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.

I think we are making great strides technologically speaking with energy saving designs and all the stuff we can stream now instead of the waste that was produced previously around media/entertainment.

One thing I take issue with is the idea that vegan is pushed as environmentally sound. A lot of products used by vegans are flown huge distances and lead to monoculture production. The plastics that are being utilised to replace leather pollute during production and when they biodegrade which effects human and the less cute forms of animal life.

A meat ban would be disastrous. Crop production would immediately be ramped up, releasing carbon from the soil through tillage and upping orders of the synthetic chemicals required. Diesel sales would rocket, as each crop requires numerous mechanical passes to establish, maintain, harvest and transport. Biodiversity would plummet as grassland habitat vanished, and a lifeline for the delicate places currently grazed to increase biodiversity would be removed. We would need to develop alternative routes for crop waste residues currently made into food by livestock also, in a real hurry. And we havent even touched what would happen economically due to overnight job losses.

Finally climate change isn't the main driver of the current loss in biodiversity. The single biggest factor is habitat loss through human actions

THANK YOU some of these renewable energy projects are very worrisome as they need so much space in order to generate the kind of energy we need for modern civilisation (why I prefer nuclear very efficient on space) these projects are threatening birds of prey and bats. Not to mention the further mining operations needed to build these monstrosities. Also, no one talks about the decommissioning—what happens when they break down? Nuclear industry has to account for everything but renewables are not held to the same standards.

Also, note that we are told to stop having children “for the earth,” but not a peep about immigration levels which generally massively increases the carbon footprint of the new entrant.

Want to drop rapidly drop birth rates in the developing world? Give them cheap energy and follow the East Asian model of development.

A meat ban would be disastrous. Crop production would immediately be ramped up

I'm sorry but that's bollocks. The vast majority of crops are grown to feed farm animals, not humans. It takes a lot more crops to feed the amount of cow that makes 1 burger, than it would take to feed you one veggie burger. Watch Cowspiracy for some good information on the impact of animal agriculture.

Scientists believe in climate change. They do not agree on how to solve it, nor do they agree on what will happen nor the timeline.
This is why I've been trying to get to grips with what the scientists rather than the activists/lobbyists/journalists/politicians are saying. Not easy for me as this isn't my background but what has been striking is the demeanour of the people at the coal face of the debate: No dramatics, no sound bites, no personal abuse or accusations of shilling, just people on both sides of the argument, who care about their subject, slugging it out with data. They've made me realise how little I know and understand.

We're going to need cool heads to get through this and it seems to me
that the scientists are the only grown ups in the room.

‘I'd like her to use her influence not to have kids missing education, but to encourage the uncomfortable truths. We need to use less, buy less, drive less, fly less, consume less. If we are to tackle this jobs will be lost and standards of living go down. Standing outside on a sunny day waving placards and wasting an education day achieves less than nothing.’

This

The last I heard in R4 was that scientists agree the damage is escalating faster than they anticipated.

Last week I believe.

Yes but what do they think is causing it? That's where the debate lies. And frankly I don't trust the BBC on this any more than I trust Trump, which is why I've been trying to upgrade my understanding of science.

I just googled to find it and got lots of warnings on warnings from scientists.

All those reports and articles don’t really touch the sides on consumer behaviour. As much as they need to do the thinking, advising and doing it doesn’t work as well on changing consumer patterns.

I can’t pinpoint that without doing loads of reading unfortunately

I wonder how many people on climate change demonstrations live in houses built less than 10 years ago, on previous undeveloped land used for farming?

Have you seen the photo on twitter of Greta eating her lunch on the train?

@compulsiveliar2019

Greta is an amazing young woman who has focused attention to environmental issues in a way that nobody else has achieved. She deserves support not criticism even if you do not agree with everything she says. She was emotional today- to me she came across as angry not upset (I know only too well how when I'm angry I often get tearful despite not being sad). I think she was quite justified in being angry with the way she was treated by Trump today.

Very good post. Totally agree. She is a very unique young lady, and whilst still technically a child, she has more common sense in her little finger than some adults 3 or 4 times her age!

I watched her angry, emotional, empowering speech, and was blown away with the passion that she has. And the common sense she speaks.

She is amazing.

And I don't think her parents have done anything wrong by 'allowing this.' She is 16, not five. She has her own mind.

And.... she has Asperger Syndrome, and she is a teenager. Anyone who knows/has known either one of these, knows that neither one would be pushed or coerced into doing something they don't want to do.

She is an excellent example of an amazing young person.

I love her, I really do.

theconversation.com/climate-explained-how-much-of-climate-change-is-natural-how-much-is-man-made-123604

I find the articles in 'The Conversation' a good read Flo

I thought she came across like a loon tbh.

Hmm, I live somewhere where previously grazed land has been left ungrazed for many years now. It is just gradually returning back to woodland, which I'm sure is great for biodiversity and the planet.

We would just slaughter the remaining meat animals, no pets needed, and save on the vast amounts of food grown to feed them.

I’m truly baffled by the adoration.
Researchers/scientists- full of admiration for the work they do. A 16 year old having a strop - less so.
However, I do think she has raised awareness which is hopefully all good.

Anyone who knows/has known either one of these, knows that neither one would be pushed or coerced into doing something they don't want to do

I am sorry but thats bollocks. If some with aspergers gets a thought in their head, such as 'the world is going to end' it actually very easy to keep perpetuating than and increasing their obsession.

It happens alot anyway, without encouragement. My ds, has aspergers. He has had several obsessions over the years. It woildnt be that difficult to encourage the obsession at all. So they get to a point where they HAVE to do something. Like Gary McKinnon (I think that's the right name) the man with aspergers who hacked, I think the Pentagon because he had got in this cycle of obsession.

This girl also has had depression and other issues. People should be worried for her.

Who woildnt be worries about a 16 year old with autisim, a history of mental health issues, eating disorders etx being in the public eye panicking that the world is going to end any minute?

Realistically how many of us in the Western world are prepared to radically alter our existences in order to hope to halt/effect climate change?

It won't be enough if we just walk a bit more, eat a bit less meat and cut down on our flights. What we are talking is no travel, no food that isn't grown locally and in season, no new clothing, no imported goods etc.

And then they have her in public eating disposable food from disposable tubs. Making her look like a total hypocrite. I'm not even an environmental activist and even I won't eat take out sandwiches etc because of environmental reasons. 🙄

no pets needed, You're brave suggesting that on MN. It breaks my heart to think of all the birds killed by domestic cats.

I am uncomfortable watching her. She seems very distressed every time I see her and I feel she should be being comforted, rather than be encouraged to perform on such an exposed platform. I don't consider her to be an amazing person. I think she is very troubled and very distressed, bordering on obsessive and it's not healthy. She is simply 'of the moment' a poster child, and I predict no one will even remember her name in five years.

And this is why she needs a team of people who are helping hee and thinking of these things.

Why did her parents allow that photo to be taken? Or to even be seen with the packaging?

Look at Harry and megan. They talked people making changes, in quite a quiet way. Posted on SM. No tears or shouting. Flew on a private jet, a few days later, and people seemed to go mad over it.

I bet the fall out of this one photo is going to be quite huge.

TinklyLittleLaugh We would just slaughter the remaining meat animals, no pets needed, and save on the vast amounts of food grown to feed them.

This sort of statement is why people mock climate change activisits (I'm assuming you aren't being sarcastic).

Slaughtering animals so humans could grow crops would help diversity how? Cattle, dogs and cats would be something that other countries would have?

And all the weeds that would infiltrate the growing crops, that would normally be reduced by grazing animals? All the worm burden sucked up by sheep, who graze more close to the ground than other herbivores?

Baffling. I'd hate to live in a country with no fields of grazing animals, no permanent pasture, just chemically controlled arable fields and wasteland covered in weeds.

Ragwort tea anyone?