Inspiring Words For Trying Times
I heard this speech a few weeks ago now and I've wanted to repost it for the attention it deserves. Only I thought that it might be nice to see it in writing. Just a different form of getting ideas across to people.
COP24 is the informal name for the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It was held in Katowice, Poland at the end of 2018, and this inspiring speech was made there, December 3, 2018 by a young Swedish student activist.
“My name is Greta Thunberg. I am 15 years old. I am from Sweden. I speak on behalf of Climate Justice Now.
Many people say that Sweden is just a small country and it doesn’t matter what we do. But I’ve learned you are never too small to make a difference. And if a few children can get headlines all over the world just by not going to school, then imagine what we could all do together if we really wanted to.
But to do that, we have to speak clearly, no matter how uncomfortable that may be.
You only speak of green eternal economic growth because you are too scared of being unpopular. You only talk about moving forward with the same bad ideas that got us into this mess, even when the only sensible thing to do is pull the emergency brake. You are not mature enough to tell it like is. Even that burden you leave to us children.
But I don’t care about being popular. I care about climate justice and the living planet. Our civilization is being sacrificed for the opportunity of a very small number of people to continue making enormous amounts of money. Our biosphere is being sacrificed so that rich people in countries like mine can live in luxury. It is the sufferings of the many which pay for the luxuries of the few.
The year 2078, I will celebrate my 75th birthday. If I have children maybe they will spend that day with me. Maybe they will ask me about you. Maybe they will ask why you didn’t do anything while there still was time to act. You say you love your children above all else, and yet you are stealing their future in front of their very eyes.
Until you start focusing on what needs to be done rather than what is politically possible, there is no hope. We can’t solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis. We need to keep the fossil fuels in the ground, and we need to focus on equity. And if solutions within the system are so impossible to find, maybe we should change the system itself.
We have not come here to beg world leaders to care. You have ignored us in the past and you will ignore us again. We have run out of excuses and we are running out of time. We have come here to let you know that change is coming, whether you like it or not.
The real power belongs to the people. Thank you."
Here she is again, talking about Climate Change just over a week later.
Note: Did she just say that we would ACTUALLY need to reduce carbon emissions by FIFTEEN PERCENT?! Isn't it true that the Paris Accord only calls for a 1.5 percent reduction in carbon emissions? (Looking it up just now, I found a reference to a three percent reduction in carbon emissions dictated by the PA). Yes, I've been saying for awhile now that the Paris Agreement isn't doing what it pretends to, in facing this problem. My God, did you have any idea just HOW big the failure gap here really is?
Q reference to the Paris Accord,
made just a year ago and brought up again in recent days:
QMAP
https://www.qmap.pub/?pg=1
LR 1/6/2019
This is a much more intelligent 15 year old than I was at that age! Her path of independent reasoning and action can guide her to knowledge most people I encounter on a daily basis can't even see. I can totally relate to her mentioning being a quiet depressed child while trying to figure humanity's decision making out. I just eventually put my head down and moved forward using distractions of what made me happy, and buried these feelings, but am now aware of actions I must take toward digging up and healing this to achieve a level of personal health.
Luckily for me, I also had a grandpa who showed me a deep sense of humor to also learn from. It's too bad that our species takes advantage of our own for personal gain, in so many different ways, but the universe always has the last laugh if you're too poor to even pay attention. Thanks for posting this. It reminded me of one of my favorite bits by George Carlin to verify my own voice of reason in knowing that I can't change the world without first changing myself, and that our world has always been just fine!
Thanks for commenting. What you said about people taking advantage of others for personal gain... this is one of my frequent writing subjects. Conflict of Interest from both the formal and informal standpoints. Yay George Carlin!! Also following you!