Quokk.auMost people believe climate change primarily affects others
phys.org/news/2026-01-people-climate-primarily-…
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Having a peak of 40ºC in the summer around here used to be something extraordinary, and used be in the news and in most conversations. In the last few years, having a sustained temperature above 40 for several hours during the day became the new normal and people still think that climate change is something far away…
I’ve been talking to my parents about this for 30 years.
They can see the winters are fucked up. They can see the frequency of natural disasters increasing. They say the climate changed since they were kids.
Yet, when I’m the one saying it, they reply that we will see, there are no concrete effects yet, electricification is a scam, etc. It’s so disappointing to hear.
Such idiots need to add a word - It affects others also. You are not special, you are not immune, and you are also fucked.
GammaMost people primarily believe everything bad effects others because they’ve been sheltered their whole life
hungryphrogI think it’s a bit of a “head in sand” thing too. You don’t want to believe that your home or livelihood could be destroyed, or that you or your loved ones could die, in a disaster, and/or you don’t want to take drastic actions out of fear, apathy, or feeling powerless to make any meaningful change.
I mean… Mathematically, it does? You’re just 1 single person vs billions of people who are not you. Of course it’s going to primarily affect others.
That’s not a reason to ignore it though. If you have any morals at all, it’s a reason to actively fight it.
Well yeah, it affects me, in my air conditioned, water-from-the-tap, temperate climate, stable government home much less than it affects Burmese, Bangladeshi, Congolese, Moldovan and Bolivian sub-working class women and children.
Isn’t it going to worst affect people living in the Global South and near the equator?
And Europe if/when it affects the Gulf Stream.
People available to be easily surveyed are probably on average more privileged and therefore less vulnerable.
I mean it does scare the fuck out of me how much better the weather is here but also how necessary snow is for proper soil hydration.
Was this study made on people who live outside the primarily affected areas?
☂️-Of course it primarily affects others! There’s a whole lotta others and only one me! That’s why I gotta help!
BizzleIt was 50 degrees F here last week. The trees are budding, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen in January.
I’m amused because those things are true of where I am except that it’s normal in January. I still hear people being surprised by it every year, though.
It’s definitely not normal here, usually it’s single digit temperatures in January and February
I mean it’s true, it will affect me less than most people simply for the fact that I live in a first world country with moderate climate. That doesn’t mean it won’t affect me, and even if it wasn’t affecting me at all I wouldn’t want other people to suffer from climate change.
Currently, some of the countries most directly affected by climate change are in Europe, like Spain, Switzerland, Germany and France.
Wouldn’t India and Bangladesh, for example, be worse?
In summer they get heat waves above 50º C, and I know there’s at least a river in Bangladesh that is being flooded by salt water , and agriculture is becoming impossible. And a lot of people have been dislocated as well in the last decade because of the rising waters.
I should have said “Currently, some of the countries” indeed. I’ll correct it.
The biggest difference between, let’s say Bangladesh and Germany is that in Bangladesh, most of the damage happens to people, in richer countries the damages are heavily material…
Define worse. I’m sure the developed countries will be much worse off in financial terms while developing will be far worse off in human misery.
Bangladesh already has its hands full with floods affecting millions, in addition to its other challenges. How could they cope about gets worse and more frequent every year? India already has serious water issues and huge population they already can’t handle well. Many hot areas risk regular temperatures above habitable levels. There’s no end to the serious impacts
Their comment feels like they are ignoring their cup that’s on its way to boiling, while their neighbors has already started.
When those places become inhospitable, they need to go somewhere, and if your climate is already stressed, they won’t be able to start doing anything, since it’s already too late.
If affects everyone, even when it appears it’s only your neighbours. It doesn’t affect them less, just later.
Even in mild climates it’s causing massive heat and/or chill spikes that will kill crops and destroy trees and other plants.
You’re affected, and this article is proving the point quite well with comments like yours.
Oh I’m by no means trying to imply that it’s not necessary to enact massive changes in order to fight climate change, I think it’s one of the most important things to do right now.
The ones who would be affected the most are those that aren’t even born yet.
So the headline is true in a dark kind of way
I live in the US Pacific Northwest. Of course others are being worse affected than I am. Beliefs can also be facts. Relying on everyone believing that they are the worst affected by climate change is not a good strategy.
AmbiguousPropsSure, however us PNW residents will get increasingly intense atmospheric rivers (as we’ve already seen several times this year). That’s how climate change manifests here, excessive rainfall followed by extra dry summers. A recipe for massive wildfires.
It’s the ship whose front fell of. It’s out of my environment.
This is why it’s difficult to make any change.
Berengaria_of_NavarreThe math ckecks out. If a 100 people are at risk of being affected by climate change, I am only 1% at risk and the otheres are 99% at risk. But we’re talking about billions, so the risk is even lower than that. /s
Of course. I live in the us which isn’t afraid to spend ungodly amounts of money. I’m well above sea level and not in a flood plain. I have a well insulated house with air conditioning and can afford the electric bills. I may have to spend more money but I’ll get through without too much direct impact.
Then again, I’m not a sociopath. I see the impact of climate change right in front of my face and understand how it is getting worse. I also understand how it will affect the most those who can least afford it, both in my country and around the world
I also know we are historically the worst causer of climate change and are extremely deep in climate debt. Everyone trying to “what about China?” Is full of crap just making excuses for being a deplorable human being
I mean, i live in the states. The climate has definitely gotten worse. Fires, floods, hurricanes, and tornados of unprecedented scale. I still believe the effects are primarily felt by those in underpriveleged areas. Especially in the global south.