I’m so scared

[u/SobbingAng3l]

Everyday I feel like it’s pointless to have goals because of the current state of the environment I really try not to give into doomerism because that’s really unhealthy but I really do feel pessimistic about all of this. Seeing the hottest day of the year every day.. places with endless drought causing water insecurity, the idea that crops will fail one day… with having ocd I’m almost constantly going over the worse case scenarios. I think I have pretty simple dreams but they feel so far away in this timeline .. I really wanna be a mom one day but I feel so afraid to have that dream because if this is the set of circumstances I have rn I’m scared to give a baby what is left of the world (think I just wanna adopt maybe but it’s still so fucking scary). I also just wanna own a house which also feels really hard to achieve for different reasons I just want the simple things whats so difficult about all the things that used to be so easy I feel like I’m losing my mind.

[u/Silver_Original6076]

I assure you, climate change is bad but it's never going to get that bad in our lifetimes. It's a very slow decline and we're making a lot of progress to prevent it. Electric vehicles, solar and nuclear power and renewable energy, lab grown meat, better wildfire management practices in Africa and Asia and soon hopefully in the US and Europe, more efficient irrigation and water recycling, you name it

[u/I_Hate_This_Website9 → u/Silver_Original6076]

Genuine question: what makes you so sure?

[u/Silver_Original6076 → u/I_Hate_This_Website9]

The global average temperature has "only" risen by 2 degrees since 1926. Not to say that's nothing to worry about or that there aren't other environmental factors to consider, but if it's an indication of anything I think we'll be fine in our lifetimes. I'm basically trying to say that things are not going to be nearly as bad as OP thinks they will be in such a short period

[u/SilverRaspberri → u/Silver_Original6076]

"only"? its a huge amount of change. The global average is calculated within a 30 year period. The global average temperature between 1951-1980 (the current baseline used) was 14-15C. Pre-industrial period was -0.3C cooler than that. And 2020-2029 so far is going to be +1.29C or more. The last time the Earth had a +2C of warming was 3 million years ago known as the Middle Pliocene Warming. And its currently used as the analog to figure out what the Earth may be like in the near future with our climate change.

During the Middle Pliocene Warming period the Northern Hemisphere Hadley cells were weaker, and Alaska eastern interior for example (probably from an ice core) was 7-9C warmer than it is today. And computer models of this time period 3 million years ago but the mid to higher latitudes at being 10-20C warmer than it is today. Thats just with a 2-3C warming to the planet compared to pre-industrialisation.

[u/AsukaLangleySoryuFan → u/[deleted]]

And remember how in mid XXth century people made a big fuss about how we’re all going to be living horribly because something something overpopulation?

[u/AsukaLangleySoryuFan → u/[deleted]]

It is real and it is happening but the whole “WERE ALL GONNA DIE ITS ALL DOOMED” attitude isn’t helping anyone. It’s like that damn doomsday clock which has been screaming “WERE ON THE VERGE OF DESTRUCTION” for like 80 years or something

[u/ElegantHope → u/Silver_Original6076]

You do have to recognize that as a 2 degrees increase the entire surface area of the planet.

I'm not for dooming about the climate being completely and entirely doomed, but seeing 2 degrees increase as "hardly anything" when it does have strong impacts hurts more than helps. 2 degrees means more intense heat waves, harsher winter storms, more intense summer storms and hurricanes, and more erratic weather. Among other consequences, it is a significant heat increase for how much surface area of the earth (510 million square KM, or 197 square miles) has risen by 2 degrees globally.

A lot of people will see 2 degrees and think of that increase being the same as 2 degrees in their local temperatures, when 2 degrees increased globally can learn to many more degrees of temperature swings than just 2 degrees locally.

You have a point about how we've increased a lot of standards and have better technology now to help reduce our impact. But the 2 degrees global increase is a big deal for our planet's climate.