AIBU Greta Thunberg?

[onalongsabbatical]

AIBU to ask everyone who can to get behind Greta Thunberg, even if only online, as she's now getting a lot a lot a lot of hate. She clearly threatens people - especially her polar opposites, men, rich old men, powerful men (did I mention men?). Let's all give her the lurve and support she needs.
So on FB I challenged one just now - Why are you attacking a young woman? - and he disappeared. Funny, that.

That’s ok Bent I’m not closed to what you know just interested. I did work with an agency who specialised in it, they were well known but could’ve just be their approach.

Am interested in decision too must look.

I found the speech yesterday a bit cringe. . I wonder what will happen when she grows up a little and realises things aren’t so black and white! I look back on some of the things I believed when I was that age.- and indeed older and wonder what I was thinking😔 I worry for her mental health, and wish her parents would advise her better about the media circus she seems to have become addicted to.

I actually think she does more harm than good as it's easy to dismiss what she says as either the ramblings of an overly dramatic teen or to brand her as a puppet reading a speech written for her.

I'm also not sure she even really understands the science behind what she says, for instance she made reference in her speech about us being in the beginning of a mass extinction (scary scary) due to climate change when there's a lot of debate around the issue.

The 5 previous mass extinctions resulted in the loss of between 75%-95% of all life on earth and current extinction rates, which are considerably higher than background extinction rates, will put us on track for a 30-50% loss (still high but some argue not quite mass extinction level). Furthermore we've only identified 1.3million of an estimated 8.7million species on earth so our 50% loss estimate is based on what's happening to the 15% of life we've identified. There's also some eveidence that speciation is happening at a faster than expected rate, although that may simply be down to technological advances in our ability to find and identify distinct species.

Finally climate change isn't the main driver of the current loss in biodiversity. The single biggest factor is habitat loss through human actions and is mostly attributed to the massive increase in our population.

So chucking in the mass extinction line to conference on climate change is pointless, unless she's advocating a cull of the human population.

I found the speech yesterday a bit cringe

Same. I peak-Greta’d yesterday, although perhaps it was the sight of Trump-a-Lump that sent her over the edge (small blame to her for that).

I can’t imagine too many world leaders enjoy being shrilly chastised and cried at by a teenager they invited to speak at their conference.

I found her speech a lot cringe think this could deflect from the message... I had to switch off as she was so OTT

After berating everyone what exactly does she suggest

Yes sky, she came across as a petulant teen who was stamping her foot. I had to switch it off.

Yes we all watched in cringey horror at the angry speech. Nothing wrong with being angry, or emotional, but it was misdirected. Most people alive today haven't caused it - it has its roots in the industrial revolution and the dominance of capitalism. She can't just blame all adults - many of whom live in poverty and have very few real choices themselves. Governments need to make things happen and they need real workable action plans, not just a bollocking. LOADS of people are working hard on this and trying to get it to happen, with the help of their knowledge and ability, nit just anger.

I think she would be more effective now if she saw herself more as part of a team with those who are trying to fix it.

I only heard a bit on R4

Are there any on Twitter etc commenting, more her target. I don’t use Twitter.

Her parents are well off folk and her mum is an opera singer chasing fame that was out of her reach. I think she's using her girl to get recognition for herself.

That’s quite sad. They should be protecting her. I fear she will crash and burn very quickly..

I do wonder if ahe realises that lit of adults and their children are not as privileged as her.

Again, no one seems to be talking about it, or maybe I missed it, but how is she travelling country to country?

I can’t imagine too many world leaders enjoy being shrilly chastised and cried at by a teenager they invited to speak at their conference

No, I don't suppose they do enjoy it - some probably regard it as being downright embarrassing - but they tolerate it to appear "in" with the latest fashionable topic

Admittedly it's never going to work for those of us who prefer reason to invective, but extremism makes for good headlines with the falsehoods attached to it often obscured by the noise. The varying number of "years left to save the planet" are today's claim, but it's not always easy to take it seriously when we remember some of the cons these same extremists have churned out over the years

observers.france24.com/en/20190122-10yearchallenge-fake-misleading-images-ice

www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/10/05/great-pacific-garbage-patch-is-a-myth-warn-experts-as-survey-sho/

www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/08/explore-through-the-lens-starving-polar-bear-photo/

I think she looks physically and mentally frail. Her speech made me feel uncomfortable, for the wrong reasons, because it reminded me of the rants made by a friend, just before she had a major breakdown and had to be sectioned. I hope I’m wrong.

Interesting thread.

I showed my 15 year old son the clip of the most recent speech , this morning. I wanted him to see it and hear it and wondered what he thought.

I said "have you seen this" and his reply was "Oh it's that weird kid".

I clearly have a lot to speak to him about.

And now shes pondering how to get home as the boat that bought her has sailed away!.

Hang on, Justaboy - clearly I've not paid enough attention to this, but I thought the intention was to travel there and back on the boat?

This should be fun when we find out how she really will get back, though I'm braced for the insistence that even a private jet would be acceptable because of all the "awareness raising" she's done ...

I do think the stolen childhood type remarks are wearing a bit thin. Greta has had a very privileged childhood. If you've ever visited rural Sweden, you may have gone to one of the many rural museums of abandoned farm buildings, with recorded stories of emigration out of dire poverty and starvation and diary entries from people who really didn't want to leave their homeland but felt they had no choice. Emigration from Sweden for economic and religious reasons only really tailed off in the 1920s. Its not that long ago.

I do wonder how good Swedish schools are at teaching history. Or are the less savoury parts of Swedish history glossed over? And what does Greta have to say about the planned gas and mining expansion in the far north of Sweden in what is left of the very sustainable homeland of the Sami?

I don't know if she also discussed the revised EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) for 2021-2030. I know that right now, there is a massive amount of debate and conferences regarding this - I've just been invited to one on "Questions of compatibility with international trade law and complex regime interactions". There are a large number of people making action on climate change happen right now, particularly in Europe.

Her speech made me feel uncomfortable, for the wrong reasons, because it reminded me of the rants made by a friend, just before she had a major breakdown and had to be sectioned. I hope I’m wrong

It did me too. She sounded just like ds when he gets dramatic and rants at us. Which is not surprising sewing as she's a teen.

The whole thing makes me feel very uncomfortable.

Condarella Her parents are well off folk and her mum is an opera singer chasing fame that was out of her reach. I think she's using her girl to get recognition for herself.

I don't blame her parents for exploiting her actually. I think they're just being typical liberal Swedes who let their kids do what they want (as long as it fits into a liberal agenda). I would be concerned for Greta actually as she has suffered from severe depression and eating disorders in the past (along with her sister) and is clearly quite vulnerable, and international travel and high stress levels aren't particularly good for that.

I think her childhood has been stolen by those conditions actually. She hasn't developed much of an ability to enjoy herself.

I think she'll arrange to return to Europe in some sustainable way, probably with assistance from some billionaire philanthropist who wishes to be linked to such a right-on publicity opportunity.

**seeing as

Do people see change? I just had done random chat with someone in a cafe who brought up climate (just telling me about their day she felt a bit guilty about something). And a new shop sustainable one.

Small things. But things nonetheless.

I know it’s massive ship to turn but you’ve got to start somewhere.

So what would happen if a government imposed a meat ban and a flight ban? What would happen?

I think we have already gone past the tipping point and our efforts would be better concentrated on adapting and making the best of what is coming down the line.

The oceans are definitely fucked re fishing.

Some uninhabitable places will become useful land to us as a consequence of temperature increase.

So what would happen if a government imposed a meat ban and a flight ban? What would happen?

In the UK? The UK is fairly blessed in its management of cattle, because they are grazed outdoors in summer. Same with sheep. Sheep and cattle are really good grazers, sheep in particular eat weeds and help control the worm that recreational purposes grazers such as horses don't.

So we would see increased use of chemical fertilisers and weedkillers to counteract the loss of mixed use land and rotated grazing. We would also see the loss of large areas of permanent pasture, some of it ancient, as there would be less need of it for not only cattle grazing but for winter fodder. So that would use more resources by way of machinery to prepare it for its change of use.

Its hard to see that the large numbers of cattle and sheep currently kept for meat and dairy would be transformed into pet sheep, with people living in towns willing to pay to keep them as some do for horses.

Land that isn't suitable for conversion to arable would presumably be allowed to eventually return to its natural state and hopefully we would see an increase in forestry.