Not unlike Jonathan Swift's classic story of Gulliver's Travels, Greta Thunberg has traversed the seas without using any fossil fuels to lands she had never seen before. Like Gulliver she uses her wits and brain to get places. And like Gulliver she has used no fossil fuels doing it.
Many other people have sailed across the ocean - although not to bring attention to Climate Change. Many people have attended conferences and workshops on climate change, then flew home in their private jets.
If you don't know who this person is, get your head out of the sand and read on - you are missing out on history in the making. This blonde haired, freckled teen is doing something very few 16 year olds have ever done - let alone thought about.
Ponder this: a young 16 year-old girl, still in high school, is trying to change an entire world's thinking. How many other teenagers have this kind of ambition?
For those skeptics, and negative people - who criticize her actions, what have you done?
This Swedish girl has crossed an ocean on a zero-emissions vehicle. For those wondering, that is 3500 Miles (almost 5700 kilometers). She has traveled to conferences and cities - all across North America without flying. In fact, she only travels long distances in electric vehicles.
Unlike Gulliver, she lives in a modern era where she has all these amenities at her fingertips and they must be enticing to her. She could simply have accepted one of the numerous gifts offered her, hop on a jet and go home or to a far away location.
This young woman is not only making history taking about it, and unlike other climate activists who travel the country in private jets and take money for speaking (Dr. Suzuki) she is actually living what she preaches.
Money and pocket books are the key to changing our society. Civil disobedience (as Greta has asked for) is not the way. Hit big corporations and the rich in their wallet, then things will change. Whether by societal changes due to technology or by financial change, this is really the only way to get attention in the long term.
The newspaper industry for example. Many newspapers fought against the online revolution and tried to stay static. Those that stayed the same way as the previous 100+ years are no longer with us. The printing industry had to radically change to stay relevant. They have and those that remain are thriving once again.
Changes like this were forced upon these industries (and many others) by societal changes, the same can be applied to the environment. It won't happen all at once, but - with effort, research and courageous people, it will happen.
Her parents and her wrote a book, but she claims she has donated all profits to charity. She has won awards, some with monetary values, but again has either refused the award or donated the cash to other charities.
Her parents, not wealthy by any stretch have paid for some of her travels, but she claims not all. She also tells the world that she is not accepting any funds for speaking or appearances. I assume she must be receiving donations of lodging and food from charitable organizations, but she hasn't admitted as much.
Regardless of how much she is out-of-pocket or if she is receiving any compensation to cover costs, this young lady is making a difference.
Hopefully people out there will hear the message and stop looking for negatives in her adventure.
Regardless of whether you - the reader - is a climate activist, a climate denier or somewhere in between, this person is doing something so very few people have the courage to do - and we need to listen.
If she can travel thousands of kilometers across the planet without burning carbon, maybe a few of us can take a bike to the store, walk to a close restaurant, take a bus to work, or car pool.
Oil does more than power vehicles and factories. Oil and oil by-products make up the casing for our computers, shingles on your roof, tires on your car, the roads you drive on, tools, electric casings and much more. Oil needs won't go away overnight, we have become dependent on oil - like it or not.
Unfortunately, the lack of a national and international pipeline is causing significantly more environmental destruction than it should. Transporting oil by truck, train, and ship is a carbon and pollution nightmare. A pipeline would be a benefit to both the environment and the economy (yes even through uninhabited regions of Quebec, Mr. Premier - François Legault).
Thunberg may not be aware of all Canada's troubles or our penchant for saying sorry. She may not understand that a carbon tax in Canada will not work the same as one in Sweden, but it doesn't matter. She is bringing awareness and vigilance to this fight. A fight we are not waging against other people - but against habits, and the old ways of doing things.
This fight is opposing car manufacturers that charge far too much for electric cars. It is a fight against companies that feel the need to wrap toilet paper in plastic, a fight against burning fossil fuels when people can walk or bike. It is a fight against trucking millions of gallons of oils across the country and burning tons of fuel getting it there instead of an electric-based pipeline.
It is a fight that says to governments, if you are serious, get the cost on non-oil energy lower so people can afford it.
Whether you agree with her or not, you have to admire her tenacity and fortitude. She is a 16 year old school girl doing something she believes in... and making others believe in her too.
Like Gulliver she has become a giant in the Climate Change movement and environmentalists everywhere.
Quick facts: Ships use a fuel called bunker oil, and trucks need to travel a long way to bring oil to market. Both are burning huge amounts of fossil fuels to get there. Train accidents are more frequent than pipeline incidents and cost a lot more lives and damage. Without a pipeline, most of our oil is sent across the ocean!
Many other people have sailed across the ocean - although not to bring attention to Climate Change. Many people have attended conferences and workshops on climate change, then flew home in their private jets.
 |
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_Thunberg#/media/ |
Ponder this: a young 16 year-old girl, still in high school, is trying to change an entire world's thinking. How many other teenagers have this kind of ambition?
For those skeptics, and negative people - who criticize her actions, what have you done?
This Swedish girl has crossed an ocean on a zero-emissions vehicle. For those wondering, that is 3500 Miles (almost 5700 kilometers). She has traveled to conferences and cities - all across North America without flying. In fact, she only travels long distances in electric vehicles.
Unlike Gulliver, she lives in a modern era where she has all these amenities at her fingertips and they must be enticing to her. She could simply have accepted one of the numerous gifts offered her, hop on a jet and go home or to a far away location.
This young woman is not only making history taking about it, and unlike other climate activists who travel the country in private jets and take money for speaking (Dr. Suzuki) she is actually living what she preaches.
Money and pocket books are the key to changing our society. Civil disobedience (as Greta has asked for) is not the way. Hit big corporations and the rich in their wallet, then things will change. Whether by societal changes due to technology or by financial change, this is really the only way to get attention in the long term.
The newspaper industry for example. Many newspapers fought against the online revolution and tried to stay static. Those that stayed the same way as the previous 100+ years are no longer with us. The printing industry had to radically change to stay relevant. They have and those that remain are thriving once again.
Changes like this were forced upon these industries (and many others) by societal changes, the same can be applied to the environment. It won't happen all at once, but - with effort, research and courageous people, it will happen.
How is she doing this one must ask?
I know if I take a vacation it costs me hundreds if not thousands of dollars to travel, stay in hotel rooms, eat and so on. She is doing much more than a vacation. She still plans to visit Chile (in South America) and has no idea how she will get home.Her parents and her wrote a book, but she claims she has donated all profits to charity. She has won awards, some with monetary values, but again has either refused the award or donated the cash to other charities.
Her parents, not wealthy by any stretch have paid for some of her travels, but she claims not all. She also tells the world that she is not accepting any funds for speaking or appearances. I assume she must be receiving donations of lodging and food from charitable organizations, but she hasn't admitted as much.
Regardless of how much she is out-of-pocket or if she is receiving any compensation to cover costs, this young lady is making a difference.
Hopefully people out there will hear the message and stop looking for negatives in her adventure.
Regardless of whether you - the reader - is a climate activist, a climate denier or somewhere in between, this person is doing something so very few people have the courage to do - and we need to listen.
If she can travel thousands of kilometers across the planet without burning carbon, maybe a few of us can take a bike to the store, walk to a close restaurant, take a bus to work, or car pool.
Oil will not fade away quickly - Don't be Naive!
For those foolish enough to think by ignoring the oil industry it will simply vanish, you need much more coffee!Oil does more than power vehicles and factories. Oil and oil by-products make up the casing for our computers, shingles on your roof, tires on your car, the roads you drive on, tools, electric casings and much more. Oil needs won't go away overnight, we have become dependent on oil - like it or not.
Unfortunately, the lack of a national and international pipeline is causing significantly more environmental destruction than it should. Transporting oil by truck, train, and ship is a carbon and pollution nightmare. A pipeline would be a benefit to both the environment and the economy (yes even through uninhabited regions of Quebec, Mr. Premier - François Legault).
Thunberg may not be aware of all Canada's troubles or our penchant for saying sorry. She may not understand that a carbon tax in Canada will not work the same as one in Sweden, but it doesn't matter. She is bringing awareness and vigilance to this fight. A fight we are not waging against other people - but against habits, and the old ways of doing things.
 |
| https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ |
It is a fight that says to governments, if you are serious, get the cost on non-oil energy lower so people can afford it.
Whether you agree with her or not, you have to admire her tenacity and fortitude. She is a 16 year old school girl doing something she believes in... and making others believe in her too.
Like Gulliver she has become a giant in the Climate Change movement and environmentalists everywhere.
Quick facts: Ships use a fuel called bunker oil, and trucks need to travel a long way to bring oil to market. Both are burning huge amounts of fossil fuels to get there. Train accidents are more frequent than pipeline incidents and cost a lot more lives and damage. Without a pipeline, most of our oil is sent across the ocean!
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