Are You Worried About Climate Change?

[dave50]

Is it acceptable for this government to ask us to make expensive changes to our lifestykes such as buying electric cars and scrapping gas fired central heating boilers among other things and enshrining in law that we must be carbon neutral by some arbitrary date when no other country on the planet has made such promises. Add this to the fact we only produce 2% of worlds emissions. Are we cutting our own throats to prove how virtuous we are while the biggest polluters of the world carry on as normal?

[ichkeria]

Perhaps you don't read the news: the idea is that all countries are supposed to produce a plan for reducing emissions by the time of the COP conference in Glasgow in the autumn.
Notning to do with going it alone or picking on people to but electric cars. That sort of micro-management won't work. Maybe none of it will work, but at least that is the plan. The UK isn't the only country involved in this or affected.

[bobbinwales]

Agree 100% ickeria. Anyway we cant all just wait and say we wont do anything until everyone else does.

[dannyk13]

Not worried for myself but certainly worried about the future for my great grandchildren

[Bobbisox1]

I believe we are ahead of the rest , we’ve cut emissions by 45%, we appear to be doing our bit but a lot aren’t

[douglas9401]

I'll think about doing my bit once the warranty is up on my new boiler.

10 years mind.

[eve74]

No - I’m not at all worried.

[ToraToraTora]

"Are we cutting our own throats to prove how virtuous we are while the biggest polluters of the world carry on as normal? " - yes that is a fair assessment, if we cut our emissions to zero it won't notice. That's why I always encourage the activists to go and protest in places that can make a difference, eg India, China, USA etc.

[beso]

Dave50 demonstrates exactly the kind of ignorance that is the problem. No knowledge and zero regard for the facts combined with a compulsion to assert their misinformed opinion.

A sad case of the Dunning-Kruger Effect.

[ToraToraTora]

ok genius, explain how UK can make any difference?

[Gromit]

Not sure where you are getting your information from, but it is hugely out of date.

// this government to ask us to make expensive changes to our lifestyles such as buying electric cars //

// the biggest polluters of the world carry on as normal //

There are 450,000 electric cars on UK roads.
There are 4,700,000 electric cars on China’s roads.

[naomi24]

No. There's no point in worrying about it. If what we're told is true at best we can only delay the inevitable - and even with every effort this country may make unless the rest of the world follows suit then that is pretty much futile too. Que sera ....

[ToraToraTora]

gromit, electric cars are not the only measure of greenness, especially in China as most of their power comes from coal. They are building hundreds of new coal power stations as we speak, not sure that's a brilliant example.

[Gromit]

TTT,
China generates 1,398,207 GWh of renewable energy.
The UK generates 87,000 GWh of renewable energy.

[Gromit]

While China is the worlds biggest polluter, they are also the country doing the most to reduce their emissions. The are investing the most in green energy production, and they are making the most energy efficient goods, from cars to solar panels.

[beso]

Also consider the fact that China is manufacturing a very large proportion of all the goods in the world.

[naomi24]

But they're still the biggest polluter ....

[jim360]

We are capable of causing this mess. We are capable of cleaning it up.

[beso]

The UK is very high on the list of total contribution to historical emissions due to massive reliance coal burnt in hideously inefficient technology during the Industrial Revolution.

Fact is that the UK got rich by burning coal and it is appropriate that some considerable part of the that wealth be invested in the renewable energy revolution. In fact it is a tiny proportion of all wealth.

Countries that don't will be left behind and pay very dearly for the lost opportunity.

[SparklyKid]

No, I am with China on this, could not give a rat's behind.

[naomi24]

//We are capable of causing this mess. We are capable of cleaning it up. //

Not without changing our lifestyle very, very significantly - and that simply isn't going to happen. To believe otherwise is unrealistic.