‘Dear adults, you’re failing us on climate’
Three years ago, on Friday August 20, 2018, Greta Thunberg protested at the Swedish parliament for the first time. Her message was extremely clear: we must take action NOW if we want to counter further climate change. Her concern: the generations before her, the adults in charge, know that human activity is changing the climate dramatically, yet they do nothing. In doing so, they knowingly burden the next generations with an unprecedented problem, that they could have prevented.
Greta Thunberg, Adriana Calderón, Farzana Faruk Jhumu, and Eric Njuguna call to action in last week's New York Times. The essence: 'Dear adults, you're failing us on climate.' And, as painful as it is to hear, they are completely right. Virtually all scientists agree that climate change has dramatic consequences. Almost everyone is convinced that this probleem requires draconian measures. Tremendous change. And the longer we wait to take action, the bigger the problems will be for future generations.
'So exactly what have you done?' In a few years, you too will be asked that question. And it will be impossible to say you didn't know it was going to get this bad. Because: we know. We are totally aware. The answer: 'I waited for someone else to change' (whether or not with a subordinate clause such as 'because it would be at the expense of my competitiveness', 'but Shell didn't do anything either', 'because China was still firing coal') are not exactly lines you can be proud of. So what you need to do is to generate your own change. Both at work and privately. And this is not just about CO2 emissions, it's about the whole set of Sustainable Development Goals (UN Global Compact can show you the way). And please, do not just realize this change. Make it visible in order to inspire others. Shall we?
Sources: