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 !
We’re so thoroughly screwed, that it’s the best I can do to get through the day without having a massive panic attack about it.
I try not to talk about it in real life because everyone is so in denial or like me, can’t deal with the fact that we’re still pretending “this is fine” while the house is on fire.
Yeah. There isn’t any good news on the topic. It does look grim. But, the sun’s out at the moment. Focus on now.
If you’ve never considered therapy, here is a sign to talk to somebody professionally. In my experience, existential dread is best discussed with building up a foundation of good mental health practices. A couple of more specific thoughts:
Every generation of humans have thought they’d be the last. We are a resourceful species.
What does the future hold? How will climate change impact our lives? It’s really unknown at this point. All the articles and science in the world is educated speculation.
There are new technologies being created but in a lot of ways the pandemic showed us that people really cannot seem to get it together. If you are passionate about the environment, there is many areas of activism and volunteering to get involved with.
Ultimately, you cannot control what happens with the climate or the future. A lot of times anxiety can come from situations we can’t control but so much of life is out of our hands. Learning to live in the moment and go with the flow is an art.
I appreciate the advice and I am considering therapy right now.
I’m unsure about returning to my previous “carpe diem”-esque lifestyle, because at the moment I am pretty convinced that disaster is coming within the decade and I’m afraid that every moment will be tainted by this fear. I also don’t know if I want to talk to other people about this, because I don’t want to push this onto them and make them feel the same way as I do now.
And yes, every generation thought they’d be the last but I do think ours is in a bit of a more dire situation. Maybe that’s just a dumb take on my part, but that’s how I feel at the moment.
Sorry for basically dumping all my yucky feelings right now but I guess it had to come out somehow and I’m not waking up my roommate at 4AM
If you can’t stop the (possible) coming disasters, what’s the point in paralyzing yourself with fear? Do what you reasonably can to prepare, and enjoy the life that you have now while it’s here.
Things will certainly get worse, and disasters will happen in the coming decades, but the end is not right around the corner. The decline will be slow, and it’s still possible that solutions, or at least mitigations, will be found. Look for little ways to contribute something positive, and try to appreciate the moment.
Every generation was convinced that their fears was the real one, and all past fears were just irrational. There is no reason to think that this has changed.
It is also important to note that some past fears were arguably just as extreme if not worse than current fears. After all, a massive nuclear war was a real possibility. It never meant that people had to put everything down and just wait for death.
Disaster IS coming within the decade. Disaster is coming this week, this summer, this year to someone, somewhere. But the thing is, disaster has always been a very common and normal part of the human experience. It doesn’t happen to everyone, everywhere, all at once. (See what I did there? ;)
When I was in high school, the chemical factory where my mother worked had an explosion that killed three people and started a fire that threatened to kill both my mom and my dad who was working at a nearby factory. For nearly a decade of my life afterward, PTSD convinced me that nothing was worth doing because it would all just end at any second anyway.
I really missed out on a large chunk of my young adult life because I was stuck in my own head about it. A lot of cognitive behavior therapy and I learned how to live in a world where disasters are part of it.
I went on to do crazy things like live on a Caribbean island for six years. That was later leveled by a Cat 5 hurricane. But all my friends and the vast majority of the general public there were fine! And five years later, life there is right back to normal.
Humans are resilient. To quote one of my favorite Crystal Method songs: There is hope.
Try therapy. It’s great.
People are giving really solid advice in this thread, things I wish I could have learned 20 years ago.
Also, for every bad story there are good ones you don’t hear everyday. Check out this creator on Tiktok who posts good news stories every day, specifically there’s a lot of good climate news on today
Not sure if this helps at all, but you’re not alone: I feel a sense of dread every time I find myself holding an empty plastic container.
It might feel like you’re sticking your head in the sand, but what I do – and what I suggest for people suffering from climate anxiety – is actively avoid reading reports like that. Sure, they’re informative (and it’s important to stay informed), but at the end of the day it’s not worth your mental health.
If there’s one thing we know about the problem of climate change at this point (despite what massive corporate contributors have tried to tell us) it’s that you as an individual cannot fix it and you did not contribute very much to it. Plus: you already know it’s bad. Those statistics are meant for people whose minds and behavior will be changed by them.
Instead of reading reports that are informative (but unhelpful), spend time researching who to vote for, how to get involved with organizations who are making change, and which companies are truly focused on sustainability so you can vote with your money.
Climate change is an unfortunate reality and you’ll never feel good about it, but you can feel better if you’re focusing on what you can change.
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!
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!
I feel a sense of dread every time I find myself holding an empty plastic container.
Niche thing to break out given the context, but the best purchase I’ve made in the past decade is a SodaStream, a couple of extra carbonating bottles and an inline water filter for the kitchen sink.
I didn’t realize how much of my aggregate shopping mass came from paying usurious prices to have water from somewhere else delivered via fossil fuel to a store so I could pick each bottle up once from the shelf, again from my cart to checkout, again to get it back in the cart, again to put it in the vehicle, again from the vehicle to the pile outside the front door, again to bring it inside for final staging, again to put it in the fridge, and finally, again, to drink it. And 99 cents for the privilege.
(It’s now two cents a litre thanks to a 10-pound tank + adapter.)
Being easier on the planet can save time, money and effort, even though it looks somehow less convenient on the surface.
I don’t have a lot of words because I’m in the same boat, but I’m really sorry that you’re having to go through this. :-(
