Climate Change, are you worried?

46 comments

1. No

2. Forget climate change for a minute… If everything was broadly fine, would you want a kid?

   Or is climate change concerns an excuse to not have one?

   These are for you to answer for yourself, I’m not asking you to answer.

   If it’s a yes to the latter, you really need to have a deep conversation with your SO.

   If it’s yes to the former, we can’t control everything. We can only do what’s in our power. Will your one kid genuinely put a massive strain on the capitalist industrial complex that’s actually ruining the planet, probably not.

3. I’m passed worried, I’m infuriated that nothing is really being done about it when people are being fucked over around the world because it.

   Then they won’t help those people fleeing their countries because it’s devasted.

   It is affecting us too but we still aren’t getting on with changing.
   Take wildlife for instance, a lot less creatures around now that we saw loads of as kids.

4. I just do not how anyone could be anything other than worried (or worse) at this point.

5. Whenever I get into a rut like this I browse r/Futurology for a bit and look at documentaries about life 100 years ago.

   Considering our grandparents and in some cases even our parents had to procreate to make sure their future was secured while we have the privilege now of choosing whether we would like to have kids, that alone is a sign of how far we’ve come in such a short period.
   In the last 100 years alone there have been 2 world wars with ww2 wiping out ~3% of the global population at the time and yet we don’t feel any negative impact from it in our day to day lives less than 80 years later. Just 2 years ago we started dealing with a global pandemic where we (as in humanity) managed to develop vaccines & treatment that is now keeping this disease by and large completely manageable.

   I agree that climate change is probably the biggest global crisis so far humanity will have to deal with, but I don’t believe we won’t persevere. We will probably have to make sacrifices in consumption and have lower quality of life in certain aspects due to the consequences of climate change.
   That being said, newer generations will adapt easier to it, getting used to changes while they grow up.

   All that aside, it’s something that is by and large completely outside of your individual control and there is no point in worrying about what might or might not be on a global level when you make a decision whether to have a child. Besides, some of my family grew up post WW2 in extreme poverty going hungry regularly and are some of the most amazing and happy people now (and still look back on their childhood fondly).

   TLDR: Lighten up, we’ve always found a way so far and there’s no point in letting the potential outcomes of a global crisis completely outside of our individual control inform the decisions we make today.

6. Yes.

   I bought a house a couple of years ago. Every house I looked at, I went and looked on the OPW website. Any house that was within the OPWs worst flood prediction zone I immediately struck off my list.

   It will get to the point where people will have to just stop living in areas. We can’t keep building flood walls.

7. Not as much as I ought to be. I know I should be doing more but I find it hard to care deeply about climate change when I haven’t even been able to move out of my parents gaff yet.

   I know it’s all connected, but things like a living wage and the housing crisis and how they personally impact me are more to the forefront of my mind.

8. Very. And depressed for the future any potential grandchildren are facing. Between the inevitable mass world migration, christofascism growing at an exponential rate in what was once the worlds leading democracy (in theory), the horrific wars and oppression in so much of the world, it really does feel like we’ve hit the countdown button.

9. Hard not to be apathetic about it when the world by and large hasn’t really changed since we were warned that we would be facing serious consequences for the past twenty years. You can only do so much on a personal level.

10. I’m actually at the point of apathy now, I still do my bit within reason but I just know that no action will be taken until it’s way too late. When you have people putting up objections to solar panels just because it’s in their locality and would rather them out of sight and out of mind shows that we’ll never resolve this without massive sacrifices.

    To be honest I try not to think about it too much anymore or it would get me down to be honest.

11. It’s already too late to stop it. We’ve known about this for decades and have done next to nothing. When we as a species get around to doing anything at all (if we even get to that point) it’ll be when things are catastrophic. I wouldn’t be surprised if the clathrate gun has already gone off. At some point we are going to deserve what happens to us.
    Edit: spelling

12. Yes somewhat.

    If covid taught me anything I worry 10% of the population will doom the rest of us in our attempts to fix anything.

13. Incredibly because practically everyone is in denial about the effects and what we have to do to mitigate it.

14. No worries St. Eamonn Ryan will save us

15. If you want kids, have kids. Later in life, when the doomsday scenarios are nothing like the doom merchants have predicted, not having kids is something you’ll regret and resent, and it’ll be too late.

    I think it was Nassim Taleb who said: all models are wrong, some are useful.

16. No one wants to change, it really is a case of ‘can’t someone else do it’. We are caught up in our lives that we can’t see the problems raving towards us. We are trying to make incremental changes (with good reason as it is the best way to make long term change) but it is not enough. The changing weather patterns are going to make growing food a lot more uncertain. And when food prices rises to cover the costs it will kick off another series of problems.

    It is going to happen, there was a lot of can kicking for centuries and decades before. So why not us as well, last generations did it and as far as they are concerned they did the best they could. So enjoy your life and try not to make other people miserable.

17. To be honest, there is nothing that we do on an individual level that will make a jot of different. The biggest corporations in the world are the ones that should be pressured by the people to make changes to save this planet. Unfortunately capitalism has such a grasp on this planet that profits will always come before the people. And as those most affected by climate change are in third world countries or developing nations, we as a society tend not to care until it comes to our doorstep. So, all in all, we’re fucked.

18. Our current political systems aren’t build to deal with risk. Some will say that it’s just for long term risk, but COVID shows us it’s both. We need politicians that are literate in risk analysis and planning. We then need to form institutions that work within risk frameworks and direct other government bodies.

19. No

20. Honestly, no. I’m not so worried. I think our kids will grow up in a much better world that’s not so obsessed with individualism and consumerism. There’s a lot of joy to be had in the ‘less is more’ attitude, especially on the community level. I don’t think if you lived in Denmark you’d feel that our species is doing nothing. Quite the opposite. It’s only our government is sticking to their sick economic models to try solve climate change which is why nothing is happening at scale here. Greta Thunberg is your kids future, and it looks pretty great.

    And I sort of assume the good scientists and engineers working on climate change will produce the necessary solutions and have them in their back pocket for whenever the political will is there to get things done. And that political will come when either the first climate change refugees start showing up, or (and it saddens me to say this), the ‘boomer’ generation dies off.

    It’s not that there aren’t the usual trashy people in younger generations that don’t care about the planet. But it seems to be a universal contempt in older generations. The Jeremy Clarkson, it’s all a joke attitude of having never grown up. I’m lucky enough to have all 4 grand parents still alive and I have to say, I’m disgusted by the zero effort they put in. Everything is about convenience. Single use, throwaway. Even if they’d save money by having better insulation or whatever they don’t care.

    I’m sure it’s the same in the US with Trump supporters. That once a new generation takes over that actually gives a shit^TM , that not only will there be large scale action on climate change, but the very act of doing so will make other areas of human life better.

21. Have the child and teach them about climate change. They will be aware and responsible adults who can cancel out the idiots.

22. Yes i worried but i think im wasting my time when everyone goes on 3 foreign holidays a year and everyone drives big 2litre jeeps..

23. I tend to not worry over things I can’t change so no.

24. Not since I decided not to have kids. I know I’m gonna be the last of my family and I couldn’t give a shit about what happens after I’m gone anymore. I don’t use that as an excuse to be a dick and not recycle etc, I still do my little part etc etc etc, but like most other replies I know people at large simply won’t change and will end up destroying themselves….and I’m OK with that now

25. I try not to think about it but my generation is fucked. My mother made this really ignorant comment once about it. We were talking about how in 2050 that Ireland might become flooded and she said “I’ll be long gone by then”. That’s the type of attitude the younger generation has to put up with. I honestly wish I was born in the 1980s because I would’ve gotten the best of both worlds.

26. Smile at the face of death brethren.

27. A lot of people are suffering from burnout/apathy on the whole climate change subject, but I like this Kurzgesagt video which puts it into a bit of perspective and offers some good news on the subject. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxgMdjyw8uw

28. We’re fucked

29. I should not have started reading this thread… that’s the rest of Saturday ruined hahaha

    To answer the question tho…yes I am very worried. I have 2 kids and worry about the world they will be in when they older.
    I’d love to do something about it climate change/conservation but no idea where to start.

30. I think if you are coming to Reddit to answer if you should have a child or not most likely you already know the answer and are just here for validation.

    In hopes that you might be talked out of your downward spiral before it is too late, if you have children and educate them is that going to make humanity better or worse?

    The rock will be spinning around the big fusion reactor in the sky for a long time after we are gone. Don’t worry about the planet but so much but do try and humanity a bit kinder to humanity.

31. No not one bit

32. Would it help?

33. Not really. The country may have to change strategy from an open economy to a more self-sufficient one, which would take some time and pain. However we have an educated group of lads here so if there is an impetus to change I believe we as a country will do so.

34. Definitely. It’s going to be disastrous. I really feel for all the world’s wildlife, we share the planet with them and we’ve absolutely destroyed it for them. Taken away their habitats, ruined their environment and destroyed food sources. That’s on top of the already horrific poaching that goes on. They didn’t deserve it.

    Let’s not act like all of humanity is to blame either. It must be pretty confusing to hear for a poor farmer in India or Africa that they’re at fault for climate change when they’re probably barely scrapping to get by every day. Then you look at the north americans and Europeans with our dinner full of meat imported, our McMansions being heated by fossil fuels and our massively over sized SUV’s that we don’t need.

35. Nah, sleeping well. The extra green tax is not redirected to any real renewable project.
    Irish people already said No to many carbon neutral tech.
    No to nuclear
    No to windmils
    No to solar “near by”
    And the biggest reason is – “ ring down the value of my house”

    Humanity will survive a climate disater , but not our civilisation
    We will perish as did Egyptians and Romans

    Humans will still be here

36. In my 30s, not looking like I’ll be having any kids, will be dead in less than 50s years, good luck to the rest of yas!

37. The only way I see forward is nuclear energy, renewables can’t put enough of a dent in energy demand and they can’t provide a reliable consistent amount of power.

38. That’s a poor excuse for not wanting kids when your SO wants kids.

39. I’m more worried about the Greens being in government than climate change.

    To be honest, I just look at the people who are telling the rest of us we need to be taxed more to solve this issue. None of them are living in a way that would suggest that they believe there’s an impending disaster coming. I find it very difficult to take it seriously as a result.

40. Ah yes Famine. right on time.

    After Plague and war

41. 1.1 bilion Chinese don’t give a fuck why should I.
    I’ll try my best clean river when kayaking, trying not over heating my house, don’t spent much money on clothes but don’t care about climate change we get what we get just don’t care

42. Alot of pessimistic people around today. Life will go on, we will adapt like we always have. You have zero control over it, don’t worry about it, don’t stress about it. Live your life the best you can, have kids if you want (who knows, your kid might be one to solve these issues in the future).

43. Squirt one into her. And turn off the news, you’ll be happy you did.

44. I’m worried I won’t be able to save for a deposit fast enough to get a house in Maynooth before it becomes beachfront property and the price goes up again

45. Oh my good god. Is this r/Ireland or some whiny/whingy thread. If you find the situation worrying, then get up and do something! Do it yourself, influence your family and neighbours, educate your children, work in a domain that allows you to make a difference. Stop over consuming, start thinking, and never give up! If everyone were to think this way, we’d be well on the way towards reversing this!

46. Climate change is a middle class problem.