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I am terrified of climate change (beehaw.org)

submitted 1 year ago by Lumo@beehaw.org to c/chat@beehaw.org

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I'll keep this short and sweet. Some random guy on the internet compiled together and summarized a bunch of climate research papers analyzing global trends and a bunch of different slow actors that are all going to kick in soon like the permafrost in Russia or the polar ice caps etc.

While I have not yet gone through the sources the author links and quotes extensively, this still has me extremely worried and I think that unless society somehow drastically changes and devotes a significant effort in doing something about it, we're all going to die within half a century.

I'm sorry for bringing doomerism into a safe space like Beehaw, but I'm scared and I can't sleep.

Also I'm not going to link the document in question because the author goes on a rant about billionaires and greed, and while I haven't decided whether or not I agree I'm not sure the tone fits the community.

Sorry again and have a good one !

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[–] Lumo@beehaw.org 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thank you for the advice. I was planning on getting more informed on the topic so as to be able to talk to others about it better, because right now I think it would come across as incohesive rambling.

As to the part about me as an individual not being able to fix anything, while on one hand that is true and I already do what I can personally, the one thing I can try to do is to get more people involved because it feels like we're a train hurtling towards a cliff and two people on board even know where we're heading.

To be honest I am quite young and now it feels like most of the meaning in my life is ruined, and I don't think I can go back to how I was before. My plan for now is making trying my best to avert what's coming my life quest, but I don't know how that will make me.

I'm sorry for ranting but I guess I am quite emontionally distressed now, which is kind of the first time this happens to me and I don't know how to process it.

Thanks for your time and sorry again!

[–] treeantlers@beehaw.org 6 points 1 year ago

Hey, no need to apologize! This is something I’ve had a tough time with for a while, so it’s also helpful for me to articulate some of my thoughts to someone else.

As far as getting other people interested: that’s a fantastic reason to spend time learning about a topic! Good on you for taking an educational stance on something so important.

The fact that you’re new to this information about climate change does change (slightly) what I was saying previously: I’m in my 30s and I’ve been reading report after report for over a decade and only recently decided to avoid them.

The fact that you’re new to this is challenging because it’s important for you to learn about climate change, but it’s not exactly a topic that inspires hope. I’m not sure which specific report you’re referring to, but you do need to remember that there are a lot of reports out there that are really overblown and sensationalized.

Climate change is definitely a threat, but environmental science is also ridiculously complicated. It’s easy for people with little understanding of a topic to make commentary on it (and sound convincing because they’re using technical terminology!) But they may not be qualified to make the claims they’re making.

As you educate yourself, I’d stick to intro-level educational resources from universities and science organizations – they tend to be less “doom and gloom,” more focused on solutions, and they avoid making over-the-top claims.

Also, remember that climate change is, well, change. And change is scary. But the fact that the future is going to be different doesn’t mean that everything is going to become terrible one day and be terrible forever until we all die in under 100 years (which as many people have said in this thread, is extremely unlikely.) The future will have good times and bad times, just like there are now. But this kind of change means that we need to adapt and be more resilient than ever: luckily, humans are excellent at adaptation.

So don’t let this report ruin your life: you’re right that you won’t be the same again after learning about climate change, but that’s normal! It’s a part of learning and growing. “Ignorance is bliss” is a phrase for a reason: it really does suck sometimes learning about the world, because not everything about the world is blissful. But now you’re going to take climate change seriously and help others do the same, and that’s a powerful thing.

So again, focus on what you can control, maybe find some less intense resources to learn from, educate your peers so they can help move things in the right direction, and take a deep breath. You’re going to be okay!