Greta Thunberg, Amazing or not.?

Pinkquartza, I’m sure if she had known what you wanted her to say, she may have obliged you, but as it is she said what she wanted to say, perhaps you would like to share what you wanted to say with us.

Katek both your last 2 posts have put your finger on the nub of the matter 1) that the 'good' technology is not necessarily as good as it states and ) that this child is being exploited by a movement that is vacuous in the extreme and devoid of any ideas bar shouting.

Gone girl I think very few of us have been mean or unkind about GT, but a lot of us have deep reservations about how a vulnerable child is being exploited and while, I fully understand her concerns, older people have been concerned and doing things to alleviate the problem for decades. Why have so many windfarms been installed, insulation levels in new build houses raised, banning the use of gas for space heating in new builds etc etc, everything from cars to dishwashers made more fuel efficient?

I am not suggesting that is sufficient nor being pushed forward fast enough, but GT has been hammering on an open door demanding to be let in. However strongly she feels, not one of her speeches has included any ideas about how what she wants can be achieved, I am not talking about carefully thought out plans and these are completely lacking from any of the organisations involved with her, but it would be nice to hear what she thinks we should do to reach the targets ER is setting, even if all she can come up with is wind farms and electric cars.

Her speech to the UN was great PR, but she wasn't talking to a conference of scientists committed to developing the technology to enable us to meet our emission reduction targets, headed David Attenborough and a slew of Nobel Prize winners and commanding the media. She was talking to load of government leaders (like BJ) who think that posturing at this conference is good for their home media. But as wriggly as eels when it comes to making any commitments.

Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro, the main environmental villains did not even bother to attend. Nothing will come from this conference but hot air and pius unkept promises.

In her various speeches, she has said nobody had done anything yet to combat global warning and blamed the pursuit of economic growth. The need for more money to be put into research and investment into pioneering projects (like the South Wales tidal power lagoons) has never once featured in any of her speeches that I have seen reported. And this is what is needed.

Grammaretto, I am shocked that it needed an ER demonstration to wake your teenage GC to the problem of global warming. What on earth have their parents and schools been up to? Do your DGC not use social media?

My DGC's primary school has been covering the subject of global warming for several years and the children have been actively involved in intiatives in the school and elsewhere to reduce energy consumption. Even if the school had done nothing the message would be being learnt at home.

Bridget do you actually read others posts?

I do have an excellent grasp of what it means to be on "the spectrum" and the mental/physical problems and anxieties which run alongside.

I deal with this every day!!!!!

It's not an either/or situation. We can be concerned for the planet but also worried about a very vulnerable young person who clearly has a lifelong disability. Autism is a disability by the way, I don't think anyone who has experience of it would in any way want to be autistic.
If those who have never lived with or had prolonged contact with an autistic person were to spend a week with one they might well think differently.
It is tiring and stressful; believe me!

I am sure that the Aspergers/Autism will have intensified Greta's emotions but I didn't think a tantrum was the best form of communication.

Her message is 100% important.
There are people of all ages who know this and I wanted her to name those who are not listening, like Trump and Johnson. Also the emerging economies of India and China who are going to do more damage than already done.
She could mention the Celebs and Royals who think the crisis is caused by other people not them.

I find her very intriguing. I am glad she has a loud voice but the tantrums won't help. Instead perhaps she can also tell the young to stop leaving plastic rubbish where ever they go.

She can do a lot for this planet and I hope she continues.

Oh GG do not think you have to apologies to me or anyone else.
It seems to me that those who purport to understand Mental Issues do not in fact understand it at all, having mental issues does not obliterate one from also having a perfectly logical brain & self awareness.

Bridgeit I do care about the planet which is why......

We have solar panels

A water harvesting system which can flushe all of our toilets and water our vegetables/fruit.

Recycle everything which is recyclable

Have just bought a new "eco friendly" car and two new "eco friendly" vans for our business.

I buy whenever possible locally sourced meat and vegetables (that we haven't grown).

Walk whenever possible including collecting GC from school/nursery.

Have cut down as much as possible on single use plastic.

Our home is double glazed and has top grade insulation.

I/We do however fly as we have family scattered round the globe.

I am not going to apologise to you or anyone else for feeling empathy with a young person with mental health issues which her family have spoken and written about.

Spot on Katek. My thoughts exactly! ?

It’s on Facebook under her name

GG to be fair , I think she would rather you cared about the planet.

Sorry Merlotgran , I’m not sure how to do that, but if you put her name in the search engine, it should pop , it has a picture of her along side the article.

Do you have a link to the article?

Bridgeit I haven't scorned her, I am concerned for her as a mother and a grandmother.

She has written a fantastic article in reply to those who de cry her & others.
Perhaps you should all read it, but I suspect most won’t bother, they would rather troll out negativity & scorn,
No need to ask me who I think is behaving like a mature adult. Many good wishes to her & shame on the rest of us .

It's a grey area as far as I know, and I've no doubt i'll be corrected if wrong, but a lot of adults with autism are legally classed as vulnerable.

Bridgeit, I know autism/aspergers doesn't change the facts about CC.

What it has done on my part having a GC on the spectrum and a sister with 3'of her children on the spectrum gives you knowledge of how easily a young person who has Aspergers, and other mental health issues can become solely focused on one thing to the detriment of their own health both mental and physical.

I feel it is wrong, and she is being exploited by others including her parents, if you are any doubt look them up on line.

Nope

Please correct me if I am wrong, but I’m pretty sure Autism doesn’t change the facts & possible solutions to climate change.
So why have so many of you focused on this fact about GT instead of the topic she is referring to ?
Strange behaviour indeed for adult parents , maybe it’s a syndrome that hasn’t yet been diagnosed, although I’m sure I could give it a name!

My friend, who went on Friday's Climate Strike march in Edinburgh with her 3 teenagers, found the experience really powerful.

One of the best things is she feels her own children are waking up to the crisis. Before, they showed no particular interest but now they are getting climate crisis aware.

They all rate Greta highly as a role model and brave young person and so do I.

Interesting post. KateK (And not a mean minded word in it).

We shall just have to wait and see. I hope she goes on to get a good college place and studies environment based things. Who knows where she will surface again, if all this does die down?

Interesting times.

I believe that this youngster .....I hope we can agree on ‘youngster’ ..... is being used/manipulated by other people. She has tapped into the zeitgeist and, unfortunately, it is her very ‘oddness’ that has worked to gain attention/publicity. I have no doubt that she has deeply held beliefs, but I find watching her a very uncomfortable experience. It’s like looking at a vulnerable, rare animal in a zoo, or a bear in a cage. Sooner or later this is all going to be too much for her. The responsible adults around her do not seem to be protecting her from the wolfpack of the world’s media. She will not remain the poster girl for ever and how will she cope as and when the media changes its tack and the feeding frenzy dies down?

It wasn’t GT who arranged the trans Atlantic racing yacht publicity stunt but adults. PR exercise extraordinaire I grant you, but because GT and her father took up two berths the owners then had to fly two crew out to America to sail the yacht back! What was the point? It ended up saving nothing environmentally but gained a huge amount of publicity for someone’s agenda and not necessarily GT’s

I actually feel very sorry for her,

I don't know if it had escaped GT's notice but when she was having her childish, hysterical rant , she was addressing a conference specifically about possible climate change/global warming.

The world leaders, the adults were there for the express purpose of trying to address the problem, so why was she ranting and raving at them when they were already discussing possible measures needed to help ?

I thought her speech was very strange, and I couldn't decide if she came across more as a teen throwing a tantrum, or a if it was simply a display of histrionics.

I did think the scowl she threw at Donald Trump when he appeared though was priceless. grin

I think we can safely say she is not his biggest fan !

As some of the placards stated on last Friday's international Climate Action march in which millions participated worldwide.

When adults act like children, children need to act like adults.

I'm with the young ones who will inherit the earth - or what's left of it!

Although I understand about CC, I feel sorry for this child - and she is still a child. The puppets behind her should have a good hard think about manipulation and exploitation of the very traits attributed to autism , singlemindedness for one

Thanks for that very helpful post lemon.