I'm glad I don't have any children. I can just imagine the guilt I'd feel if I did…

It's rough feeling that way. I don't blame you, OP. Climate science and the political situation around it look pretty grim right now. But I don't think humans are going to go extinct—rather it's just going to suck major ass after the 2.0°C threshold is breached.

The concerning part is that a lot of the data is the most conservative available, so as to not seem alarmist. When even that looks grim, it's hard to hold onto any hope that our planet is on track to becoming anything other than a hellscape. A lot of climate change is the result of positive feedback loops -- self-aggrivating conditions. E.g., warmer arctic climate causes the release of methane previously trapped by ice (methane is a ridiculously potent greenhouse gas... something like 30x more potent than CO₂), so its release causes the climate to warm even more, which melts more arctic ice, which releases more methane, which makes the climate warmer, which melts more arctic ice, etc...

Even if every human just suddenly got thanos-snapped out of existence right now -- no more cars, no more shipping, no more deforestation, no more industry of any kind... full stop on pollution and active environmental destruction... even then, the positive feedback loops we've set into motion aren't just going to stop on their own. The process would be slower, sure, but Earth is (rather, the things on earth that make it more than just a dead rock floating in space, are) fucked.

On the plus side, we'll only be alive long enough to see the start of the 'find out' era. It's the generation after you that's really fucked; and the generation after them that's really, REALLY fucked, rinse and repeat until humanity is an eco-dome filled with oligarchs, or just straight up extinct.

At this point we're dependent on a (series of) miracle-tier scientific breakthrough(s), or literal divine/extraterrestrial intervention. I don't see the latter two happening. Vote for candidates who give a shit about science if you think there's any hope in that route.

Take the bus, an electric bike, or an electric scooter. Yeah it doesn't do much in the grand scheme of things - but it does get you outside and exercising, which leads to better health - and it's also helpful to connect with your community when you're outside of a car.
Yes, people will mock me for saying this - but that's part of the problem. I lived in LA for years without a car, and it was totally workable and a fraction of the cost of having a car.

Periodic reminder that big oil funded the research paper four decades ago that outlined all this, then covered it up and staffed think tanks to delegitimize the well-founded concerns as they began to spring up. They fucking knew, and not only did nothing to fix or prevent it, but actively hampered others' effort, so they could keep selling gas. And hey, look at that, the planet's literally on fucking fire and ExxonMobil is pulling record profits.

I've been angry for years. You should be too. They killed us to line their pockets.

It’s tough. You’re having a rational response to a difficult future. But there are things you can do to at least help your peace of mind. Take news breaks. Meditate. Reflect on the things you are grateful for.

I am an environmental geologist and I do not have good news for you. I am also an eternal pessimist, and the two do not mix well. What I've personally found is that avoiding the news helps tremendously, especially when it comes to topics I have virtually no control over. It's not just burying my head in the sand, the news didn't used to be formatted to polarize you and force feed you fear by the bucketful like it is now. It's better for my own mental health to focus on my inner sphere, the things I can affect and have some control over. I follow my local news to a degree, I stay up on the things that impact the work I do, but otherwise I do anything and everything I can to avoid the news and I legitimately sleep better for it. I also try to impact things that will make a tangible difference to real people in my area. Think of it this way - if what you think is true (it's not that bad but it's still not good) then you and I have no way of controlling if the planet kills us and everyone else in fifty years. But what we can control is if something we do makes a difference to our neighbor. We can something that puts a smile on a friends face, or helps someone we love (or maybe we don't even know) have a better day. Those are active choices we can make and have control over.

Not saying it's for everyone, but that's what I've found helps me the most.

We're just along for the ride. The people profiting from this have all the money and aren't going to change their mind because they think they can buy a solution for just themselves.

So, like the knowledge that we all die one day no matter what happens, it just has to be something you live with. Until you don't.

i don't know if this will help, but technology is advancing at a faster rate every single day. perhaps a potential solution will appear out of these advancements