gretathunberg — Blog — The climate school

January has started the new year with several inspiring climate and environmental contents for us to get motivated by. One of them is the documentary “Greta”.

NRK recently published “Greta” where we follow Greta Thunberg from the early protests outside the Swedish Parliament, through the sailing trip over the Atlantic Ocean to speak at the UN climate summit in New York. This is a very close portrait of a very courageous girl who you have to admire. If more people were like Greta when it comes to the environment and climate, the world would be an even more extraordinary place.

It has been wonderful to follow her journey these last few years to see her message, which is amplifying what the climate scientific community has been trying to tell decision makers and leaders for years. However, it should not be necessary for someone to do this job. Decision makers and leaders should listen to climate scientists regardless of how it impacts their popularity or reelection opportunities. This is what separate politicians from true leaders. When I was 19, I attended the COP in Copenhagen. We used to say “Politicians talk, leaders act”. This is true in 2021 as well. We need action on behalf of the climate and environment for all living beings.

There is a growing movement of young people everywhere, waking up to the challenges, created by earlier generations, that will affect their own lives. The movement of school children striking for the climate started with 16 year old Greta Thunberg in Sweden. She demanded that Swedish politicians adapted their climate policy to be in line with the Paris agreement. Because currently, the emission graphs are headed in the wrong direction.

Greta Thunberg has been speaking clearly about the climate for a long time now. Her school strike started in August last year. In this TEDx talk, she explains why taking action for the climate can not wait. It been seen by over 1 million viewers. I can highly recommend it.

Last week, Thunberg travelled by train to Davos, where she told the world leaders who where gathered at the World Economic Forum. She spoke directly to them and said that the current way that the worlds leaders are treating the climate crisis is simply not good enough. She told them how urgent it is, and that many people present had been part of causing it, with their high emissions.

Inspired by Greta Thunberg, climate strikes has been erupting several places. In Brussels, 35.000 students marched out of their schools last week, to demand climate actions from their politicians, lead by 17 year old Anuna De Wever. In Norway, Nature and Youth organised climate strikes in September. In both Belgium and Norway there will be elections this coming autumn. Then everyone with a right to vote can do the climate justice by voting for a future that will still include a living planet.

Greta Thunberg says she sees the question about the climate as a black and white one. If more people saw it that way, if more people were aware that we are in fact in the middle of the sixth mass extinction, that the worlds emissions are set to increase, not decrease in the coming year - then more people would take to the streets. That is why my call for action to anyone who reads this is quite simple today - spread awareness and take action!

Talk about the changing climate. Talk about it at school. Talk about it at your job, at the dentist office, at the hairdresser, on your commute to job. To your family members who does not believe in it or does not care. Tell everyone, and show them examples of how it is already happening today. It will only get worse tomorrow. There is no planet B. If more people were woke to this fact, if more people walked out of the places they were meant to spent their working hours, in order to give attention to what matters the most - then our politicians and leaders would have to listen.