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"Climate change, protecting the environment and natural disasters topped the list of most respondents on a personal level, but less than three in ten of both th

"Climate change, protecting the environment and natural disasters topped the list of most respondents on a personal level, but less than three in ten of both the Millennial and Gen Z cohorts cited it as a worry." This is surprising. As a Gen Z-er this highlights the kind of bubble I find myself in- my friend group is almost universally in a state of despair about the collapsing biosphere. Climate change and mass extinction are the chief reasons I am pessimistic about my life.

john_moscow 7y ago
Are you sure? Does the climate change affect your personal life more than inability to afford reasonable real estate or kid-related expenses off most today's salaries?
- CryptoBanker 7y ago
  Some people are able to look past their own noses and think about other generations and what their descendents' lives might look like. That weighs heavily on some people
  - deckar01 7y ago
    It shouldn't weigh so heavily that people give up on their future, never settle down, and never own a home. The article says these generations' primary aspiration was to travel. That is naive and wasteful. It isn't a choice between greed and saving the planet, it is a choice between making responsible financial decisions and having fun. You can make responsible financial decisions while making responsible environmental decisions.
    - asdff 7y ago
      I'm sure saving up 2k to go to Spain one summer is really going to put a dent on a home. 5% down on the median home in my area is 30k now.
      - deckar01 7y ago
        If your housing market is that messed up, then your rental market is probably even worse. Not being wasteful just because it is easier than being responsible is the entire point of my original comment. Spending money on things you can "afford" that make you happy now instead of saving for things that you need and will give you a sustainable life is short sighted.
  - refurb 7y ago
    Who knows what the future holds? We could solve climate change then all be wiped out by a mutated virus. Worrying about it doesn't help.
- rootoor 7y ago
  For me personally, it does. However, I am not a typical member of gen z due to my high salary. Most of my friends, who all make much less than me, are more worried about immediate needs but climate change is a dark cloud looming over their heads
  - pureliquidhw 7y ago
    I think this is an under-appreciated sentiment/perspective. A darker take on "Ignorance is bliss." Who has time to worry about tomorrow when they struggle to get through today?
- notabee 7y ago
  The severe consequences of business as usual emissions with no mitigation will easily be felt within the lifespan of even the oldest Millennials and probably a great deal of Gen X. Gen Z and Millennials' children are looking at inheriting a hellscape of famine, unprecedented extreme weather, and forced migrations to escape unlivable crumbling infrastructure that has never been maintained to standards from decades ago, let alone to a level that will withstand the new conditions. Here's just one example of a single point of failure that could cause a global economic shock. There are certainly many more such shocks on the way: https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/If-Old-River-Control-Structure-Fails-Catastrophe-Global-Impact https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/If-Old-River-Control-Struc...
- makerofspoons 7y ago
  I live in a low COL city, so most of my friends and myself are doing pretty well. Most of us, also including myself, are not planning on having children due to pessimism about the latter half of this century so child-rearing costs aren't really a concern.
jakeogh 7y ago
In elementary (late 80's) were constantly propagandized that the whales were going to be extinct, the ozone layer was going to be gone, and killer bees were going to get us all. Not a peep of optimism that we could solve problems. It was presented as inevitable. There are strong forces that need people to be in a constant state of worry. Power is derived from it.
- gmanley 7y ago
  The ozone hole actually existed and was solved by legislation. If people weren't panicking about it I don't think that would of happened. I'm not sure why you are calling it propaganda.
- wcoenen 7y ago
  The panic about the ozone layer was the correct response. It lead to the Montreal protocol which banned CFCs. Quote from a NASA page[1] about what would have happened without that CFC ban: > By 2040, the ozone hole is global. The UV index in mid-latitude cities reaches 15 around noon on a clear summer day (10 is considered extreme today). [1] https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/38685/the-ozone-layer-if-cfcs-hadnt-been-banned https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/38685/the-ozone-lay...
  - refurb 7y ago
    China laughs at your Montreal protocol. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/03/climate/china-ozone-cfcs.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/03/climate/china-ozone-cfcs....
- MrRadar 7y ago
  > There are strong forces that need people to be in a constant state of worry. Power is derived from it. Who is "deriving power" from sounding the climate change alarm? The people with the most power (the wealthy) seem to be trying to silence/defund/disempower the entire scientific community over it.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
refurb 7y ago
Climate change and mass extinction are the chief reasons I am pessimistic about my life. Can you name another time in recent history where the end of the world wasn't near? WW1, Great Depression, WW2, Mutually Assured Destruction, Swine flu, AIDS, Cuban missile crisis, etc, etc. The correct answer is it's always been this way and what we're going through right now isn't really all that new.
- rootoor 7y ago
  I don’t think it is fair to compare climate change to those previous issues and conflicts you mentioned. The fact that our society is dependent on destroying the environment and all of the related politics is a much more difficult set problems to solve than a overblown disease scare, war, or geopolitical struggle.
- icegreentea2 7y ago
  As a millennial, at least one thing that is different is that we all grew up in that brief period when the world wasn't ending. We grew up in the 90s and early noughts, when ya, there were problems, but they all seemed containable. It seemed like the adults generally knew what they were doing, and could be counted on the to the right thing. I'd also argue (with no real basis of course) that the type of dread that climate change and mass extinction invokes is possibly of a different kind than most of the crises that you listed.
  - Domenic_S 7y ago
    > the world wasn't ending. We grew up in the 90s and early noughts, when ya, there were problems, but they all seemed containable Here are some things I remember from that time off the top of my head: We were on the brink of environmental collapse as CFCs were destroying the ozone layer Acid rain was going to destroy lakes, trees, rivers, eventually killing us all HIV was not well understood and very very scary Waco/Branch Davidians siege The Oklahoma City bombing The Unabomber Desert Storm The Bosnian War of course, 9/11 > It seemed like the adults generally knew what they were doing, and could be counted on the to the right thing. I wager that's an artifact of youth, it seems to me we all think the times when we grew up were easy to understand, everything's going great, etc.
CM30 7y ago
Not that surprising. People tend to focus on their own personal/economic issuea rather than larger problems in the world as a whole. If you're struggling to pay rent, find a good job, keep up with others, get political representation etc, then stuff like global warming won't really register by comparison. On the other hand, I suspect those with decent living conditions are probably more panicked about stuff like climate change. Feels you can focus more on big picture issues if your immediate lifestyle is going somewhat to plan.
- Domenic_S 7y ago
  Another possibility: it's more comforting to funnel the anxiety you feel about your immediate lifestyle into something so huge no one person can change it.

john_moscow 7y ago

Are you sure? Does the climate change affect your personal life more than inability to afford reasonable real estate or kid-related expenses off most today's salaries?

CryptoBanker 7y ago
Some people are able to look past their own noses and think about other generations and what their descendents' lives might look like. That weighs heavily on some people
- deckar01 7y ago
  It shouldn't weigh so heavily that people give up on their future, never settle down, and never own a home. The article says these generations' primary aspiration was to travel. That is naive and wasteful. It isn't a choice between greed and saving the planet, it is a choice between making responsible financial decisions and having fun. You can make responsible financial decisions while making responsible environmental decisions.
  - asdff 7y ago
    I'm sure saving up 2k to go to Spain one summer is really going to put a dent on a home. 5% down on the median home in my area is 30k now.
    - deckar01 7y ago
      If your housing market is that messed up, then your rental market is probably even worse. Not being wasteful just because it is easier than being responsible is the entire point of my original comment. Spending money on things you can "afford" that make you happy now instead of saving for things that you need and will give you a sustainable life is short sighted.
- refurb 7y ago
  Who knows what the future holds? We could solve climate change then all be wiped out by a mutated virus. Worrying about it doesn't help.
rootoor 7y ago
For me personally, it does. However, I am not a typical member of gen z due to my high salary. Most of my friends, who all make much less than me, are more worried about immediate needs but climate change is a dark cloud looming over their heads
- pureliquidhw 7y ago
  I think this is an under-appreciated sentiment/perspective. A darker take on "Ignorance is bliss." Who has time to worry about tomorrow when they struggle to get through today?
notabee 7y ago
The severe consequences of business as usual emissions with no mitigation will easily be felt within the lifespan of even the oldest Millennials and probably a great deal of Gen X. Gen Z and Millennials' children are looking at inheriting a hellscape of famine, unprecedented extreme weather, and forced migrations to escape unlivable crumbling infrastructure that has never been maintained to standards from decades ago, let alone to a level that will withstand the new conditions. Here's just one example of a single point of failure that could cause a global economic shock. There are certainly many more such shocks on the way: https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/If-Old-River-Control-Structure-Fails-Catastrophe-Global-Impact https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/If-Old-River-Control-Struc...
makerofspoons 7y ago
I live in a low COL city, so most of my friends and myself are doing pretty well. Most of us, also including myself, are not planning on having children due to pessimism about the latter half of this century so child-rearing costs aren't really a concern.

jakeogh 7y ago

In elementary (late 80's) were constantly propagandized that the whales were going to be extinct, the ozone layer was going to be gone, and killer bees were going to get us all. Not a peep of optimism that we could solve problems. It was presented as inevitable. There are strong forces that need people to be in a constant state of worry. Power is derived from it.

gmanley 7y ago
The ozone hole actually existed and was solved by legislation. If people weren't panicking about it I don't think that would of happened. I'm not sure why you are calling it propaganda.
wcoenen 7y ago
The panic about the ozone layer was the correct response. It lead to the Montreal protocol which banned CFCs. Quote from a NASA page[1] about what would have happened without that CFC ban: > By 2040, the ozone hole is global. The UV index in mid-latitude cities reaches 15 around noon on a clear summer day (10 is considered extreme today). [1] https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/38685/the-ozone-layer-if-cfcs-hadnt-been-banned https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/38685/the-ozone-lay...
- refurb 7y ago
  China laughs at your Montreal protocol. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/03/climate/china-ozone-cfcs.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/03/climate/china-ozone-cfcs....
MrRadar 7y ago
> There are strong forces that need people to be in a constant state of worry. Power is derived from it. Who is "deriving power" from sounding the climate change alarm? The people with the most power (the wealthy) seem to be trying to silence/defund/disempower the entire scientific community over it.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]

refurb 7y ago

Climate change and mass extinction are the chief reasons I am pessimistic about my life. Can you name another time in recent history where the end of the world wasn't near? WW1, Great Depression, WW2, Mutually Assured Destruction, Swine flu, AIDS, Cuban missile crisis, etc, etc. The correct answer is it's always been this way and what we're going through right now isn't really all that new.

rootoor 7y ago
I don’t think it is fair to compare climate change to those previous issues and conflicts you mentioned. The fact that our society is dependent on destroying the environment and all of the related politics is a much more difficult set problems to solve than a overblown disease scare, war, or geopolitical struggle.
icegreentea2 7y ago
As a millennial, at least one thing that is different is that we all grew up in that brief period when the world wasn't ending. We grew up in the 90s and early noughts, when ya, there were problems, but they all seemed containable. It seemed like the adults generally knew what they were doing, and could be counted on the to the right thing. I'd also argue (with no real basis of course) that the type of dread that climate change and mass extinction invokes is possibly of a different kind than most of the crises that you listed.
- Domenic_S 7y ago
  > the world wasn't ending. We grew up in the 90s and early noughts, when ya, there were problems, but they all seemed containable Here are some things I remember from that time off the top of my head: We were on the brink of environmental collapse as CFCs were destroying the ozone layer Acid rain was going to destroy lakes, trees, rivers, eventually killing us all HIV was not well understood and very very scary Waco/Branch Davidians siege The Oklahoma City bombing The Unabomber Desert Storm The Bosnian War of course, 9/11 > It seemed like the adults generally knew what they were doing, and could be counted on the to the right thing. I wager that's an artifact of youth, it seems to me we all think the times when we grew up were easy to understand, everything's going great, etc.

CM30 7y ago

Not that surprising. People tend to focus on their own personal/economic issuea rather than larger problems in the world as a whole. If you're struggling to pay rent, find a good job, keep up with others, get political representation etc, then stuff like global warming won't really register by comparison. On the other hand, I suspect those with decent living conditions are probably more panicked about stuff like climate change. Feels you can focus more on big picture issues if your immediate lifestyle is going somewhat to plan.

Domenic_S 7y ago
Another possibility: it's more comforting to funnel the anxiety you feel about your immediate lifestyle into something so huge no one person can change it.