About the climate crisis and Greta Thunberg

Last night I read the book “Scenes from the Heart: Our Life for the Climate” by Greta & Svante Thunberg and Beata & Melena Ernman.

What are you doing right now? Where are you now? How did you get there?

Nobody is spared. Not from Greta, but even more importantly, from the climate crisis. There is no longer any climate change, because very soon it will not be possible to turn around and to change. A 180 ° turn is what we need.

We, humanity. We, nature. We, planet earth.

Who doesn’t know that feeling?

In the book “Stories from the Heart”, written by Greta’s family, a scene is sketched in which Greta watches a film about the climate change at school. She is upset, crying … and also the other children cannot believe what they see there.

That’s one of the problems: it seems so unreal, so wrong, so unbelievable. The climate crisis is a consequence of our behaviour, as humanity or the behaviour of some people with a lot of power. The impact of our social structures is then the climate crisis, the biggest of all problems. But we can also feel the effects on ourselves and in our immediate surroundings. They express themselves in imbalances, loneliness, depression, burn-outs and much, much more, what we like to call common diseases. The problem is that this already somehow seems normal to us. It is easier to be ashamed of being affected, than to recognise that nobody has to directly blame him or herself.

But back to Greta. All kids were affected by the movie they watched in class, but when it was over, the topic switched very soon to more fun themes. Suddenly, climate change was not really urgent anymore.

This feeling of recognising that something is fundamentally wrong … we all had that feeling already at some point. Right?

But then someone comes and says: “Don’t be so stupid, deal with something else. The world is just as it is. “

It also took some time for Greta Thunberg to be accountable to politicians and until she brought attention to the climate crisis.

Greta’s family certainly did not have an easy time, because having children diagnosed with autism is often difficult. Also, the environment often cannot handle it so well, or does not want to.

However, this family manages to continue. While reading the book I was able, despite other circumstances, to draw many parallels to situations in my life and to realise that families simply bring their difficulties with them.

Pull together

Greta’s family sticks together. Each family member recognised the climate situation and has drawn their own consequences. One after another they stopped, for example, taking planes when travelling, and Greta’s mother even wrote a column on this topic for a while. 

However, for them it is definitely not easier than for all of us. In their book, they also write about situations that seemed hopeless and in which they realized that small measures, from time to time, are simply not enough.

It’s not a change, it is a crisis

We are in a climate crisis and it takes a big and fast change by us humans to give us another chance.

To what e.g. parents like to say, “You kids, you are young people, you’ll fix it and turn it back,” says Greta in the book:

“You have created a society in which only social competence, good looks and money set the tone. So, if you want us to save the world, you have to change some things first. Because as it is now, all those who think a little differently and have the idea, sooner or later will break. “
Greta Thunberg, scenes from the heart
(translated back from German, so maybe not perfect)

On Friday 31st of May 2019 the next climate strike will be in Vienna. There are certainly some reasons not to go there. However, there are at least two reasons to be there on Friday:

• it is extremely important
• Greta Thunberg will walk with us

“The power belongs to the people”

If the climate crisis is still too complex and delicate for some of you or you don’t like to deal with it … at a certain point, best now, you will have to deal with it.

However, it is very important to see this person who has managed to find a way to engage with people and motivate them to actions for this important topic. It’s important because we have to start believing in ourselves and humanity. Often, something seems too unrealistic or too far away for us to really make a difference … Greta Thunberg shows that it is possible for each one of us to set the tone and begin a change.
She is a bearer of hope, an inspiration and motivation!

See you on Friday  🙂