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Activist Greta Thunberg on how to make sure the word does not 'give up' the climate fight

After taking a solar-powered boat from England to New York City to attend the United Nations Climate Action Summit, Thunberg sat down with The Washington Post to discuss her role in the fight for preventing climate change. Subscribe to The Washington Post on YouTube: https://wapo.st/2QOdcqK Follow us: Twitter: https://twitter.com/washingtonpost Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/washingtonpost/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/washingtonpost/

Washington Post

4 years ago

-And I believe that the biggest danger is not our inaction. The real danger is when companies and politicians are making it look like real action is happening, when in fact, almost nothing is being done. The time I spent in the US so far, it has been good. It's incredible to meet all of these activists around the world because we are, we are so different in many ways, but still we are fighting for the same cause. People always talk about there's 12 years left, 11 years left, do to the emissions
by 50 or 55 percent. And then I learned that that was for a 50/50 percent chance of meeting, or staying below the 1. 5 degrees or eminent and those figures are also global. So they don't mention the aspect of equity. Also, they don't include many feedback loops, and nonlinear tipping points. All the numbers are sort of, like, compromised, in a way. And it feels like people don't want to, to make people not pessimistic or they don't want to tell how it is because then people might give up. We can
not just say all these negative facts. We also have to tell positive facts, so that people will not give up. And those positive news can be, like, oh, look, here are some new solar panels. But we have to tell it like it is. We have to tell people the whole truth. Or at least have the whole truth available. That if people want to know, they can look at it. I think that we have definitely made people open their eyes. At least some people. And, uh, but we are not saying, like, you need to listen to
us, we are saying you need to listen to the science and to the scientists. We are trying to give the science platform. And try to speak on behalf of them. If a child or a young person talks about these issues, of course it's more powerful in a way, because we are not the ones who has posed this crisis, we are just -- we just happen to be born in a world where there was this big existential crisis. That has a lot of impact on people. People feel very guilty when a child says, "You are stealing m
y future." People sometimes ask me if I'm an optimist or a pessimist and then I say I am a realist. That's if we do the changes required, then we will prevent this from happening and we will succeed.

Comments

@douglasrush5197

I wish schools would start teaching kids how to think instead of what to think.

@JeremyFrancispiano

She keeps talking about "changes that are required"... What are they? Like, specifically?

@oldschoolfarmtough.bigbloc7129

The reason she doesn’t go to China or India she probably wouldn’t make it back.

@mobeydick37

16 years old, higher reading level of most Washington Post readers!

@ashenmoonclash

Why so many downvotes...are you people really that afraid of a brilliant young mind...

@wojciechzby

The scariest comment section I've seen for years.

@Ilzey1

This comment section is scary

@DWinegarden2

The “word” or the “world” - not very accurate reporting WP.

@nblumer

As she states "When people attack me it is a sign that they have run out of arguments"

@namenotavailable9989

Some people in the comments are talking about China and India. There was a time when west leads and others follow. Things have changed.

@stevenvonsancho

They forgot to disable the comments for this one

@debraschene8858

who wrote this headline?

@buildthewallwiththewoke6196

Shouldn't you guys be learning to code?

@brynmawr41154

2015 total emissions country rank Country 2015 total carbon dioxide emissions from fuel combustion (million metric tons) 2015 per capita carbon dioxide emissions from fuel combustion (metric tons) 1 China 9040.74 6.59 2 United States 4997.50 15.53 3 India 2066.01 1.58 4 Russia 1468.99 10.19 5 Japan 1141.58 8.99 6 Germany 729.77 8.93 7 South Korea 585.99 11.58

@nblumer

She also says that if you see a fire and point to it normally people would say let's put it out. But in America many idiots say instead "Oh look at what she's wearing"

@josephellis5165

So she takes a solar powered sailboat, but yet is escorted with motor boats?

@brightlamp2549

When will she be going to China and India?

@Cerbyo

The Washington Post: "WE don't even factcheck our titles anymore."

@AvangionQ

1:00 `People always talk about this 12 years left, 11 years left, to reduce the emissions by 50 or 55%, and then I learned that there was a 50/50 percent chance of meeting or staying below the 1.5 degrees warming. Those figures are also global, so they don't mention the aspect of equity. Also, they don't include many feedback loops and nonlinear tipping points. All the numbers are sort of like compromised in a way, and if feels like people don't want to make people not pessimistic or they don't want to tell how it is because then people might give up. We cannot just say all these negative facts, we also have to tell positive facts, so that people will not give up. Those positive news can be like, oh look, here are some new solar panels, but we have to tell it like it is. We have to tell people the whole truth, or at least have the whole truth available. That if people want to know, they can look at it. I think that we have definitely made people open their eyes, at least some people, and we are not saying you need to listen to us, we are saying you need to listen to the science and to the scientists. We are trying to give the science platform, and try to speak on behalf of them. If a child or a young person talks about these issues, of course, it's more powerful in a way, because we are not the ones who have posed this crisis, we are just happened to be born in a world where there was this big existential crisis that has a lot of impact on people. People feel very guilty when a child says "you are stealing my future." People sometimes ask me if I'm an optimist or a pessimist and then I say I'm a realist. That if we do the changes required, then we will prevent this from happening and we will succeed.`

@buckcarter7886

The state must declare the child to be the most precious treasure of the people. As long as the government is perceived as working for the benefit of the children, the people will happily endure almost any curtailment of liberty and almost any deprivation. - excerpt from Mein Kampf by Adopt Hitler