How Not To Worry?

[Cocobanana]

Today in my Astronomy class, the teacher continued his lecture about the planets local to our solar system. After finishing up with Venus... it was time to discuss Earth. This is where the feared 'global warming' rears its ugly head. He provided statistics that say the CO2 levels are higher now than they've been in the history of our planet. The water has been getting steadily warmer all over; even if some patches of the globe have been uncharacteristically cold instead of hot, the overall temperature has been getting hotter with more heat records than cold ones.

While listening to all of this, all I can think about is... well, how do you move on from here? It's like being put in check when you only have a pawn and a king on your side of the chessboard. When I was a child, adults would always tell me that I would worry less as I got older but the opposite has been true... maybe I should have been drinking more this whole time?

There are all sorts of special interest groups today championing rights for this or government funding for that, but shouldn't the focus be on saving our planet so we can be alive to nitpick?

https://www.skepticalscience.com/global-warming-not-slowing-its-speeding-up.html (This isn't a link the teacher used but one I found to be easier to read)

How do you guys prevent yourself from worrying about a potential real global catastrophe without the use of alcohol or religion? If your answer is that you haven't found a way to quit over-worrying then I apologize for any additional anxiety I'm stirring up needlessly here.

 

[Benji]

Focus on the now, on the things you can actually control.

 

[Cocobanana]

Focus on the now, on the things you can actually control.

That sounds heavenly, but it seems irresponsible. Or do you mean focus as in not completely forget the other stuff but just not put as much effort into worrying as I do on improving myself?

 

[Benji]

That sounds heavenly, but it seems irresponsible. Or do you mean focus as in not completely forget the other stuff but just not put as much effort into worrying as I do on improving myself?

Well, if you're anything like me--forgetting isn't an option. I still have days that I have to curl up in bed and shut out the world. The point is finding a mental place where you can get up and doing something positive rather than remain incapacitated.

 

[Cassedy]

I simply hope that whatever species takes our place would take a better care of planet. Our civilisation could be first here, but shouldn't be the last.

 

[Fiab]

The point is finding a mental place where you can get up and doing something positive rather than remain incapacitated.

Pretty much this. As well if you feel strongly about something you're worrying about, by starting to get involved in finding a solution to the problem can also help ease the worrying. Not saying going from 0 to 120 in 2.2 seconds, but even small things in the beginning help out a lot.

 

[Kazooie]

From my current understanding of climate change, our overconsumption of limited resources, and the continual growth of our population, my outlook ~50 years from now is pretty grim.

Two realistic things I figure I can do about it: push for sustainability, and to not have kids.

Apart from those two courses of action, I don't really worry about it too much; there's no point - way too many factors at work.

 

[Ayattar]

You shouldn't worry, as effects wil be visible when you'll be long gone.

Also...
Climate on Earth was changing periodically even without influence of homo sapiens. Glacial eras lasted from 100 k to 300 k years whilst interglacial eras lasted from 15 k to 220 k years.. It's believed that current interglacial era will last from 28k to 50k years (right now it's 12 k years).
Now about interglacial eras. Interglacial eras are divided into warmer and cooler periods. Right now we're in between, because our warmer period just begun. Now about periodisation of cooler and warmer eras in Europe in last 2000 years (and I'll corelate it with history):
I-IV century - warmer period average temperature 2-3 *C higher than world's average (blooming of the meditrerranean civilisations)
V - VIII century - cooler period, with average temperature 2-3 lower than world's average (migration period aka barbarian invasion caused by nothing else than hunger - tribes from the north pushed south, to warmer regions causing chain reaction - like domino effect)
VIII - XIII century - warmer period with average temperature 2-3 *C higher than wolrds' average. Development of northen european countries, colonisation of Greenland et cetera
XIV - XIX century - cooler period with average temperature 2-3 * C lower than world's average with short warmer period in XVI century. During that period there was no problem with going over the frozen Baltic Sea on foot from Poland to Sweden. And right now during the winter there is no ice in the southern part of the sea at all. Also Greenland was abandoned (5-6 *C difference between the eras, and for fauna and flora even 1 *C is a huge defference - means shorter or longer growing season, and for some plants even one week matters)

Since the beginning of XX century we have warmer period, but it's only beginning. Current average temperature is still lower than in previous warmer periods in periods of the biggest intensity. Really, you shouldn't worry about global warming at all. Right now this massive hysteria caused by various groups predicting catastrophe is nothing else than a way of making money.

Source: I could link you up, but it's not in english. In one of my works I used a report on climate change made by the Polish Institute of Metheorology and Water Administration. But I suppose that there are similar reports made by other Institutes from around the world.

 

[Misomie]

I like to imagine that there was life on Venus until they screwed it up, lol. Ah, there is a petition floating around to lower the temperature of the sun. You can sign it if it makes you feel any better.

 

[funky3000]

I like to imagine that there was life on Venus until they screwed it up, lol. Ah, there is a petition floating around to lower the temperature of the sun. You can sign it if it makes you feel any better.

It hurts to think that level of stupid even exists. They realize how unfeasable that is?

Anyway maybe something that could help you is to just forget about it. Its not going to affect our generation, and chances are by the time it gets bad either we'll have the tech to evacuate earth, or lots of special aircraft made to collect carbon out of greenhouse gasses for use in artificial coal, diamonds, or graphene and nanotubes.

Yea, I like to think on the tech side of things and have faith in the future of technology. I dunno how you work though, just throwing my method out there if you want to try it.

 

[Hooky]

We can't really do such things: destruction is indicative of the human race. What's the point of worrying if we're all going to die anyway?

 

[funky3000]

We can't really do such things: destruction is indicative of the human race. What's the point of worrying if we're all going to die anyway?

Prolonged existence of the human species? That's a good reason to worry, I can assume at least most of us want our species (or ourselves if lifespan increasing technology gets that far) to last as long as we can make it.

 

[Hooky]

Prolonged existence of the human species? That's a good reason to worry, I can assume at least most of us want our species (or ourselves if lifespan increasing technology gets that far) to last as long as we can make it.

I get your point; however, wouldn't our existence - or existence of any other civilisation - bring even more destructive events to occur, thus creating a long stream of panic and catastrophes? If I knew how to stop worrying about these things, I would have done so already. As it lies, this is my greatest compromise.

 

[Jabberwocky]

there really is no reason to freak out about it.
if our race gets eradicated after I'm dead, oh well.

 

[Khaki]

Because humanity will adapt and survive like it always does.

 

[Xela-Dasi]

You shouldn't worry, as effects wil be visible when you'll be long gone.

Also...
Climate on Earth was changing periodically even without influence of homo sapiens. Glacial eras lasted from 100 k to 300 k years whilst interglacial eras lasted from 15 k to 220 k years.. It's believed that current interglacial era will last from 28k to 50k years (right now it's 12 k years).
Now about interglacial eras. Interglacial eras are divided into warmer and cooler periods. Right now we're in between, because our warmer period just begun. Now about periodisation of cooler and warmer eras in Europe in last 2000 years (and I'll corelate it with history):
I-IV century - warmer period average temperature 2-3 *C higher than world's average (blooming of the meditrerranean civilisations)
V - VIII century - cooler period, with average temperature 2-3 lower than world's average (migration period aka barbarian invasion caused by nothing else than hunger - tribes from the north pushed south, to warmer regions causing chain reaction - like domino effect)
VIII - XIII century - warmer period with average temperature 2-3 *C higher than wolrds' average. Development of northen european countries, colonisation of Greenland et cetera
XIV - XIX century - cooler period with average temperature 2-3 * C lower than world's average with short warmer period in XVI century. During that period there was no problem with going over the frozen Baltic Sea on foot from Poland to Sweden. And right now during the winter there is no ice in the southern part of the sea at all. Also Greenland was abandoned (5-6 *C difference between the eras, and for fauna and flora even 1 *C is a huge defference - means shorter or longer growing season, and for some plants even one week matters)

Since the beginning of XX century we have warmer period, but it's only beginning. Current average temperature is still lower than in previous warmer periods in periods of the biggest intensity. Really, you shouldn't worry about global warming at all. Right now this massive hysteria caused by various groups predicting catastrophe is nothing else than a way of making money.

Source: I could link you up, but it's not in english. In one of my works I used a report on climate change made by the Polish Institute of Metheorology and Water Administration. But I suppose that there are similar reports made by other Institutes from around the world.

Stick to that theory and you're okay, OP

 

[dialup]

I worry about everything, including topics like this. Some coping mechanisms from therapy I've learned is things like surrounding yourself with positivity. Avoid things that upset you. It doesn't make you ill informed if you need to take a break from issues that concern you once in a while.