Greta Thunberg - A Prophet or a Pawn?

One of the more interesting stories this summer is about Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old climate activist from Sweden and her decision to travel to the United Nations Climate Action Summit in September on a 60-foot, carbon-neutral sailboat to avoid flying. The story is interesting in part because it highlights the success one individual can have in attracting world attention to a specific issue. Thunberg rose to fame as the young person who was the catalyst behind young people's, particularly in the west, the decision to demand their governments take aggressive action to stop climate change. In my mind, it does not particularly matter whether or not she is the real reason why high school students started talking more about climate change. It is not even that useful to debate how she got to be that person. What is important is that a new approach was created to potentially attract the attention of those in powerful positions in industry and government who chose to ignore the reality of our climate changing. Anytime and anyway we can keep this issue in the news - it is a good thing.

However, in spite of the success of this movement that attracted the attention and action of thousands of high school-aged students, in spite of the newsworthy charms of a young woman who speaks with such passion and conviction, we should not be taken in by the manipulations of the media to make this story more than it is. The media always manipulates information. Someone always decides what is important to report, what can be ignored, what should be focused on - over-reported on and what can safely be placed, if at all, in the back pages. It is in the media's own self-interest to report - some would say create - news that will attract readers/viewers so that income can be generated. I am delighted that the media took hold of this story and made Thunberg a celebrity. Maybe someone will listen to her - they are not listening to the experts. She has been designated by the media as a spokesperson for all young people and she appears to be good at that job.

Unfortunately, she is not a scientist, she only knows what she has read or been told, and she probably has little understanding of the industrial complex that controls our lives. In fact, one cannot help but wonder if she has been set up as some sort of straw dog that can be easily attacked and her beliefs taken apart or ignored. For example, while the press and her supporters have made much about the fact that she chose not to fly to New York because of the carbon footprint of such travel, she is sailing in a very expensive boat made of some composite materials, a boat that uses solar power and other complex technologies to cross the ocean. The boat may use no carbon generating device to move, but I have no doubt it is full of rare earth minerals and other materials whose extraction and manufacture have had an impact upon the planet. The boat itself cost millions to build and probably an extraordinary amount of money to be maintained. It is the product of a culture that supports the unequal distribution of wealth. I am sure that the boat trip will be uncomfortable at times - but it sounds like an adventure to me - not some sort of noble sacrifice.

Greta Thunberg may be a remarkable young lady who might change the world. Equally as possible, she might be someone who is being manipulated into being a celebrity - giving false promise to all who have been tricked into believing that the solution to changing the world is just to ask nicely but with passion. I really want the former to be true - I suspect that the latter is the reality we live in.

Change will happen when we as individuals make the changes in our lifestyle. Asking others to make those changes first will not work.