Greta: the climate campaigner we need
Greta Thunberg shot suddenly into the public eye campaigning for the climate. Despite the constant barrage of criticism, she’s still the right person to take on the world.
Greta Thunberg took action outside the Swedish Parliament, aged 15. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
TOM JENKINS
Prefers tea.
It started with Skolstrejk för klimatet. In 2018, aged 15, Greta Thunberg took action outside the Swedish Parliament, advocating for radical attitude shifts towards global warming.
Soon, 20,000 students followed in the path she’d forged, striking in over 270 cities globally.
But amongst the ensuing media flurry, UN and WEF speeches, and even becoming Time’s Person of the Year, a tornado of criticism was swirling.
She was accused of having an “anger management problem” by Donald Trump and labelled a “brat” by Jair Bolsonaro.
But why? Is it that, by striking out with personal attacks - like Putin’s suggestion that she was “poorly informed” - there’s no opportunity to argue factually?
Science says the planet is suffering. Greta doesn’t ask that world leaders listen to her; she demands they listen to the industry experts: scientists.
Endorsing the school strikes Thunberg initiated, UN secretary-general António Guterres said the next generation were the only ones to “rescue the planet”.
Thunberg has inspired climate protests across the globe. Picture: Markus Spiske / Pexels
It’s in our youth, and in Greta, we must place our faith for tomorrow.