Greta Thunberg

The Difference a Day Makes

From the south side of the Ravine yesterday morning I heard the buzz of strimmers in the churchyard. Not the usual one or two – a swarm. The community service gang was at work. And they made a difference.

When I posted a photo of Maude’s flower container inscription on Wednesday, I hinted at neglect. This is what the grave plot looked like on Tuesday.

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And this morning…

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A great improvement.

Talking of Greatness…

Some months ago, I wrote that Greta Thunberg was Great. I have never been able to stand before a group of people and speak, so I was hugely impressed that she could address large gatherings of old people who should know better and educate them about climate change. Speaking truth to power has brought her a rising ocean of nasty publicity.

I haven’t been able to watch her recent speeches. I can’t handle the hysterical responses to what she has been saying. That she is being “used”, as well as abused, is undeniable but I for one am grateful for all the cage-rattling she is doing. Thanks to Robin Westenra for directing me to this post by Chris Trotter.

Greta Abused

The lugubrious chaps at UK Column News, fresh from their Easter break (not that you’d notice), opened today with an attack on climate change/global warming and its poster child du jour, Greta Thunberg. They put up a picture of the young Swedish activist with a smiling Jeremy Corbyn and followed with a tweet from  Jezza’s know-it-all bro, Piers.

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It seems to me that Greta is simply following a different drummer. It may not be too long before she and her elders, but maybe not betters, understand beyond all doubt which way Planet Cookie is going to crumble.

The newscasters march behind the climate sceptics and introduced an article by Mark Carney, The financial sector must be at the heart of tackling climate change. Brian Gerrish concluded:-

These people are dangerously mad, because what are these massive risks? Did he give any examples of what these massive risks are in the paper? Perhaps he does, perhaps he doesn’t. But we can’t solve the simple things, the potholes in the road, but we are going to tackle global climate change, even though the evidence is not there in the first place. (My emphasis.)

 

One of Messrs Gerrish and Robinson’s favourite japes is to feature material emanating from the government propaganda machine (the BBC) and hit it with a cartoon FAKE NEWS stamp. So it is amusing to see them trash, in a dozen words, the careers of countless climate scientists, and dismiss the campaigning of the world’s worried schoolchildren. Oh, mustn’t forget the sensibilities of this dotty old geezer, who has been presenting nature and environment programs for the BBC since I was a nipper. Maybe I have been brainwashed, but the risks look rather big to me, wherever I look.

Greta the Great

The carbon traders in Katowice had a roasting from a 15-year-old Swedish lady two or three days ago. I caught up with Greta Thunberg this morning and she reminded me why I have believed in Anthropogenic Global Warming for many years. See her brief address to COP 24 on Democracy Now and her longer talk at TEDx Stockholm.

With other environmental activists, this young woman WILL make a difference – but their passionate efforts won’t be enough if the rest of us do nothing to help.