• Question: do you think climate change can ever stop completely?

    Asked by Rosie:) to Rebecca B, Oli B, nicoleb, Louise T, James N, Isaac D, Hannah G, George F, Alan J on 9 Jan 2026.
    • Photo: Rebecca Brett

      Rebecca Brett answered on 9 Jan 2026:

      Unfortunately, I don’t think that climate change can ever stop completely. Humans have caused major changes to the climate already, and the green house gases which exist in our atmosphere will continue to trap heat for many years to come. We have also become reliant on unsustainable practices, and changing these would require a whole systems approach to production and consumption, including a lot of investment into green infrastructure.

      However, I do believe that we can slow climate change. Though it is an extreme example, we saw the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on significantly reducing air pollution in major cities, and we have seen the positive impact of the Earth Shot Prize projects in supporting regeneration at national and international levels. We have also seen the impact individual people can have, making choices which help to reduce their impact on the planet like regularly recycling or choosing to walk to an appointment, and championing climate action in their local communities.

      So although I don’t think we can stop climate change completely, I do think we as individuals (and part of larger communities) can make a big difference in reducing future temperature increases, and helping the planet to recover.

    • Photo: Louise Thurston

      Louise Thurston answered on 12 Jan 2026:

      It is really difficult to say but my opinion is that it will never stop completely, sadly 🙁
      It is a little bit like when you turned the heating off in your house, the house will stay warm for a while and the radiators are still hot to touch – even though the thing making it all hot has been turned off…

      Despite this, there is lots that can be done to reduce the impacts of climate change, like the reduction in fossil fuel emissions and a move towards more green and sustainable practices. But, this requires a lot of investment from companies and governments which they can often be resistant to.

      So even though I don’t think climate change can be stopped completely I do think there is a lot of possibility and hope for positive change!

    • Photo: Oli Burns

      Oli Burns answered on 15 Jan 2026:

      Even if we could stop all carbon emissions overnight, we’d still see the impacts of climate change for at least 100 yrs and probably more because of what we call a lag in the effects. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like we’re going to stop all emissions anytime soon, so the challenge is to try and keep people safe and protect the environment from the impacts that we will see and are already seeing, like sea level rise, flooding, drought and wildfires.

      Having said that, I do think we’re getting better at managing risk. We need more people to understand the risks and therefore work hard to reduce their emissions and put pressure on government and industry to do the same.

    • Photo: Alan Jones

      Alan Jones answered on 16 Jan 2026:

      its going to take a long time and getting all the politicians of all of the countries of the world to make the right decisions is going to take even longer. We are the ones who have created climate change, our actions over the centuries have created the mess we are in. However, if we all make little changes like putting a jumper or hoddie on when we are at home and turning the heating down will be a small step, or reducing the amount of foreign holidays and flying around the world will be an even bigger step but it needs everybody to make that choice.

Comments

  • Photo: Alex C

    Alex C commented on :

    Our climate is changing. This has happened for millions of years, with natural phenomena such as how the earth rotates around the sun.

    Then, as humans, we have significantly changed our climate for the worse. What we do from now is critical. In the recent past we have focused on what individuals can do, lots of small changes that add up to big impacts. Geographers can help create those small changes, through big thinking. How we choose to design our cities, for people and bikes rather than cars, can help create change.

    We cannot keep making climate change someone else’s problem to fix, we all have to help. It is tricky though, as changes in climate do not respect boundaries of individual countries – so we really have to tackle it together.