(12ac) Greta Thunberg, a towering teenager whose message angers adults
A film has been made about Greta Thunberg, Swedish climate activist. Like her or not but one has to admit she was a towering figure during the past years who managed to mobilise worldwide people to tell those in power that they don't want to earn even more when that means they die on a dead planet but instead protesters informed people in power they have the approval to act to reduce more damage to the environment and halt climate change. Below some commentary and extracts from the article.
Remember the UN summit in New York when an angry Ms Thunberg who says she is rarely angry, told delegates:
"People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairytales about eternal economic growth. How dare you!".
Indeed, eternal growth isn't possible because it results in greed to have always more that drives people crazy and destroys as I discussed before while economies need to be controlled such as via an automatic wage indexation system. And while her message woke-up people, it also divided:
Indeed, one side demanded actions, not only climate actions by diverting investments more quickly away from fossil fuels towards investments in cleaner energy and less energy consuming devices but also stricter international enforcement of better workers and environment rights, thus more general and not only focused on climate change and fossil fuels to save our planet. Indeed, we, and certainly middle-aged and elderly people, notice the significant decline in the numbers of animals over the past decades such as bird numbers (in the 1970s and 1980s we saw large numbers of swallows on electricity cables while now we're happy when we see a few of these birds) although we blame cats. Children however tell adults the inconvenient truth that humans and their activities are to blame.
However, other people turned away for a number of different reasons such as a woman who wrote a text below a newspaper article that she was originally sympathetic about Ms Thunberg but later thought she is scary with her message, even when she only repeats what scientists are saying since years.
But, another section is worse as they write vile message about a still underaged girl and some even make death threats. But, her reaction towards them shows she understands why they react as they do:
"When these people attack individuals - in some cases, children like me - that shows that they really have nowhere left to go."
She continues:
"They have no arguments left. This is a crisis completely based on scientific consensus, but they try to focus on something else. It is as if there was a fire and the alarm starts and they try to argue about the fire alarm instead of the actual fire."
Yes, she knows her subject as she understands the larger picture and thus that it is more than only climate change as she includes the destruction of our planet and its consequences:
"The extent of humanity's vulnerability is starkly demonstrated by the impact of Covid-19. If one virus can completely destroy economies, then that is a sign that we need to rethink things and start to live sustainably. If nothing else, Covid emphasises again that we need to listen to the science."
Indeed, new viruses, bacteria and I think also parasites such as fungi become more common of which aids, Ebola and now corona viruses are a few examples, all originating from our contact with new areas that we start to explore and exploit, combined with international traffic. Add to this destruction of crops due to more extreme weather and subsequent fighting for food and mass migration. Al Gore's film "The inconvenient truth" showed what we may expect and for this he received applause and rightly the Nobel Peace Price 2007, one year after the movie's release. But, no such price for Greta Thunberg although the Nobel Committee could have shown their appreciation by bringing the message back to the foreground. No, the Nobel Peace Price 2020 went to the UN's "World Food Program" and, although an important organisation, it exists since decades and will continue to exist while Greta Thunberg's message is fading away so the price would have revived the message as the real inconvenient truth is starting to hit us. Indeed, even intelligent people didn't want to grant a young woman recognition for an important issues so now the World Food Program is begging the world for support as people experience the consequences of climate change. I think a missed opportunity as the momentum was in front of them. Still, she won awards such as the Gulbenkian prize for humanity but donated its $1 million prize to climate groups.
Ms Thunberg is now studying for her school exams and is planning a career in the social sciences as she understands she may only be a moment in time
"All this attention isn't going to last for very long. The interest in me will soon fade away. And, really, it's not healthy at such a young age. So I need to see past it - although all the travelling was good fun."
She can also be intelligent funny by returning president Trump's tweet that tried to ridicule her as now she can use it to suggest he remains calm as he's losing the 2020 US presidential election.
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It is not the first time that I wrote about Greta Thunberg:
I defended her on 24/02/2020 that includes how I think international solidarity can tackle climate change and environmental destruction on my blog.
I also wrote on Facebook a number of times about her and how she is abused, with the most recent posts at the top:
David Attenborough finally stops showing only the good on this planet but also what goes wrong. Indeed, people need to know what we will miss when we continued to destroy, thus a balance between what we have and may no longer have without change.
We should say "Thank you Greta Thunberg" and other young climate change and by extension environmental demonstrators for bringing the urgency to the attention of the world best known naturalist so now he can show the urgency. Because scientists and students are not really trustworthy (sarcasm).
2020-02-28 - Girl appointed as opponent of Greta Thunberg
A German girl has been chosen to oppose Greta Thunberg in the hope she will attract people away from climate science towards its denial.
Indeed, societies acknowledge that fossil fuel has done a great good to are society just as wood did before fossil fuels were discovered. Still, we abandoned coal in favour of oil and later gas because the latter were cleaner. And thus now society moves forward towards an even cleaner world of renewables and cleaner gases such as hydrogen.
Still, oil and gas will still be needed but at a smaller scale as engines need oil to run smoothly while we will continue to use plastics although part will be made from recycled plastics.
Will the young generation regrets this change? Of course not as the fossil fuel industry is dirty but also employs many fewer people than it did; most if not all petrol stations are now automated while gas is transported via pipelines to houses so few drivers still transport domestic fuel oil to houses.
No, it's over for the fossil fuel industry as a main industry. And the world will be better when we no longer need to support dictators in exchange for their fossil fuels.
2020-02-23 - Greta Thunberg had a difficult time as teenager says mother
Greta Thunberg, a child born not to be a child. A depression from which she recovered to be a climate and environmental activist instead of a child she should be. Amassing how such a young woman from a minor country became such an important person in such a short time.
But, not only does this activism to warn the planet (likely a last time) to act with urgency seem to be her reason of existence, she is also mocked by mainly adult males while climate change deniers gain office in a number of important countries. Indeed, not only does she warn us about environmental disasters, it also shows that women are to be taken serious and are not only a footnote in history. The irony is that, because for one's a woman and not men warn us, many men refuse to her serious and may instead reverse many actions as is happening.
Indeed, having seen what may come destroys careers and friendships although may gain new friendships as in Greta's case. Good luck to her.
2019-12-31 - Greta Thunberg had a difficult time as teenager says father
I understand very well how illness and depression can change the course of your life, from being content with your life to living a life you have no control of.
As life changed as it did for her, I hope she continues to be a beacon that indeed the younger generation can be an inspiration for adults that change is possible.
That doesn't mean we can't fly as travelling by car also pollutes but at least that companies are forced to use the most energy efficient planes possible.
That we need to treat animals in a decent way when we may decide to continue to eat them so they have an acceptable life before death.
That we need to invest in new technologies, not only because they are cleaner and thus better for the environment and our health but also because that will be the technologies we and certainly the children of today will use in future.
2019-12-15 - Greta Thunberg forced to apologise about comments for leaders to do their job to protect people
Whatever Greta Thunberg says, rightwingers can't have it and attack a 16 year old girl as they have no counter arguments. She said:
“We will make sure that we put them against the wall and they will have to do their job to protect our futures”.
She said leaders need to take responsibility and we put them against the wall so they have to do their job, indicating they will kept alive while rightwingers think about something else.
But, I accept, many people notice danger is coming their way and instead of doing things, they are like a rabbit in the lights of an approaching car, panicking and running from right to left and back until their certain death instead of running out the light into the dark. They party until the party is over.
Still, we have solutions, scientists and entrepreneurs develop them. We only need to invest in them. Also good for the economy.
2019-09-20 - Combat climate change
Indeed, to combat climate change, in addition to reverting our housing and industries that includes cars to renewables and thus less need to use fossil fuels, we also have to restore nature to reduce the current CO2 levels. This cost little.
But, I know, it's much more financially rewarding when scientists and the industry invent things we have to buy to reduce our carbon footprint. But start with a few trees and allow nature and it will rebuild itself. Sometimes, yes, we need to help nature such as in deserts where plants have to be watered in order that they can survive. To have this water, yes, we can use human inventions, e.g. to desalt seawater in areas with too little rain.
Humans decide: climate change solutions can cost a lot or little. The later means the return of nature that we can enjoy. The installation of clean energy producers is costly but will safe money later.
2019-05-14 - Some adults abuse Greta Thunberg
Everywhere adults unite (such as in Germany's AfD) against a Swedish teenager as they can't beat her arguments while she represents youngsters who want a better world.
For people who deny climate change is happening (remember, February 2019 was extremely warm as was last year): who can be against clean air for their children and grandchildren and, if they are not important, at least for themselves? It seems some adults don't mind their descendants may suffer, probably because deniers live outside cities where the air is indeed cleaner.
The tactics? They call her a nazi sympathiser while AfD supporters and like minded are more likely to support politics that close Europe's borders to keep climate change refugees outside Europe. They should know, for this their children may have to go to the army. Although, I think they don't mind because this will make them "real" men (as likely they still think girls don't go to the army).
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