Greta Thunberg Condemns the Blah Blah Blah

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COP26 is at our doorstep. Meanwhile, Greta Thunberg attended the Youth4Climate summit in Milan during the pre COP conference.

Greta’s speech at the summit is an eloquent and direct attack to the inaction of the last 6 years since the Paris Agreement, or the Kyoto Protocol of 1995… Our climate action darling used wit and data to call out leaders and their empty meaningless words. Urging instead for action now.

Her speech was punctuated by her “blah, blah, blah” rhetoric. Her message shows how climate “promises” should not be a marketing scheme a “bunny hugging act” but rather an immediate effort to actually lower emissions.

According to the UN by 2030, carbon emissions will increase by 16% instead of falling by 50% to limit warming to 1.5°C. This data is frightening, showing that countries’ and leaders’ “net zero pledges” are just empty marketing campaigns that are not actually lowering emissions…

“Build back better. Blah, blah, blah. Green economy. Blah, blah, blah. Net-zero by 2050. Blah, blah, blah. This is all we hear from our so-called leaders. Words that sound great but so far have not led to action. Our hopes and ambitions drown into empty promises.”

In her speech Greta underscores that we are done with the talking. We have the numbers, we know what to do, what is everyone waiting for?

Despite the glaring statistics, Greta does believe that there is hope, and so should we.

“We can still turn this around — it is entirely possible. It will take immediate, drastic, annual emission reductions. But not if things go on like today. Our leaders‘ intentional lack of action is a betrayal toward all present and future generations.”

The Youth4Climate summit is funded by the Italian government and consists of increasing participation of young people in decision-making. Ironically, the summit actually just engages them into dialogue, without any direct decision-making powers…Sadly.

So how can we influence these real changes?

  • Strike with Fridays for the Future
  • Use education to create a climate-conscious society.
  • Help transform energy use.
  • Work in conservation.
  • Go vegan or reduce your meat intake.
  • Consume only local products.
  • Boycott fast fashion.
  • Just don’t buy whatever you don’t need.
  • Educate yourself and others.
  • Travel by train.
  • Make policy proposals to your government.
  • Compost
  • Take care of what you have and the places you go.

“We can no longer let the people in power decide what is politically possible. We can no longer let the people in power decide what hope is. Hope is not passive. Hope is not blah, blah, blah. Hope is telling the truth. Hope is taking action. And hope always comes from the people.”

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