Donald Trump is not a spring chicken. And he clearly feels no need to be chicken-hearted about climate change. If the science happens to be true, maybe it’s still some way off in the future. However, he has said time and again that the whole thing is a hoax, (and might we add), of mega proportions. Mr. Trump is of the view that such stories are fabricated by socialists to keep hard working capitalists and industrialists from their cherished dollars.
But he is not the only one. There are many more people who say there’s nothing abnormal about the phenomenon of global warming. They say it’s a cycle the world goes through every now and then, getting into the warm tunnel at some point only to reemerge into the fresh and balmy climactic conditions under which most of life on earth feels and thrives better.
Big Oil does not like the findings about climate change. Neither does the manufacturing sector. Even corporate agriculture does not fancy its chances under a new regime that’s stridently anti greenhouse gasses. There are numerous well-heeled opponents arrayed against the rapidly growing proponents of the climate change theory. There’s also an age divide. The older folks would rather leave things as they are while the younger generation, idealistic as every younger generation tends to be, wants to disrupt the flow and stem what they believe is a malevolent tide. And they are done talking. Now they are taking matters into their own hands seeing as the old may not budge unless they see a movement massed against the old ways.
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Last week, Greta Thunberg, the 16 year old Swedish climate change activist, sailed into New York, after two weeks on the high seas; without leaving any carbon footprint, (aboard the Malizia II, a yacht that has its own solar panels and hydro generators), to join thousands of other young people to protest the deleterious state of the world’s climate and how the older generation is further pushing humanity to stare down the fiery abyss.
So the youths declared Friday September 20th, 2019, mega Climate Strike day. In more than 160 countries of the world, they skipped classes to register their angst. The Friday strike had been going on before now, but this one was intended to be global. Greta, meanwhile, has taken a one year sabbatical, so to speak, to concentrate on the protest, as it would be difficult to combine her activism with school work. The 20th September edition was seen as key in view of its closeness to the United Nations Climate Summit. The strikes are also supposed to happen all through between 20th to 27th September in what has been dubbed the Earth Strike in more than 150 locations worldwide.
Greta’s Twitter post on the day was rather upbeat:
“Over 4 million on #Climatestrike today. In 163 countries. And counting…
If you belong to the small number of people who feel threatened by us, then we have some very bad news for you:
This is just the beginning. Change is coming – like it or not. #Fridaysforfuture.”
Greta’s language is decidedly militant. And this she, and her supporters think, for good reason. She wants the elders to sit up and take notice. None of that helpless childish mewing for her. And none of that ‘she’s just a child’ comments by the elders. Greta is such a force of nature, whether you agree with everything she says or not, that you cannot but listen to what she has to say.
Why is she such a fiery activist? Hear her from “No One is too Small to Make a Difference”, a collection of her speeches:
“Some say we should not engage in activism.
Instead we should leave everything to our politicians and just vote for change instead. But what do we do when there is no political will? What do we do when the politics needed are nowhere in sight?”
What do they do when Donald Trump attends the Climate Change Conference for 15minutes without saying anything? What do they do with Bolsonaro at the helm in Brazil while the Amazon is up in flames? What do they do when even India and China that are big players in the new direction of renewable energy are still all fired up by coal?
What do they do when the United States, one of the countries most responsible for climate change registers its intention not to show up at the UN Climate Summit? And this alongside fellow absentees like Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil and Scott Morrison, the Australian Prime Minister who is aggressively pro-coal?
Although Donald Trump eventually made a 15minute impromptu appearance, it was more for face saving or is it ‘face-showing’ than for anything more substantial. Don’t forget that he pulled the US out of the Paris Accord upon taking power and has since stayed focused on slashing environmental regulations that predated his time in office.
