... no doubt I would feel differently if I lived in Bangladesh or The Maldives but I must admit that I lose no sleep over climate change.

Tell the truth, is it something that keeps you awake at night?

tanith Sat 12-Dec-15 18:06:41

Doesn't keep me awake but I do have fears for my grandchildren and what its all going to mean for them in the future.

Ana Sat 12-Dec-15 18:12:30

No.

Anniebach Sat 12-Dec-15 18:15:51

Yes , but doesn't keep me awake , I too worry for my grandchildren and all who come after

WilmaKnickersfit Sat 12-Dec-15 18:21:46

No, climate change doesn't keep me awake and it's not at the top of my mind either. If it doesn't cost me too much money to choose an efficient environmentally friendly option, then I will do it. But we're on a lowish income and can't afford to automatically choose green.

Plus, in the back of my mind I am not convinced there's much we can do to prevent climate change, not when most countries are making token gestures when it comes to taking action. This is not the same as saying I don't believe climate change exists or that it is not possible for something to be done to slow its progress. At the end of the day, money is king in our world.

jinglbellsfrocks Sat 12-Dec-15 18:24:55

no tchblush

WilmaKnickersfit Sat 12-Dec-15 18:30:58

PS This man was interviewed on R5 this week and was asked why all houses were not built like his. He said he was trying to do something about that. My cynical thought was it would affect profit for too many businesses.

Colin Usher's Energy Efficient House

OlderNoWiser Sat 12-Dec-15 18:31:05

Not really, to be honest I am quietly in favour of global warming - this is the first winter in my memory where I (suffering from Raynauld's all my life) have been able to go outside without gloves and without my hands feeling like they are going to drop off from the cold any minute now.

Then there is the very real possibility of not actually needing to spend all of the winter fuel allowance on the fuel bill, as there is hardly any need for heating.

What's not to like?

Ana Sat 12-Dec-15 18:32:45

I wish I lived where you do, ONW, that's all I can say! tchhmm

Maggiemaybe Sat 12-Dec-15 18:40:12

No, it doesn't keep me awake, because we're lucky enough to be protected from the worst effects. But when I see pictures of sudden floods or hear someone from a far away country wonder whether their home will survive, I do worry, and I do feel guilty.

Bellanonna Sat 12-Dec-15 18:40:56

Blimey, Older, where are you ?

Coolgran65 Sat 12-Dec-15 19:12:56

OlderNoWiser I think the problem with climate change is that if it gets just a little warmer, then the ice melts, seas rise, towns and villages worldwide could disappear under water level.
Not as much arable land to grow crops.

petallus Sat 12-Dec-15 19:17:04

No I don't worry about it.

hildajenniJ Sat 12-Dec-15 19:19:07

No. Here's the problem. Logging the RAINFORESTS.

annsixty Sat 12-Dec-15 19:24:50

No because I know I am powerless to do any thing about it. Yes it will affect my GC and GGC but it is in motion now and I don't think it is all down to man. If we look back through history climate change has been happening for centuries regardless.

whitewave Sat 12-Dec-15 19:33:14

If we lived in arid regions and hotter areas plus very cold regions then we would worry very much indeed. Water would be in short supply in some areas and it would be devastating our crops and washing away our home in others.

In the artic the melting ice is having a direct effect on our ability to sustain a living.

If we are part of the world community than we should worry.

Deedaa Sat 12-Dec-15 20:59:34

I've been worried about climate change since the 70's. Sadly I see no sign of any desire to do much about it among the world leaders.They are all ruled by vested interests and the desire for world domination. It's not just a case of saving money on central heating, it's the fact that sea currents are changing, breeding seasons are getting out of sync with food supplies, and climate is changing faster now than animals are able to adapt.

NotTooOld Sat 12-Dec-15 21:15:24

No. TBH I doubt whether any puny changes we humans make or don't make will affect the changing climate. I do worry when I see pictures of the smog over Beijing, though.

Maranta Sat 12-Dec-15 21:21:43

I think we should all be concerned about climate change, whatever is causing it. If by any chance we limit the temperature rise of the earth to 2 degrees it is predicted that the sea level rise would be 6 meters. Have a play around with this map
geology.com/sea-level-rise/netherlands.shtml

I makes you think. Where are all those people living in the Netherlands etc going to go? If you think that mass migration is a problem at the moment - we ain't seen nothing yet!

Alea Sat 12-Dec-15 21:34:35

Serious answer, yes of course.

Flippant answer, I would just like it to change for the better
#drownedrat

whitewave Sat 12-Dec-15 21:41:40

Government agencies in this country are assuming a sea level rise a nd planning for it

Anniebach Sat 12-Dec-15 21:48:38

Some time ago The Welsh Assembly listed some coastline villages which we will lose , sea levels and rock erosion the cause,

rosequartz Sat 12-Dec-15 22:58:40

I think about it rather than worry, because my worrying will do nothing except make me stressed.

However, I am still in two minds about it, having read a view of a scientist who believes that without the blanket of carbon dioxide we would have a higher temperature on earth because of sun activity.

I believe that humankind should be adapting to climate change, not trying to fight it. I think earth's climate has always changed and trying to stop it is like King Canute trying to stop the waves.

Our money and resources should be spent on helping people to move, to adapt and live with the changes that will occur - and not to fight over productive land.

I will climb off my soapbox now.

durhamjen Sat 12-Dec-15 23:08:45

Not just the Netherlands, Maranta. A large area of Yorkshire, East Anglia and Lincolnshire would also disappear, including a lot of large cities.
It's well known that most of Hull is below sea level. That's why they've had the Humber Barrier for so long.
I hadn't realised that the Wash area right up to Peterborough was so low, although Ely is the only city at any height there.

Yes, I worry about climate change. Have done for a long time, since I studied environmental science in the seventies. Just received a card from a couple in their eighties who live in Cumbria near Cockermouth. They are certain that manmade global warming is to blame for increasingly wet and windy winters to that area.

durhamjen Sat 12-Dec-15 23:39:07

Wilma, building energy efficient houses will create jobs as in green QE.
We also need to make all our houses more energy efficient.

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2015/12/12/the-paris-deal-will-need-climate-qe/

Naomi Klein has spent seven years researching climate change, and says, like you, that it will affect too many businesses. She says that the fight against climate change and capitalism do not go together.

The coalition government set up the green investment bank to provide finance for environmental businesses. The Tory government is now talking of selling it off. Why?

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2015/06/25/selling-the-green-investment-bank-is-the-act-of-a-cowardly-politician/