By Elin Brimheim Heinesen
There is currently a vigorous debate on social media about what is myth and what is fact regarding the climate. The disagreements are significant, and it is evident that many emotions are involved. Even though some insist that what climate scientists say is pure ‘nonsense’, it is hard to ignore that never before have so many researchers agreed that climate change is man-made.
Myths and Facts
Regardless of the cause of global warming, we know that the weather is changing, and human-induced pollution is extinguishing plants and animals all over the world at an increasing rate, both at sea and on land, potentially taking away the livelihood of us all. So why not live more sustainably and pollute less? Isn’t that reasonable? Shouldn’t it be a given that everyone supports this idea?
No, it is not a given. There appears to be immense resistance faced by those concerned about climate change and pollution. They are accused of being victims of psychotic mass hysteria, of being fanatical, ideologically driven CO2 zealots, and imbecilic fools suffering from panic anxiety because they believe in fanciful conspiracies, left-wing, Nazi-communist doomsday prophecies, etc. etc.
Is Greta Just Hysterical?
But that’s nothing compared to all the hateful attacks that the Swedish girl, Greta Thunberg, is experiencing these days – especially after she passionately urged world leaders to take the climate crisis seriously at the UN summit in New York last week.
Many seem to struggle to accept what Greta Thunberg is saying. She frightens people with her strong emotions. And her anger rubs many the wrong way. Many react by automatically rejecting what Greta says as “emotional pornography” and “pure hysteria”, thereby casting doubt on her credibility. They refer to her young age, her diagnosis, and her questionable family background. People say they feel sorry for Greta and that she needs help because she’s simply being “controlled” and “exploited” ruthlessly by her parents and other forces with strong political or economic interests. Greta adamantly denies this. No one controls or forces her to do anything, she says.
People Identify with Greta
Regardless of what is right or wrong, it is thought-provoking how much people focus on Greta’s personality. It seems like it is crucial to talk about everything except her message. As if there is no reason to take the fear that Greta feels and shows seriously – a fear that so many others also experience!
The almost panicked attempts to cast doubt on Greta’s credibility may fundamentally reflect the difficulty of challenging collective denial. Greta Thunberg is the spokesperson for a message that ultimately implies that we all need to change our lives in some way. It seems far too daunting to change existence as we know it today. No, it is not easy to challenge our own comfort. Hence, I understand the counter-reaction.
But we can focus all our attention on Greta’s diagnoses and accuse her parents of being bad parents, making clumsy or troll-like attempts to create mistrust and distraction from the alarming message that Greta Thunberg has become famous for delivering. We cannot take away from her that, regardless of whether she has received support or not, she has been incredibly skilled in drawing attention to the issue. So, we can say what we want about the reason why she is doing it or accuse her as much as we want of being a puppet, controlled by others. The truth is, countless people worldwide identify with what she says. That is why it resonates so much, and that is why she has such strong support.
The Industry’s Interest Lies in Sowing Doubt
And that is precisely why she is regarded as an enemy by powerful forces wishing to maintain the status quo. Who benefits the most from our inaction? The world’s economically powerful industries – coal and oil, along with their lobbyists, prefer that we continue using coal and oil without being subjected to CO2 taxes. They are strongly supported by those heavily invested in these industries, reaping enormous profits. Additionally, leaders and politicians benefit financially from having the coal and oil industries operating in their countries.
Naturally, Greta Thunberg’s message does not align with their interests. They applaud when doubt is cast on climate scientists and Greta Thunberg. Those sowing doubt have an easy task, as many prefer not to believe that our livelihoods are in danger. It makes everything much simpler if that isn’t the case. But should we risk letting the coal and oil industries sell our children’s future for their short-term gain?
Should We Continue Pretending Like There is No Danger?
Regardless of the cause of climate change, Greta Thunberg deserves great credit for standing at the forefront and waking up the world to address a very serious issue—what is more serious than the mass destruction of nature happening right before our eyes? Instead of focusing on Greta Thunberg herself, why not listen? Essentially, she is just saying that we should listen to science and take seriously what it tells us.
Because she has said, among other things, “I want you to panic,” she is accused of spreading fear. But why does she say that? It is not Greta, but science, saying that it is a call to action, and urgent measures are needed, as if there is a fire in the house that must be addressed immediately. Greta simply emphasizes what science has long been saying. Yet, she is the one accused of spreading fear and causing many young people today to suffer from depression. But what else can we do? Should we just keep our eyes closed and deny that there are problems?
Living in a Culture That Denies Emotions
Greta is afraid, yes, and she says it out loud on behalf of all those who feel like her. But isn’t that a healthy reaction? I don’t know who to feel more sorry for. Her or those who are so quick to label Greta’s strong message as “emotional porn” and dismiss it as irrational because they can’t accept that this young person might be right in what she says and feels. What if the most fearful and irrational ones are not Greta and her supporters after all? What if the most fearful and irrational ones are those trying to ignore the existing reality? Isn’t it actually them we should feel most sorry for?
The strong, uncompromising backlash from some may say much less about Greta than it does about the culture of emotional denial we live in today, where we tend to react excessively negatively when we see someone express such strong and genuine emotions, as Greta did in the UN building, and where emotional passion is mistaken for “weakness” and only viewed as “insanity” or “religious fanaticism”, even though it might be the opposite – a tremendous courage to dare to face reality and confront and show the fear that many people rightfully have that it might be true what they say about climate change and the catastrophic situation nature is in. A fear that few have dared to show so far for fear of being labeled as insane. Just like Greta is being labelled right now.
Blindfolded Steering
No, Greta Thunberg is not the cause. She is a symptom. It is not her who creates the fear. The fear has been there for a long time, as science has warned about this for 40 years, so deep down we have known that we are on a dangerous course for a long time. The reason for the fear is primarily the increasing pollution and the climate changes happening around the world, which we see, the media reports on every day, and many are experiencing firsthand at the moment: severe hurricanes, extreme heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, melting ice, floods, mass extinction of entire plant and animal species, and refugees fleeing from climate disasters, in addition to the desperation over all these so-called “rational adults” who seem to ignore this and walk around blindfolded. That is the reason for the fear. It would be irrational not to react, regardless of the cause of the disasters.
The young people are like the canary in the coal mine and have long been extremely concerned – for good reasons, long before Greta Thunberg became a phenomenon. Geez, it’s about their own lives in the future. The extreme weather conditions in recent years have only confirmed to them that they had reason to be concerned. So we should not underestimate the young people – as if they cannot think for themselves, just because they are also sensitive.
Climate Activism Creates Hope, Not Fear
Greta is just a catalyst for what so many already think and feel. She simply articulated and made visible what many can relate to. How else could she have gained such huge global support so quickly? So significant that people all over the world are taking to the streets these days to make the current leaders aware that something concrete must happen to change the situation. Is it insane to expect that? What Greta has given the rest of us is just an opportunity and an incentive to highlight that we too are concerned about the future, if immediate action is not taken to make a difference.
No, it is not fear that Greta instills by drawing attention to a situation that currently seems hopeless. What Greta is actually creating with the tremendous influence her voice has had is hope! Hope that a new generation is truly capable of opening their eyes, where the rest of us have been asleep at the wheel. Hope that it will make the difference that is necessary. The difference that the older generations have not been able to make so far.
Thank you.